Word: giap
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...with stirring news "We may now consider," he said, "that the second phase of the battle for Dienbienphu is ended." This meant that 15,000 surrounded, bonetired French Union troops had again thrown back 40,000 Communists assaulting the rubble-dust fortress of Dienbienphu. The army of Red General Giap, torn by frightful casualties, was still coming in from the jungle and the hills, and a third great assault was abuilding. But so far, Dienbienphu had gallantly defended the hopes of the free world, and the tricolor still rippled free in the gunsmoke. The battle last week...
Problem No. 1 was Giap's artillery. It was considerably better than the French had anticipated. Red 105-mm. gun crews and their Chinese instructors commanded all six remaining French strong points of the fortress as well as its two shell-pocked airstrips. French planes and helicopters could not get down tp evacuate more than a few of Dienbienphu's wounded. French patrols, water parties and couriers had to run a deadly daytime gauntlet. French pilots chalked such notes as "best wishes" and "May your buttocks be scorched" on their bombs, and flew three missions a day against...
Problem No. 2 was Giap's "mole-man" infantry. Every night the Communists dug and tunneled up to the French wire, loosening ground so that they could quickly dig assault trenches when the signal came to go in; they neatly infiltrated between the fortress' HQ and its southern strong point. Five times last week the French sent out tanks and infantry to ease the throttlehold; they killed 260 Communists and captured 14. At week's end the French launched a strong counterattack, claimed 1,000 casualties. But every night the Red moles came back...
Problem No. 3 was Giap's buildup. His 37-mm. antiaircraft guns were effectively harassing the French supply airlift to Dienbienphu, and his guerrillas were raiding French supply routes and depots near Hanoi. But Giap was able to move reinforcements and ammunition to his 40,000-man striking force in 200 new Molotov trucks down two open roads from Red China. The French could do almost nothing to stop him: they needed their very few combat planes for Dienbienphu itself...
...French were close to certain that Giap planned to renew his offensive when his buildup was complete-perhaps early in April, before the full moon...