Word: hq
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...five or six outposts. Then the Communists take Bald Head. At 2200, French Commanding Colonel Christian de Castries calls for air support. Privateers, B-26s, Bearcats, even DC-3 transports sprinkle high explosive and napalm into Red infantry support zones, but the enemy holds its gains. French HQ later admits: "The first news...
...quarter battle with light machine guns, rifles, knives, grenades and crude bamboo spears. Six times the hill changes hands. At 0700, French 19-ton tanks and flamethrower squads sear the Communists out. The Moroccans count 300 Communist dead on just one segment of their broken wire. De Castries radios HQ: "I am still master of the situation...
...civilian pilots airdrop sorely needed supplies. Many supply loads drift into enemy lines. In the afternoon, French tactical air puts in two big strikes against the three fallen outposts in the northeast. At 1600, De Castries counterattacks the outposts, wins back two. But he cannot stay. French HQ claims the enemy lost 1,350 dead in the first 24 hours. French casualties are also high, and there is no evacuation for the wounded...
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...
...poured "a gallon of living into a pint pot of time." Battle-beaten at 24, he felt like an old man. What Tim Sheldon was really looking forward to, when his North Africa sector quieted down one day, was two, maybe three successive nights of sleep. But Division HQ wanted to know whether the Germans had pulled out of White Farm. There was only one way to find out. Somebody had to cross no man's land and look...