First Indochina War

The Battle of Hải Phòng marked the opening of the Indochina conflict. After tensions over control of the port, an incident between customs officers and French soldiers and Việt Minh forces escalated into open fighting. The French high command ordered the complete capture of the city, and a massive naval artillery bombardment was launched. The street fighting was violent, causing destruction and heavy civilian casualties. The city was taken in less than a week, but the episode precipitated total war between France and the Việt Minh.

The Battle of Hanoi marked the entry into total war between France and the Việt Minh. On the night of 19 December 1946, the Việt Minh launched a general offensive against all points held by the French in Hanoi. The street fighting was of rare intensity, spanning several weeks. French forces, although encircled, managed to hold the center and regain control of the city, inflicting heavy losses on the attackers. This bloody confrontation definitively transformed the Indochinese crisis into open conflict.

A large-scale sweep operation around the Red River delta to reduce Việt Minh influence and restore French control. Despite some pitched battles, the Việt Minh practiced evasion, suffering losses but retaining its capacity for action.

Operation Léa was the largest airborne and mechanized operation launched by France during the Indochina war. Its objective was to capture the Việt Minh high command at Bắc Kạn and destroy Giáp's main forces. Despite an initial tactical success (the capture of Bắc Kạn in a bold paratrooper raid), the resistance and rapid escape of the Việt Minh leaders, along with counterattacks on the retreat routes, prevented a decisive success.

An offensive to clear the Hà Giang sector, disorganize Việt Minh networks, and regain the initiative. French forces won several positional engagements, recaptured fortified villages, and inflicted losses on the Việt Minh.

The Battle of RC4 is one of the heaviest defeats of the French army in Indochina: the evacuation of Cao Bằng turned into a debacle in the mountainous jungle, with French columns annihilated in a series of ambushes and sieges at Dông Khê and along RC4. This catastrophe opened the way to the Việt Minh's conquest of northern Tonkin.

The Battle of Hòa Bình, the longest large-scale operation conducted by the French army during the Indochina war, aimed to cut the Việt Minh off from its logistical bases in the northwest and to draw its main units into a positional battle favorable to the French. The initial offensive succeeded in seizing Hòa Bình, but Giáp's repeated counterattacks, the isolation of French posts, and the difficulty of the terrain forced a costly withdrawal. The toll was bloody on both sides, without a decisive victory.

The Battle of Mao Khé pitted French forces against two Việt Minh divisions launched in an assault on the strategic mining sector of Route 18. The fighting was fierce, particularly around the town of Mao Khé and the surrounding hills. Despite the Việt Minh's numerical superiority, the rapid intervention of French reserves, air support, and artillery allowed the offensive to be broken. This dearly won victory consolidated the defense of the delta and delayed the Việt Minh advance toward Haiphong.

The Battle of Vĩnh Yên marks a turning point in the Indochina war: for the first time, the Việt Minh massively committed two divisions against a fortified French position in the delta. The initial attack forced the French to retreat, but the arrival of General de Lattre and the massive use of armor and aviation reversed the situation. After several days of fierce fighting, the Việt Minh offensive was broken and the French position consolidated.

The Battle of Na San constitutes a major defensive victory for the French army. Besieged by two Việt Minh divisions, the entrenched garrison held out thanks to a fortified 'hedgehog' position: a network of interconnected strongpoints, heavily armed and supported by an omnipresent air force. The Việt Minh's repeated assaults were broken at a heavy cost. This tactical success would give the misleading impression that a pitched battle in entrenched terrain was the key to victory in Indochina.

The Battle of RC6 pitted French forces against a powerful Việt Minh offensive seeking to cut communications between the delta and the forward positions in the northwest. The fighting, conducted over rugged terrain and in narrow valleys, produced numerous high-intensity clashes. Despite French resistance, the Việt Minh's numerical superiority and tactical agility forced the French to abandon some posts and withdraw part of their garrisons.

The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, the last great confrontation of the Indochina war, pitted an isolated entrenched French camp against the massive assault of the Việt Minh divisions. After two months of siege and relentless assaults, the French defenses gave way. The garrison's surrender marked the end of the French military presence in Vietnam and precipitated the signing of the Geneva Accords.