Douglas A/B-26 Invader

French Wings Over Indochina














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French Wings Over Indochina - Page 2.

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In early 1954, France, a key Western ally, faced a major crisis in what was then called French Indochina. Several thousand French soldiers were trapped in the fortress at Dien Bien Phu, an isolated town in northern Vietnam, near the border with Laos.

In an effort to assist the besieged garrison, French forces had borrowed and were using a US Navy aircraft carrier, 10 US Air Force B-26s, several C-47s and C-119s, and hundreds of US Air Force personnel.

Washington wanted to help. The question was how far President Dwight D. Eisenhower would go to prevent a communist triumph at Dien Bien Phu.

Vietnam and other parts of Indochina had been French colonies since the 19th century. Chased out by occupying Japanese forces in World War II, France had returned after the defeat of Japan and sought to re-establish colonial control.

France’s actions provoked open warfare with communist-dominated Viet Minh forces—led by Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap—which in 1946 launched a broad armed uprising against the French. In October 1949, China’s communists won their own civil war and started sending aid southward.

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Above, United States Air Force B-26s loaned to France sit on the ramp at Tourane, Vietnam—later known as Da Nang. They still wear the nose art they carried in Korean action, mere months before. American airpower assistance was the last hope for the French in Indochina.
 
 
 








































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Courtesy of Julien Lepelletier, thanks Julien

The shots taken on these two pages originate from
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