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Operation Castor

22 April, 2010 By

Operation Castor was an airborne operation carried out by French paratroopers during the French Indochina War. It took place in the Vietnamese province of Dien Bien Phu, in the north, from November 20 to November 22, 1953. Operation Castor was the largest airborne operation since World War II. The objective of this mission was to establish a fortified airhead (outpost) in Dien Bien Province, in the north-west corner of Vietnam, to draw the Viet Minh into fighting a pitched battle. That battle, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, took place four months later.

Operation Castor was initiated at 10:35 hours on November 20, 1953, when the French 6th and 2nd Colonial Airborne Battalions, commanded by Brigadier General Jean Gilles, dropped over Dien Bien Phu to secure the airstrip, which had been built by the Japanese during the occupation of French Indochina by Japan in World War II. The operation took 65 of the 70 operational Dakota and all 12 C-119 Flying Boxcar. On November 21, a second group of paratroopers, spearheaded by the 1st Foreign Airborne Battalion, dropped in, too. With all its objectives achieved, the operation ended on 22 November.

Operation Castor  and Battle of Dien Bien Phu Documentary Video

En la Tematica:: Battles

Comentarios

  1. Michael Kaponya Dijo:
    31 July, 2010 at 20:53

    Greeting to all my comrades who fought with me in the 13e D.B.L.E. at Hoa Binh. I was in charge of arms and ammunition for the Bataillon Commandement.

Trackbacks

  1. Battle of Dien Bien Phu | History Wars Weapons says:
    28 April, 2010 at 23:27

    [...] out by the French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Foreign Legion airborne units. The last one was Operation Castor, which had been conducted in November 1953 to establish an airhead (outpost) in the province of [...]

  2. French Indochina War | History Wars Weapons says:
    14 June, 2011 at 19:51

    [...] Although the strategy of pushing the Viet Minh into attacking a well defended base in a remote part of the country at the end of their logistical trail was validated at the Battle of Na San, the lack of construction materials (especially concrete), tanks (because of lack of road access and difficulty in the jungle terrain), and air cover prevented an effective defense. The decisive battle which practically put an end to the war in Indochina was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, which was fought in 1954. Other important military operations and battles of the French Indochina War were: the Battle of Cao Bang (1947), Battle of Hoa Binh, Battle of Dong Khe, Battle of Mang Yang Pass, Operation Brochet, Operation Camargue, Operation Hirondelle, Operation Mouette, Operation Castor. [...]