First Indochina War | ||
---|---|---|
Overview | ||
Part of | Cold War | |
Date | December 19, 1946-August 1, 1954 | |
Location | Indochina | |
Combatants | ||
France Vietnam Cambodia Kingdom Laos |
North Vietnam Pathet Lao Supported by: Soviet Union | |
Commanders | ||
Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque Jean de Lattre de Tassigny |
Ho Chi Minh | |
Strength | ||
Casualties | ||
The First Indochina War was a war in Indochina between the French who ruled it and the Vietminh who were communist rebels. Stalin sent tons of weapons to Mao, who gave them to the Vietminh and trained them in using these. In response, the United States sent the French artillery, tanks, and planes. At first the French won, but at Dien Bien Phu the Vietminh attacked a road to this fort and forced its surrender by firing Chinese artillery. The French soon left. North Vietnam became a communist dictatorship, South Vietnam a free republic.
Not long after the French were expelled, the Vietnam War started.
Categories: [French History] [Wars]