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Battle of Mao Khe
Part of First Indochina War
Date March 23-March 28, 1951 Location Mao Khe, Vietnam Result French victory
Combatants
France	Vietnam
Commanders
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny	Võ Nguyên Giáp
Strength
400 3 destroyers 2 landing craft	10,000
Casualties
40 killed 150 wounded	3,000

First Indochina War
Lèa – RC4 – Vinh Yen – Mao Khe – Hoa Binh – Lorraine – Dien Bien Phu – Mang Yang Pass

The Battle of Mao Khe, occurring from March 23, 1951 to March 28, 1951, was a significant engagement in the First Indochina War between France and the Việt Minh. The French forces, led by World War II hero Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, inflicted a defeat on Vietnamese forces, which were commanded by General Võ Nguyên Giáp. The French victory, however, was not decisive and the Việt Minh would attack again shortly afterwards.

Contents 1 Prelude 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Sources

After suffering a heavy setback at the Battle of Vĩnh Yên, Giáp decided to attack the port of Hải Phòng, the centerpiece of French logistics. Giáp 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.

After diversionary thrusts on March 23, the 316th Division began to assail Mao Khe's outposts later in the night. They had carried all major positions by the 26th 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.

De Lattre was uncertain of Giáp'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 27th, the 316th Division launched a massive attack against the coal mine, whose defenders resisted bravely until French B-26s and Hellcats alleviated the pressure. After exhausting their ammunition, the partisans beat a skillful retreat to Mao Khe.

At 02:00 on the 28th, the Việt Minh opened up a torrent of artillery and mortar fire against the town. They launched a number of human-wave attacks that were repulsed by well-placed French artillery. The Việt 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.

Casualties had been light for the French and, at around 3,000, heavy for the Việt Minh. Although the French had been victorious, Giáp's losses were not nearly as bad as at Vĩnh Yên two months ago. Giáp would make another unsuccessful attempt to breach the French lines in late May.

Setting the Stage in Vietnam