Operation Hirondelle was the codename for the two-day French airborne operation to destroy the Viet Minh supply depots near Lang Son, from July 17, to July 19, 1953, during the French Indochina War. Paratroopers of the French and Vietnamese National Armies, commanded by General Marcel Bigeard, took part in this airborne raid. The 2,000-men French forces successfully attacked and destroyed Viet Minh’s weapons caches hidden in caves near Colonial Routes Four and One. "Hirondelle" is a French word which means "swallow" in English.
After a successful first phase, Operation Hirondelle forces retreated over land through Loc Binh, where other French units had been dropped on July 17 to repair and hold a river crossing for the retreating units; and then to form a rearguard for 20 miles. The entire force rendezvoused with Mobile Group Five, and was then extracted by sea on July 19, thus ending a successful military operation.
Province of Lang Son in northern Vietnam where Operation Hirondelle took place
