Battle of Nà Sản

Battle of Na San
Part of First Indochina War
Date October-2 December 1952 Location Na San, Son La Province, Vietnam Result French Union victory and successful evacuation
Belligerents
French Union France State of Vietnam	Viet Minh
Commanders and leaders
Jean Gilles	Vo Nguyen Giap
Strength
-	-
Casualties and losses
-	3,000 casualties

The Battle of Na San was fought between French Union forces and the communist forces of the Viet Minh at Na San, Son La Province during the First Indochina War.

the "Hedgehog"

During the battle French commanders used a new tactic, called "the hedgehog" (le hérisson), for the first time. The hedgehog defense consisted of an outpost surrounded by several armed positions (Point d'appui or P.A.). The objective was to provoke an enemy frontal assault, rather than fighting off hit and run attacks or falling into ambushes.

This tactic earned the French a victory at the battle of Na San. As a result, the hedgehog defense became standard practice, until the defeat of Dien Bien Phu.

The evacuation of a similar outpost at An Khe led to the disastrous Battle of Mang Yang Pass that ended the war in 1954. Though the Na San camp was successfully evacuated itself in August 1953.

Outposts

In early October 1952, there was a single outpost and a short airstrip at Na San, however by late November the Hanoi-based French Air Force Dakotas transported troops and material there in order to complete a fortified outpost allowing a direct confrontation with the Viet Minh division.

Operation Lorraine

Main article: Operation Lorraine

Up north between the Red River and the Clear River, General Raoul Salan launched Operation Lorraine as a diversion on 9 November, it lasted until 19 November.

French Forces at Na San

• Colonel Jean Gilles, Na San Commander

Groupement Lansade

• 1st Algerian Marksmen Regiment (1er régiment de tirailleurs algériens)
• 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e régiment étranger d'infanterie), commandant Favreau
• 6th Morrocan Marksmen Regiment (6e régiment de tirailleurs marocains)

Groupement mobile vietnamien (Vietnamese Mobile Group)

• BM/BT 1
• BT 2
• BT 3, commandant Vaudrey
• 55th BVN (55e Bataillon Vietnamien), capitaine Pham Van Dong
• 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (5e régiment étranger d'infanterie), chef de bataillon Dufour

Groupement parachutiste (Airborne Group)

Lieutenant colonel Ducourneau

• 1st Foreign Airborne Regiment (1er régiment étranger de parachutistes), chef de bataillon Brothier
• 2nd Foreign Airborne Regiment (2e régiment étranger de parachutistes), chef de bataillon Bloch
• 3rd Airborne Marine Regiment (3e régiment parachutiste d'infanterie de marine), capitaine Bonnigal

Artillerie (Artillery)

• 5th GAVN (5e GAVN with 2 batteries of 105 howitzers)
• 41st Colonial Artillery Regiment (41e régiment d'artillerie coloniale)
• CMLE (one section with four 120 mm guns and one section with six 81 mm mortars)

Génie (Engineer)

Commandant Casso

• 6 sections

See also

• Operation Lorraine
• Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Media links

• Views upon Indo-China #4: Na San, a battle in the jungle, French Army Cinematographic Service (SCA#64), 7 May 1953

External links

• Template:Fr The battle of Na San, October-December 1952, R. Vercken & P. Gras (airforce in the battle)

Bibliography

• Dufour, Nicolas (October 1999). NASAN, La victoire oubliée (1952-1953) (in French). Economica. ISBN 2-7178-3940-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Simpson, Howard R. (August 1992). Tiger in the Barbed Wire: An American in Vietnam, 1952-1991. Brassey’s Inc. ISBN 0788151487.
• AFRVN Military History Section, J-5, Strategic Planning and Policy. Quân Sử 4: Quân lực Việt Nam Cộng Hòa trong giai-đoạn hình-thành: 1946-1955 (reprinted from the 1972 edition in Taiwan, DaiNam Publishing, 1977) (in Vietnamese). {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)