How AFP covered the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
« A deadly silence reigned on the immense battlefield which had been transformed into a cemetery, » AFP’s special correspondent Bernard Ullmann wrote after the fighting stopped.
The AFP journalist was flying over Dien Bien Phu in a Red Cross plane. Here is a selection of AFP reports translated from the original French on the last hours of an entrenchment.
New Viet Minh attack at Dien Bien Phu
HANOI, May 7, 1954 (AFP) – Last night the Viet Minh launched fierce attacks on the northeastern, eastern and southwestern sides of the trench camp. They were support positions that the enemy had tried and failed to overcome through wave upon wave overnight Saturday/Sunday.
The high command said it did not yet know if it was a general attack. Nevertheless, the Viet Minh seems to have deployed major resources, no doubt two divisions.
The support positions attacked were mostly around the headquarters of General de Castries and the trench starting positions of the enemy were at the foot of the barbed wire. Bad weather prevented the air force from intervening. And it was impossible to fire on the Viet Minh as the enemies’ tranches were interlocked.
Fighting at Dien Bien Phu
HANOI, May 7, 1954 (AFP) – Undoubtedly the fiercest fighting of the battle of Dien Bien Phu is now underway. Hardly 800 metres stands between the two claws of the approaching Viet Minh pincer, from the west and the east, towards the HQ of General de Castries.
With the territory completely overwhelmed following an intense artillery preparation late on Thursday, the rebels, battalion after battalion, emerged from trenches dozens of metres from French positions. And attack outposts each occupied by around one company.
After blowing up the two remaining ramparts of barbed wire, the Viet Minh soldiers slash with knives and grenades a path towards the small shelter serving as a command centre for the targeted outposts.
(...)
The new Viet Minh advances now put them at a grenade distance from most of the remaining support positions still in the hands of the French. The Viet Minh, who have almost penetrated inside this last square are now working digging trenches. Supplies by parachute become an extremely random exercise.
It already had to be done in French positions even within the barbed-off area, but picking up the munitions parachuted in under the fire of automatic weapons is costly for the defenders who are exhausted by the latest fighting.
The size of the trench has a surface of around two and a half square kilometres. Everyone in Hanoi thinks that General de Castries will fight right to the end.
General de Castries’ last conversation with General Cogny
PARIS, May 8, 1954 (AFP) – An official source releases the transcript of the last telephone conversation between General de Castries and General Cogny (the commander in chief at Tonkin) on May 7, at 17h00 local time.
- De Castries : « The situation is extremely serious. The fighting is confused and taking place everywhere. I get the feeling that the end is near, but we will fight up to the end.».
- Cogny : « Understood. You will fight up to the end. No question of raising the white flag over Dien Bien Phu after your heroic resistance ».
- De Castries: « Understood. We will destroy the cannons and all the radio equipment. The radio post of the porter runners will be destroyed at 17h30. We will fight up to the end. Goodbye general. Vive la France. »
After his last communication General de Castries destroyed his radio transmitter
SAIGON, May 8, 1954 (AFP) – Yesterday afternoon at 16h45 local time, General de Castries radio-telephoned to Hanoi: « The central hold out of the trench camp will be overcome, resistance has become impossible ».
After sending this message, de Castries destroyed his radio transmitter. After that there was no further news from the command centre of Dien Bien Phu nor from any radio transmitter of the central trench.