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| place = Chu Dreh Pass, [[French Indochina]]
| place = Chu Dreh Pass, [[French Indochina]]
| image = Dak Po ambush1.jpg
| image = Dak Po ambush1.jpg
| caption =French vehicles of 'GM. 100' destroyed in an ambush in the Central Highlands
| caption =French vehicles destroyed in an ambush in the Central Highlands, 1954
| result = Việt Minh victory
| result = Việt Minh victory
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|French Fourth Republic}} [[French Union]]
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|French Fourth Republic}} [[French Union]]
Line 24: Line 24:
}}
}}


The '''Battle of Chu-Dreh Pass''' also known as the '''Ambush at Chu-Dreh Pass''' and '''Operation Myosotis''' was the last battle of the [[First Indochina War]] between French and [[Viet Minh]] forces that took place on July 17, 1954 within the [[Central Highlands (Vietnam)|Central Highlands]]. It ended with the near destruction of the battle group, 'Groupement Mobile No. 42'.
The '''Battle of Chu-Dreh Pass''' also known as the '''Ambush at Chu-Dreh Pass''' and '''Operation Myosotis''' was the last battle of the [[First Indochina War]] between French and [[Viet Minh]] forces that took place on July 17, 1954 within the [[Central Highlands (Vietnam)|Central Highlands]]. It ended with the the battle group, 'Groupement Mobile No. 42' suffering heavy losses and the near destruction of the [[French Battalion|I/Corée battalion]].


==Background==
==Background==

Revision as of 19:17, 28 July 2024

Battle of Chu Dreh Pass
Part of the First Indochina War

French vehicles destroyed in an ambush in the Central Highlands, 1954
Date17 July 1954
Location
Chu Dreh Pass, French Indochina
Result Việt Minh victory
Belligerents

French Fourth Republic French Union

North Vietnam Việt Minh
Commanders and leaders
Jacques Sockeel unknown
Strength
Groupement Mobile No. 42 96th Regiment
Casualties and losses
600 casualties
47 vehicles and tanks destroyed		 Unknown

The Battle of Chu-Dreh Pass also known as the Ambush at Chu-Dreh Pass and Operation Myosotis was the last battle of the First Indochina War between French and Viet Minh forces that took place on July 17, 1954 within the Central Highlands. It ended with the the battle group, 'Groupement Mobile No. 42' suffering heavy losses and the near destruction of the I/Corée battalion.

Background

Further information: Battle of Mang Yang Pass

On November 15, 1953 the French regimental task force unit of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps 'Groupement Mobile No. 100' ("Mobile Group 100" or G.M. 100) which included the elite veteran UN Bataillon de Corée that had fought in the Korean War was transferred to French Indochina.[1]

On June 24 the following year, not long after the surrender of the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu the French Chief of Staff ordered G.M. 100 to abandon its defensive positions at An Khe and fall back to Pleiku, some 50 miles away over Route Coloniale 19 Codenamed opération Églantine GM.100 however was hit in a series of deadly ambushes, suffering heavy losses in men and vehicles between June 24 – June 29. They fell back to the safer Pleiku where they reorganized and reequipped.[2]

On June 29, the French HQ at Nha Trang had received intelligence that the Viet Minh had infiltrated the area along Route Coloniale 14 between Pleiku and Ban Mê Thuột. This time 'Groupement Mobile No. 42' (GM.42) led by veteran, lieutenant colonel Jacques Sockeel were to be sent out on Operation Myosotis (Forget-Me-Not) with orders to keep the road open. They were also to relieve an outpost held by a company of regular troops and some thirty guerrillas 85km South of Pleiku.[3] GM.42 was composed of three mountaineer infantry battalions (composing of Montagnards) There was also the 4th Vietnamese Artillery Group, the two remaining companies of I/Corée and a reinforced armoured platoon of the Third Squadron of the 5th ("Royal Poland") Cuirassiers Armoured Cavalry.[4][5]

Ambush

On Bastille Day, July 14, the task force took to the road again. By dusk of July 16, the various units had reached Ea H'leo.[6] The French having learnt the lessons from Mang Yang Pass were well prepared for an ambush making sure the artillery had pushed up to support the front units while they established temporary defensive positions. The artillery themselves would be supported by tanks when they moved up.[7]

The following day the column was passing through areas of potential ambush sites, but nothing was seen and no attacks happened. The Montagnard infantry got through the dangerous Chu Dreh Pass without trouble, while I/Corée and the artillery formed the rearguard. At 10.50am, they had left the southern end of the pass, the 8th Montagnard battalion and the Brigade HQ were suddenly attacked by Viet Minh smalls arms and light artillery.[3]. Local units of the Viet Minh 96th Regiment opened up on the convoy with 81mm mortars, 60mm's, and recoil less cannons. The soft skinned vehicles were targeted and soon a dozen trucks were blazing. Two companies of the 8th Montagnard battalion and the 4th company of I/Corée were destroyed within an hour. Other units around the choke points of the ambush were trying to fight their way out, dragging their wounded.[8] Most of the radios were knocked out causing chaos and confusion. It meant that on the other side of the pass, the rest of GM.42 not realising what was going further up as they were attempting to stave off an ambush there. They managed to call in air support from B-26 bombers which managed to help their situation. Nevertheless the 5th (Royal Poland) Cuirassiers' tanks and vehicles meanwhile arrived at the choke-point not knowing of I/Corée's plight and they too became hit hard.[6]

The Viet Minh then stormed the vehicles with infantry in the hope of capturing their guns and radio sets. Soon they were crawling over the armoured vehicles and tanks The 'Royal Poland' however despite the heavy losses they had sustained did save 1st Korea from being completely wiped out.[8]

By 14:00 the Viet Minh broke off their attack satisfied with the destruction they had inflicted. The French managed to withdrew but it took some to arrive at Buôn Ma Thuột which most had reached by 25 July.[9]

Aftermath

When the survivors finally arrived at Buôn Ma Thuột the following day, they counted the cost - the I/Corée had effectively ceased to exist as a fighting unit.[10] There were only 107 men remaining out of 452, of those 53 were wounded, in addition a further 47 vehicles were lost. Viet Minh troops did show some mercy by leaving 37 wounded on a road near to the ambush site, where they could be picked up without hindrance.[11] The 1st Korea which had began the year with some 800 men now had only 107 left in their ranks with around half that number walking wounded - some 500 men were killed with another 200 prisoners of war.[4]

The Viet Minh had by this time conquered a substantial part of the Central Highlands including the towns of Kontum and AnKhe. On 20 July, a battlefield ceasefire was announced when the Geneva agreements were signed. On 1 August, the armistice went into effect, sealing the end of the French Indochina and the partition of Vietnam along the 17th parallel.[12]

On September 1, the French High Command in Indochina dissolved what was left of GM.100.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Eggleston 2017, p. 9.
  2. ^ "Có một Điện Biên Phủ ở Liên Khu 5" [There was another Dien Bien Phu in 5th Military Region]. baobinhdinh.com.vn (Bình Định Newspaper) (in Vietnamese). 3 May 2004. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Windrow 2004, p. 636.
  4. ^ a b Clodfelter 2017, p. 614.
  5. ^ Revue historique des armées Volume 4. Ministère des armées. 1977. p. 95.
  6. ^ a b Fall 2005, p. 238.
  7. ^ Fall 2005, p. 237.
  8. ^ a b Summers 1995, p. 60.
  9. ^ Fall 2005, p. 239.
  10. ^ Harris 2016, p. 20.
  11. ^ Fall 2005, p. 240.
  12. ^ Harris 2016, pp. 20–21.

Bibliography

  • Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015, 4th Ed. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 9780786474707.
  • Eggleston, Michael A (2017). Dak To and the Border Battles of Vietnam, 1967-1968 McFarland. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 9781476664170.
  • Fall, Bernard (2005). Street Without Joy: The French Debacle in Indochina. Stackpole Military History. ISBN 9780811732369.
  • Harris, J P (2016). Vietnam's High Ground Armed Struggle for the Central Highlands, 1954-1965. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 9780700622832.
  • Summers, Harry G (1995). Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780395722237.
  • Windrow, Martin (2004). The Last Valley. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81386-6.
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