Battle of Mao Khe
Part of First Indochina War
Date 23 March 1951 – 28 March 1951 Location Mao Khe, Vietnam Result French Union victory
Belligerents
French Union	Viet Minh
Commanders
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny	Vo Nguyen Giap
Strength
400 reinforced by 6e BPC 3 destroyers 2 landing craft	102nd/308th 141st/312th 209th/312th 36th/308th in all about 10,000
Casualties and losses
40 killed 150 wounded	134 killed 426 wounded 14 missing

v • d • e First Indochina War Hanoi – Cao Bang – Namdinh – Papillon – Lea – Valentine – Onoine – Pegase – Dong Khe – RC4 – Vinh Yen – Mao Khe – Hoa Binh – Lorraine – Na San – Bretagne – Atlante – Adolphe – Camargue – Hirondelle – Brochet – Mouette – Castor – Dien Bien Phu – Condor – Vulture – Mang Yang Pass

The Battle of Mao Khe (Vietnamese: Mạo Khê), occurring from 23 March to 28 March 1951, was a significant engagement in the First Indochina War between the French Union and the Viet Minh. The French Union forces, led by World War II hero Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, inflicted a defeat on Viet Minh forces, which were commanded by General Vo Nguyen Giap. The French Union victory, however, was not decisive and the Viet Minh would attack again shortly afterwards.

Prelude

After suffering a heavy setback at the Battle of Vinh Yen, Giap decided to attack the port of Haiphong, the centerpiece of French logistics. Giap planned to breach the French defenses at Mao Khe, which was about 20 miles north of the port. He hoped that the fresh 316th Division, supported by diversionary attacks from the 304th and 320th divisions, would be enough to break the French.

Mao Khe was poorly defended. It was encircled by a series of outposts, with the town itself held by an armored car platoon of the Moroccan Colonial Infantry. The Mao Khe coal mine was located 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) to the north of the town and was garrisoned by a company of partisans commanded by a Vietnamese lieutenant and three French NCOs. To the east of the town, a company from the 30th Senegalese Composite Battalion guarded a fortified Catholic Church. In total, the French had about 400 troops.

Battle

After diversionary thrusts on 23 March, the Viet Minh began to assail Mao Khe's outposts later in the night. They had carried all major positions by the 26 March and prepared for the main attack on the city. At this point, the anticipated Communist attack stalled under heavy pressure from French naval forces, which had managed to approach Mao Khe via a deep channel in the nearby Da Bac River. Viet Minh's losses were about 30 KIAs and 80 WIAs. ^[1][2]

De Lattre was uncertain of Giap's intentions, but he did send the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion (6e BPC) and some artillery batteries to relieve the beleaguered forces at Mao Khe. Early in the morning of the 27 March, the Viet Minh 209th Regiment of the 312nd Division launched a massive attack against the coal mine, whose defenders resisted until French B-26s and Hellcats alleviated the pressure. After exhausting their ammunition, the partisans beat a skillful retreat to Mao Khe. Viet Minh's losses were 46 KIAs, 209 WIAs, 14 MIAs.^[3]

At 02:00 on the 28 March, the Viet Minh opened up a torrent of artillery and mortar fire against the town. The 36th Regiment of the 308th Division launched a number of mass infantry assaults which were repulsed by well-placed French artillery. The Viet Minh eventually entered the town and a bloody hand-to-hand confrontation began, although the momentum of the attack had petered out. The Vietnamese withdrew later in the morning with 58 KIAs and 137 WIAs.^[4]

Aftermath

Casualties had been light for the French and, at around 3,000, heavy for the Viet Minh by French estimates. Vietnamese figures are about 150 KIAs and 426 WIAs. Although the French had been victorious, Giap's losses were not nearly as bad as at Vinh Yen two months previously. Giap would make another unsuccessful attempt to breach the French lines in late May.

Sources

Setting the Stage in Vietnam

References

• Võ Nguyên Giáp, Tổng tập hồi ký, NXB QĐND, Hà Nội, 2006 (Vo Nguyen Giap, Memoirs Collection, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006)
• Lịch sử Sư đoàn bộ binh 312, NXB Quân đội nhân dân, Hà Nội, 2001 (History of the 312nd Infantry Division, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2001)
• Bộ Tư lệnh Quân đoàn 1: Một số trận đánh trong kháng chiến chống Pháp và chống Mỹ - tập 7, NXB Quân đội nhân dân, 1998 (1st Corps High Command: Battles in the Resistance War against France and America - Volume 7, People's Army Publishing House, 1998)
• Bộ Tư lệnh Quân đoàn 1: Một số trận đánh trong kháng chiến chống Pháp và chống Mỹ - tập 9, NXB Quân đội nhân dân, 1999 (1st Corps High Command: Battles in the Resistance War against France and America - Volume 9, People's Army Publishing House, 1999)