Word: langson
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...lived in Indo-China for 20 years. In the Communist North, a 20-man French mission hopes to keep "the French presence" in the Viet Minh state, and do business there; there is even talk of French help to rebuild the vital strategic railroad from Hanoi to Langson on the Red China frontier...
...great Communist offensive in Indo-China, which had been expected since the monsoons ended in October, has not materialized, probably because General Henri Navarre's aggressive spoiling operations have kept the Viet Minh off balance. Last week Navarre launched the biggest airborne attack since the Langson border raid in July, this time against the Communist base at Dienbienphu. Between the Black River and Laos. This time it was not a hit-and-run raid; the French meant to seize Dienbienphu and hold...
Shortly after dawn one day last week, 3,000 French and Vietnamese paratroopers dropped out of U.S. -made transport planes and floated down on the ancient gateway town of Langson (pop. 7,400), only eleven miles south of the China border. Quickly the soldiers slipped out of their chute harness, jogged through town, and headed for the deep limestone caves where the rebel armies of Ho Chi Minh had cached war materiel. Taken by surprise, the Viet Minh garrison fled. Systematically, the French set to work destroying enough Communist supplies to equip two Red divisions. In twelve busy hours, paratroopers...
...fine opportunity, and the French made the most of it. Red General Vo Nguyen Giap had become overconfident, counting on French reluctance to leave the safety of their forts. He reckoned without France's offensive-minded new commander in Indo-China, General Henri Eugene Navarre. The attack at Langson cost the Reds two months' supplies, and gave notice that from now on Giap would have to think of his supply line before rampaging around the countryside...
Their work done, the French paratroopers hurried down Route Coloniale No. 4 towards the sea, accompanied by 200 Langson civilians fleeing the Communists. Their routes led through Communist-held jungles, but Navarre had allowed for that, too. A strong French mobile group of infantry with tanks and artillery pushed halfway up Route 4 to meet them. Total French casualties: two dead, 20 wounded...