French Paratroops of the 2nd Battalion of the 1er Regiment de Chasseurs parachutistes (II/1 RCP) were to drop south of the village of Muong Thanh at Drop Zone ‘Simone’ in the valley of Dien Bien Phu. Tasked as a blocking force to trap Viet Minh units retreating
from attacking French paratroops further north, Major Brechignac’s battalion came down widely scattered around the DZ and attempted to concentrate to fulfil their mission.
For most of the day, the experienced PAVN units held their ground in the valley until
ordered to withdraw into the surrounding mountains. The Legionnaires around the southern drop zone were hampered in their efforts due to the widely dispersed drop, broken and lost radio sets that limited communications, and their opponent’s local knowledge of the brush-filled river valley. Crossing over the Nam Yum River and heading south, the retreating Viet Minh forces
remained in good order, whilst avoiding the uncoordinated attempts of the French paratroopers to cut off their escape route. Some of these men would meet again in ‘the Bowl’ of Dien Bien Phu in the months to come.
