Battle of Na San
Part of First Indochina War
Date October-December 2, 1952 Location Na San, Son La Province, Vietnam Result French Union victory
Combatants
French Union France State of Vietnam	Viet Minh
Commanders
Raoul Salan Robert Gilles Louis Berteil Marcel Bigeard	Vo Nguyen Giap
Strength
-	-
Casualties
-	3,000 casualties

The Battle of Na San (French: bataille de Na San) was fought between French Union forces and the communist forces of the Viet Minh at Nà Sản, Son La Province during the First Indochina War. Combatants French Union France State of Vietnam Viet Minh Commanders Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (1945-46) Jean-Étienne Valluy (1946-8) Roger Blaizot (1948-9) Marcel-Maurice Carpentier (1949-50) Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1950-51) Raoul Salan (1952-3) Henri Navarre (1953-4) Ho Chi Minh Vo Nguyen... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... December 2 is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Son La Province is a province in Vietnam. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Established by the French constitution of October 27, 1946, the French Union (French: Union Française) was a political entity created to replace the old French colonial system, the French Empire (Empire français). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Vietnam. ... Motto: None Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon First Chief Emperor Bao Dai Last Chief Ngo Dinh Diem Rule Area South Vietnam (1954-) Independence  - Provisional  - Declared  - Recognised  - Dissolved From Franch rule May 27, 1948 June 14, 1949 1954 October 26, 1955 Currency Piastre National anthem Call to the Citizens Caution: The... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ... clarified and proofread. ... Marcel Bigeard (born 14 February 1916) is a French military officer who fought in World War II, Indochina and Algeria. ... General Võ Nguyên Giáp (born circa 1912[1]) Vietnamese general and statesman. ... Combatants French Union France State of Vietnam Viet Minh Commanders Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (1945-46) Jean-Étienne Valluy (1946-8) Roger Blaizot (1948-9) Marcel-Maurice Carpentier (1949-50) Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1950-51) Raoul Salan (1952-3) Henri Navarre (1953-4) Ho Chi Minh Vo Nguyen... The military operation codenamed Lèa was an attempt of the french colonial forces in Indochina to capture the communist leaders of the vietnamese movement for independence (Viet Minh), which started on October 7th, 1947 and was unsuccessfully finished at December 22, 1947. ... The Battle of Dong Khe was a major battle of the First Indochina War. ... Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Gen. ... Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Võ Nguyên Giáp Strength 9,000 20,000 Casualties Unknown; but light 6,000 dead 8,000 wounded 500 captured The Battle of Vinh Yen, occurring from January 13, 1951 to January 17, 1951, was a major engagement in... Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Võ Nguyên Giáp Strength 400 3 destroyers 2 landing craft 10,000 Casualties 40 killed 150 wounded 3,000 The Battle of Mao Khe, occuring from March 23, 1951 to March 28, 1951, was a significant engagement in the... Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Gen. ... Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Raoul Salan Vo Nguyen Giap Strength 15,000  ??? Operation Lorraine was a French military operation of the First Indochina War. ... Combatants France, Vietnam (loyalist) Vietnam (Viet Minh) Commanders Christian de Castries Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800 (Davidson, 224) As of March 13: 49,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel (Davidson, 223) Casualties 2,293 dead 2 dead (USA) 5,193 wounded 11,800... Combatants French Union France State of Vietnam Hmong mercenaries Viet Minh Commanders Christian de Castries # Pierre Langlais # René Cogny Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800[1] As of March 13: 48,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel[2] Casualties 2,293 dead, 5,195... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Established by the French constitution of October 27, 1946, the French Union (French: Union Française) was a political entity created to replace the old French colonial system, the French Empire (Empire français). ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ... Son La Province is a province in Vietnam. ... Combatants French Union France State of Vietnam Viet Minh Commanders Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (1945-46) Jean-Étienne Valluy (1946-8) Roger Blaizot (1948-9) Marcel-Maurice Carpentier (1949-50) Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1950-51) Raoul Salan (1952-3) Henri Navarre (1953-4) Ho Chi Minh Vo Nguyen...

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. Genera Atelerix Erinaceus Hemiechinus Mesechinus Paraechinus A hedgehog is any of the small spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. ...

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. Combatants French Union France State of Vietnam Hmong mercenaries Viet Minh Commanders Christian de Castries # Pierre Langlais # René Cogny Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800[1] As of March 13: 48,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel[2] Casualties 2,293 dead, 5,195...

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. An Khe is episode 102 of The West Wing. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

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. Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Ná»™i, Hán Tá»±: 河内)  , estimated population 3,145,300 (2005), is the capital of Vietnam. ... The French Air Force is the air force branch of the French Armed Forces. ... The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. ...

Operation Lorraine

Main article: Operation Lorraine

Upnorth between the Red River and the Clear River, General Raoul Salan launched Operation Lorraine as a diversion in November 9, it lasted until November 19. Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Raoul Salan Vo Nguyen Giap Strength 15,000  ??? Operation Lorraine was a French military operation of the First Indochina War. ... Flowing from China through Vietnam to the South China Sea, the Red River (Vietnamese Sông Hồng, Chinese Hónghé) is also known as the Yuan Jiang (元江, pinyin yuan2jiang1), which means Primary River. ... clarified and proofread. ... Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Raoul Salan Vo Nguyen Giap Strength 15,000  ??? Operation Lorraine was a French military operation of the First Indochina War. ...

Internal links

• Operation Lorraine
• Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Combatants France Vietnam Commanders Raoul Salan Vo Nguyen Giap Strength 15,000  ??? Operation Lorraine was a French military operation of the First Indochina War. ... Combatants French Union France State of Vietnam Hmong mercenaries Viet Minh Commanders Christian de Castries # Pierre Langlais # René Cogny Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800[1] As of March 13: 48,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel[2] Casualties 2,293 dead, 5,195...

Media links

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

External links

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

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