In May 1947, Raoul Salon – soon to be promoted to lieutenant general – was appointed commander of the French Forces in northern Indochina, with the objective of closing crossings to China. With China’s help, however, Vo Nguyen Giap had set himself the objective of removing French forces from the northern border region, in order to ensure the smooth movement of ammunition and troops to and from China.
In October 1947, Raoul Salan conducted Operation Lea. The name of the operation was given by the Old French place name “Col del Lea”, on the mountain route from Hanoi to Chao Bang – with the objective of destroying enemy bases on the border.
Raul Salan’s attacks killed nine thousand Viet Minhs. The Colonial Corps of Paratroopers, used by Salan, was also a great success.
The paratroopers had two objective purposes: first, to capture the leaders of the Viet Minh and second, to occupy the bridges to ensure the smooth passage of the army. The fall of the Paratroopers to the rebel headquarters took place with great precision and surprise. They received valuable supplies from the Viet Minh, as well as correspondence from Ho Chi Minh which was on his desk. But both Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap managed to escape. So did the main force of the Viet Minh, consisting of 40,000 men who escaped through the lines of the French.
Raoul Salan’s objective had been achieved, as the French regained control of Chao Bang Province and, in particular, the crucial RC4 road.
The Data Change
But Mao Tse Toung`s dominance in China’s civil war changed that. As the Chinese Communist Army approached the Vietnamese border, the French realized that their forces could not maintain control of the RC4 road and the Hanoi defense at the same time. That is why they left the mountainous and border Chao Bang as less important than Hanoi.
Strategically, the French did not take advantage of Raoul Salan’s achievement in “Operation Lea”, who in June 1948 was transferred to the Ministry of National Defense in Paris. The reasons are twofold: either because they did not want to risk direct involvement with Communist China or because they faced simultaneous uprisings in all their colonies.
Vietnam Independence
In 1949, France recognized the “Independent State of Vietnam” under the leadership of Bao Dai. This particular state had limited powers. The French recognized Laos as an “independent state” linked to France. In the same year, Bao Dai announced the establishment of the “Vietnam National Army” to fight on the side of the French.
The Political Strategy of France
It relied less on the face of Bao Dai and more on the support of the religious minorities of South Vietnam, whose leaders sought autonomy and preferred to negotiate it with France rather than with the Viet Minh. This was the reason why the communist movement did not develop in South Vietnam at that time. The Bao Dai regime has faced criticism from even conservative nationalists who have refused to join the government.
The action Viet Minch
Viet Minh activity remained limited until the end of 1949, due to severe shortages of weapons and ammunition. That is why Vo Nguyen Giap was limited to guerrilla warfare. From the beginning of 1950 with the prevalence of Mao Tse Tung in China, the data changed. The Viet Minh was supplied from the Chinese border. In northern Vietnam, French forces were confined to large cities and forts, which slowly began to abandon, as successive attacks by the Viet Minh against them began to intensify and fall into their hands.
