Last Stands: Dien Bien Phu!

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. On November 1953 General Henri Navarre launched Operation _____ and captured the valley of Dien Bien Phu. The French began to build a base there, with two airstrips protected by linked strongpoints, setting the stage for the bitter, decisive battle. Operation Castor Operation Camargue Operation Hirondelle Operation Atlante

2. The Communist leaders of the VietMinh gladly accepted the challenge of fighting at Dien Bien Phu. Who was their field Commander-in-Chief? Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem Van Tien Dung Vo Nguyen Giap

3. Legend tells that the French strongholds were named after the lovers of Dien Bien Phu commander Christian de Castries. In fact, they were only an alphabetical sequence of denominations: Anne-Marie, Beatrice, C_____, Dominique, Eliane, Francoise, Gabrielle, Huguette, Isabelle. DeCastries' command post was located near the "C" position. What was that "girl's" name? Christine Corinne Claudine Catherine

4. The Dien Bien Phu base had been sporadically shelled by the VietMinh since its creation, but on March 13th, 1954 a massive artillery attack was launched. Among its objectives was the closing of the main airstrip. The Groupe de Chasse (Fighter Group) 1/22 "Saintonge", which was based there, had to attempt an emergency take-off under the enemy shells. Of what kind were its nine US naval-type planes? Grumman F8F Bearcat Grumman F6F Hellcat Vought F4U Corsair Grumman F7F Tigercat

5. That same day, the first VietMinh massive assault overran the most isolated outpost, Beatrice. It was garrisoned by the elite 3rd battalion of the 13e Demi Brigade de la Legion Etrangere (13th Half-Brigade, Foreign Legion) This unit was famous for its heroic stand against Rommel's Afrika Korps at ___________ Alam Halfa El Alamein Bir Hacheim Tobruk

6. The following day, March 14th, another VietMinh attack overran and captured the Gabrielle outpost, the strongest of the base, defended by the 5e/7e Regiment de Tirailleurs Algeriens (5/7 Algerian Riflemen Regiment). Due to his failure to stop the VietMinh assaults, the artillery chief, Colonel Charles Piroth ________ suffered a nervous breakdown recalled individual guns borrowed to the outposts and rearranged them to fire toghether asked the high command to send him two more batteries of disassembled light howitzers commited suicide

7. Colonel de Castries was a cavalryman not well qualified for defensive operations. The fall of Beatrice and Gabrielle left him in a disoriented mood. The top Para officers felt he was unable to lead the base and replaced him with two of their own, the first as de-facto overall commander, and the second as his tactical aide-de-camp for the the counterattacks they would launch against the VietMinh. They were ______ and _______ Langlais & Bigeard Gaucher & Tourret Vadot & Botella Guiraud & Brechignac

8. On March 28th, the new Para commanders launched the first of a series of counterattacks and hit-and-go offensives aimed at recapturing fallen or endangered positions and destroying enemy AA guns. They used for these attacks their elite paradroppers and the available light tanks they still had. These tanks were a group of ______ H39 Hotchkiss Alvis Scorpion M22 Locust M24 Chaffee

9. March 31st. After a tremendous artillery barrage, the VietMinh launched a full-scale assault against Dominique and Eliane. At Dominique, the men of the 3e/3e Regiment de Tirailleurs Algeriens, along with some Thais that were reinforcing them, suddenly began to run for their lives. They left their artillery support completely undefended. What happened next? The gunners fired the howitzers point-blank at the VietMinh and managed to repel them The communists overran Dominique and killed all the gunners The gunners' commander asked for the main artillery to fire directly over his position, and the magazine exploded The gunners surrendered and were forced to fire against their own comrades at the base

10. On April 9th, a well coordinated attack of the Paras re-conquered the part of Eliane that had previously fallen to the communists. Would the Paras hold Eliane firmly? Yes No

11. The entrenched camp was crossed by the Nam Yum River. Throughout the month of April, the number of "Rats of Nam Yum" increased alarmingly, posing a serious problem to the already troubled defenders. What were the "Rats"? Vietnamese rodents deprived of their shelter due to the bombardments Local peasants that the VietMinh used as spies and saboteurs VietMinh sappers using Bangalore torpedoes to destroy the barbed wire fences Deserters from the defenders' own ranks

12. What happened the last day of the battle (May 7th)? De Castries and an escort group marched towards the VietMinh headquarters with a white flag hoisted The French simply ceased fire and announced it to the enemy by radio The VietMinh launched a final attack that captured de Castries at his bunker The U.N. ordered a cease-fire but its terms were later disobeyed by the VietMinh

13. The VietMinh took 11,721 prisoners, of which 858 were allowed evacuation by the Red Cross due to the seriousness of their wounds. The rest, 10,863 men, were forced to walk to prisoner camps some 300 miles away from the valley. How many of them were returned to the French only four months later? 4,376 men (40%) 3,290 men (30%) 5,463 men (50%) 6,549 men (60%)

14. Some time after the battle, General Henri Navarre received an anonymous gift: a beautiful lacqued Chinese box containing a single-bullet pistol. Did he use it against himself? Yes No

15. In 1968, shortly before the launching of his Tet Offensive, the communists laid siege to the Marines' base at _______, perhaps attempting to create an "American Dien Bien Phu" situation. Khe Sanh Con Thien Quang Tri Dong Ha