Dien Bien Phu : trenches under tropics

Pierre Bartouilh de Taillac

March 2004

Dien Bien Phu

Trenches in the TropicsThis is not a fight against an army, it is a fight against a whole nation. General Jacques Philippe Leclerc cited by Peter Macdonald, Giap, Warner Books, 1994, p 67.

You must repair the roads, overcome all obstacles, surmount all difficulties, fight unflinchingly, defeat cold and hunger, carry heavy loads across mountains and valleys, and strike right into the enemys camp to destroy him and free our fellow country-menComrades, forward ! General Vo Nguyen Giap to men of the Peoples Army cited by Jules Roy, The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Faber and Faber, 1965, p 74.

Viet infantry has become very strong. I consider it is the strongest infantry I have ever seen in front of me. It is superior to the German infantry. General Christian Marie Ferdinand de la Croix de Castries cited by Roger Bruge, Les Hommes de Dien Bien Phu, Perrin, France, 1999, p 113.

Number of words: 10586

INTRODUCTION

Dien Bien Phu: Trenches in the Tropics is a simple simulation of the battle of Dien Bien Phu (March 13 May 7 1954). This decisive battle saw French elite troops (paratroopers of Bigeard and the Lgion trangre) defeated by the Vietminh led by General Vo Nguyen Giap. It put an end to the French domination over Indochina and was a great victory for the Vietnamese Communist party who would be seen, after this event, as the party who gave freedom to its own people. Dien Bien Phu: Trenches in the Tropics is a two-player war game. One player commands the Vietminh, while the other commands the French forces.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

After being defeated in 1940, the French empire became incredibly important in the eyes of French people. It was seen as the condition to be a great power. From this point of view, Indochina known as la perle de lEmpire (the Empires pearl) was very important and that is why, in 1945, France tried to reinstall its colonial rule over Indochina. However, some Vietnamese were not ready to accept it and formed the Vietminh (which is an abbreviation for Vietnamese independence party). Ho Chi Minh and General Giap became leaders and they began to fight a guerrilla war against France.

The situation for France became worst after 1950 when Vietminh received weapons from communist China. A large part of the country was controlled by the Vietminh. Moreover, the IVth Republic of France was not the best political system to deal with colonial war. The government was very weak and too dependant on parliament and political parties. Most of the governments of this Republic did not last very long (no more than a few months) and were never strong enough to take the courageous decision needed.

So, the military fought the war alone without having what they needed to do so (they never had the number of men they wanted). The cost of the war was very heavy for France and by the end of it, America was financing 80% of the cost because more and more it was seen as a fight against communism.

From a strategic point of view, the French Army wanted a real battle (as opposed to skirmishes) where its superiority in terms of equipment (artillery, tanks, airforce) would give them victory. A fortified camp in the middle of the enemy territory was seen by the French high command as the best way to push the enemy to accept a real battle. It worked quite well at Na San (1953) where the French Army managed to kill a lot of Vietminh soldiers and escaped by air.

Nevertheless, Dien Bien Phu was not originally supposed to be a hedgehog camp like Na San. It was first created to be an offensive base to attack the enemy in the north west of Vietnam, but then it became clear that the enemy was going to send 4 divisions (the French commander never thought he would be able to send so many men into this region) to attack Dien Bien Phu. So, the French transformed (with an important lack of means) Dien Bien Phu into a fortified camp.

The second French error was to think that the Vietminh would not be able to take their heavy artillery with them into the mountains. The third was to believe they would have enough planes to feed the battle and bomb the Vietminh soldiers at the same time, but this was not the case (Dien Bien Phu was further from Hano than Na San). The battle lasted a little less than 60 days and was very bloody. After the heroic combat of the ground troops, the French were defeated, putting an end to French colonial rule in Indochina.

COMPONENTS

Dien Bien Phu: Trenches in the Tropics is composed of the following:

One rules book

One map

One sheet of playing pieces

Players will need a six-sided die to play the game.

1) THE MAP

1.1) The map represents the valley of Dien Bien Phu like it was at the beginning of the battle (March 13, 1954) with the French strongholds. Players should keep in mind that Dien Bien Phu is in the bottom of a bowl-shaped valley; all around are hills and mountains held by the Vietminh.

1.2) The map is not covered by a grid of hexagons but by the 8 French strongholds and in front of each of them, there are one or two red squares with yellow stars which represent Vietminh offensive bases.

1.3) A French stronghold can have a maximum of 3 French battalions or 1 Vietminh regiment. A Vietminh offensive base can have a maximum of 3 Vietminh regiments but cannot have French battalions.

1.4) Vietminh units may never be placed on a French stronghold if there is still a French unit in (even if its combat strength is 1). French units can never be placed on a Vietminh offensive base.

1.5) Vietminh offensive bases in the south of Eliane and Claudine can only be used if Isabelle has been conquered.

Designers note: the game Dien Bien Phu Une saison en enfer uses this system and I think it is accurate which is why I decided to do the same. In fact, movements are not important during the battle: the French waited in their fortified camp, the Vietminh had been around the area since January 1954 and the valley was rather small. So in a game in which one turn represents one week, movements do not play a key role.2) UNITS

2.1) On the French side, one unit represents one battalion, whilst on the Vietminh side one unit represents one regiment. The only exception is the squadron Shaffee which is not a French battalion but a French squadron of 10 tanks.

2.2) Each unit has a combat strength as indicated by the number on the counter. Vietminh units have a strength of 12 or 11 (they are regiments) while French units have a strength which goes from 6 to 2 (they are battalions).

For example, this unit is the first bataillon tranger de parachutistes (Foreign Legion Parachute Battalion) and its combat strength is 6.2.3) French army (like other modern armies) uses a lot of abbreviations. Here is their meanings and their translation:

5/7 RTA (Gabrielle): 5me bataillon du 7me rgiment de tirailleurs algriens (5th Battalion, 7th Algerian Rifle Regiment).

3/13 DBLE (Batrice): 3me bataillon de la 13me demi-brigade de Lgion trangre ( 3rd Battalion, 13th Foreign Legion Half Brigade).

BT3 (Anne-Marie): 3me bataillon thai (3rd Tai (tribal) Battalion).

1/2 REI (Huguette): 1er bataillon du 2me rgiment tranger dinfanterie (1st Battalion, 2nd Foreign Legion Infantry Regiment).

1/13 DBLE (Claudine): 1er bataillon de la 13me demi-brigade de Lgion trangre (1st Battalion, 13th Foreign Legion Half Brigade).

3/3 RTA (Dominique): 3me bataillon du 3me rgiment de tirailleurs algriens (3rd Battalion, 1st Algerian Rifle Regiment).

1/4 RTM (Eliane): 1er bataillon du 4me rgiment de tirailleurs marocains (1st Battalion, 4th Moroccan Rifle Regiment).

3/3 REI (Isabelle): 3me bataillon du 3me rgiment tranger dinfanterie (3rd Battalion, 3rd Foreign Legion Infantry Regiment).

2/1 RTA (Isabelle): 2me bataillon du 2me rgiment de tirailleurs algriens (2nd Battalion, 1st Algerian Rifle Regiment).

1er BEP (intervention unit): 1er bataillon tranger de parachutiste(1st Foreign Legion Parachute Battalion)

8 BPC (intervention unit): 8me bataillon de parachutistes de choc (8th Parachute Assault Battalion).

5me BPVN (reinforcement): 5me bataillon de parachutistes vietnamiens (5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion).

6me BPC (reinforcement): 6me bataillon de parachutistes coloniaux (6th Colonial Parachute Battalion).

2/1 RCP (reinforcement): 2me bataillon du 1er rgiment de chasseurs parachutistes (2nd Battalion, 1st Parachute Light Infantry Regiment).

2me BEP (reinforcement): 2me bataillon tranger de parachutistes (2nd Foreign Legion Parachute Battalion).

1er BPC (reinforcement): 1er bataillion de parachutistes coloniaux (1st Colonial Parachute Battalion.

2.4) The Vietminh army does not use abbreviations. The number on the upper left of the counter is the number of the regiment and the number on the upper right is the number of the division. The counter of the regiment 148 is the only one not to have any number on the upper right because regiment 148 is independent.

For example, this counter is the counter of the regiment 176 of the division 316 and its combat strength is 11.2.5) The combat strength of each unit can gradually decrease. Therefore to obtain good combat strength for a unit after combat, the player should return the counter (half combat strength) and/or add a counter of negative combat strength (-1,-2,-3,-4,-5) above the unit counter.

For example, if the regiment 141 (division 312) loses 3 points of combat strength, a counter of 3 Combat Strength should be put under the counter of the regiment 141.

If the regiment 141 loses 4 more points of combat strength, the counter of the regiment should be returned and a counter of 1 Combat Strength should be put under the counter of the regiment 141.Designers note: Even if this technique is not very practical, it has a great advantage: most of the units are going to fight during a long period of the battle, to take part in a lot of combat and to be destroyed slowly just like they actually were.3) SEQUENCE OF PLAY

3.1) The simulation proceeds through a series of turns, each representing one week of action. A marker is moved on the Turn Record track to record which turn is being played.

3.2) Each turn contains 7 or 9 phases (depending on the Vietminh strategy):

LOGISTIC PHASE

MOVEMENTS PHASE

DESTRUCTION OF THE AIRSTRIP PHASE

ENTRENCHMENT PHASE

VIETMINH ARTILLERY PHASE

VIETMINH CHOICE PHASE

If the Vietminh chooses not to try to conquer a stronghold: If the Vietminh chooses to try to conquer a stronghold:

FRENCH BOMBARDMENT PHASEFRENCH ARTILLERY PHASE

CLOSE COMBAT PHASE

FRENCH COUNTER ATTACK PHASE

4) LOGISTIC PHASE

Supply

4.1) At the beginning of each logistic phase (except during the first turn), each player rolls a die. The result in terms of supplies is given by the table below. It is impossible for French and Vietminh stocks to go over 15.

Level of supply (each turn)

Players

DiceVietminhFrance

6914

5912

4910

379

278

177

4.2) If the airstrip has been destroyed, the level of French supply (as shown by the table above) will diminish by one.

It means that, for example, if the French player rolls a 5, he should normally get a level of supply of 12 but if the airstrip has been destroyed, he will only get a level of supply of 11.4.3) When the airstrip is destroyed, it cannot be reconstructed, the rule 4.2 has to be applied during the rest of the game if the airstrip is destroyed.

4.4) If the Vietminh holds Gabrielle, the French level of supply will diminish by 1. If he holds Isabelle, it will diminish by 1. If the Vietminh player holds Gabrielle and Isabelle, it will diminish by 3. If he controls one stronghold at the centre of the camp (Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique) the French level of supply will diminish by 1. If he gets two of these strongholds, it will diminish by 2, if he gets 3 by 3, and 4 by 4.Designers note: Concerning supplies, Isabelle and Gabrielle are two very important strongholds because the only way for pilots to fly over Dien Bien Phu (as it is a valley with mountains on both sides) is on the South-North or North-South axis. As Gabrielle is at the extreme north of the camp and Isabelle at the extreme south, their positions are strategic for pilots because they do not have the choice to not fly over it. It is for this reason that the French airforce has especially asked the army to build a stronghold on Gabrielle (at the beginning there was no stronghold on the hill of Gabrielle). Supplies are also going to be more difficult if the Vietminh controls one or more strongholds in the centre because the camp would be more or less cut into two halves.4.5) The French player could choose at the beginning of each turn (except the first one) to use a part of his aviation to bomb the Vietminh supply line. If he does so at any turn, his level of supply will go down by 2 on this turn, whilst the level of Vietminh supply will go down by 3 the following turn.

Designers note: All the French military aviation (and even the civil aviation which has been requisitioned) was used to feed the battle of Dien Bien Phu. From the beginning of the battle to its end, there had been a struggle to know how to use the air force, and whether the fighters (F8F Bearcats, SB-2C Helldivers, F6F Hellcats, F4U Corsairs) and bombers (B-26 Invader, PB4Y2 Privateers) shouldhave been used to protect transport planes (C-47 Dakotas, C-119 Packets). As such, they may have concentrated all their forces in trying to destroy anti-aircraft weapons or attack Vietminh convoys which were going to supply the Vietminh divisions around the valley.Modifier of level of supply

Players

CaseVietminhFrance

Destruction of the airstrip.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Gabrielle.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Isabelle.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Gabrielle and Isabelle-3 (each turn)

Vietminh holds one of Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds two of Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique.- 2 (each turn)

Vietminh holds three of Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique- 3 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique- 4 (each turn)

French bombs Vietminh line- 3 (next turn)- 2 (same turn)

Example: If the French player rolls a 4, if the airstrip has been destroyed, if the Vietminh holds Gabrielle and Huguette, this turn the French level of supply would be 10 (because he rolls a 4) 1(airstrip destroyed)-1(Vietminh holds Gabrielle)-1 (Vietminh holds Huguette) = 7Stock

4.6) At the beginning of the game, stocks are full for the two players. So the Vietminh marker is placed on the top level of the Vietminh Stock Record track and French marker is placed on the top level of the French Stock Record track.

4.7) After firing with his artillery, the Vietminh player will see his level of stock diminish by 4. After firing with his artillery, the French player will see his level of stock diminish by 2.

4.8) After close combat, the Vietminh level will diminish by 1 and French level by 1.

4.9) After a French counter attack, the French level of stock goes down by 2 and the Vietminh level will go down by 1.

4.10) During the logistical phase, the Vietminh level of stock goes down by 2, the French level by 4. This is to simulate the normal consumption of the two armies (what they will need to live in the week to come).

4.11) Players should be very attentive with their level of stock because they are not allowed to launch an attack if they do not have enough stock.

Example : - if the level of Vietminh stock is 1, he could launch an infantry attack but not an artillery attack. If the Vietminh player makes the choice to launch an infantry attack and if he conquers a stronghold, he is going to have to retreat if the French player has enough stock to launch a counter attack against him.

- if the Vietminh level of stock is 0, he cannot launch any attack.4.12) If a player is attacked and his stock is 0, his unit(s) attacked (all the units present on the stronghold which is attacked) must retreat. During this retreat, each unit(s) retreating will lose 1 points of combat strength.

Designers note : Losing 1 point of combat strength during the retreat of a stronghold being attacked is not unrealistic. It is important to figure out that retreats had been chaotic. The wounded were waiting for help in trenches and because of that soldiers not wounded could not walk in the trenches and had to run outside of them (with the risk of being shot). This rule gives an advantage to the elite unit (high combat strength) and disadvantages a unit not as good as them (low combat strength) because a unit has to be well trained to retreat successfully. Modifier of stock

Players

CaseVietminhFrance

Beginning of the game1515

Normal life of the army (each turn)- 2- 4

Artillery strikes- 4- 2

Close combat- 1- 1

French counter attack- 1- 2

Example : If the Vietminh stock was at the beginning of the turn of 13 and if he fires artillery, the Vietminh stock will be (before the supply of next turn) 13 2 (normal life of the army) 4 (artillery strikes) = 7Designers note: The supply chain played a very important role during the battle because both the French and the Vietminh were very far from their normal base. Dien Bien Phu is 300 kilometres from Hano. French officers never thought that the Vietminh would be able to lead a big battle there. General Giap had to mobilise 75,000 coolies to carry food and weapons for the battle. He wrote in his book Dien Bien Phu that he was always thinking about supplies. On the other hand, the French were completely dependant from the air. Planes had to carry one hundred tonnes a day to allow the French to fight. They had problems of supply especially at the end of the battle. So to be a realistic simulation of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, one should make the level of supply an important point.

The level of supply, especially the French one, depended a lot on hazards such as weather and the luck of the pilot. Thus, I think rolling a die is the best way to simulate it. However, it is also interesting to include some parameters which do not depend on hazards like the destruction of the airstrip and the surface of the base which are going to modify the final level of supply.5) MOVEMENTS PHASE

5.1) At the beginning of the game, units should be placed as stated by the scenario. No movements are allowed in turn 1.

5.2) The French player moves his unit first and when he has finished, the Vietminh player moves his units.

5.3) During the movements phase, the French player can move 6 units. Each time, he takes one unit from a stronghold to put it in the centre of the camp, or to put it on another stronghold, it counts as one move. Each time, he takes one unit from the centre of the camp to put it on a stronghold it counts as one movement.

5.4) The French player must have at least one unit and a maximum of three in each stronghold.

5.5) During the movements phase the French player could choose to abandon a stronghold and to retreat. If he makes this choice, it counts as a move and the unit, which is leaving the strongpoint, would not lose 1 point of combat strength.

5.6) If during the movements phase the French player has abandoned a stronghold, then during the same movements phase the Vietminh player has to take control of the abandoned stronghold. Going to the abandoned French stronghold costs 1 move to the Vietminh player (even if he is not on the offensive base in front of the abandoned French stronghold).

5.7) During the movements phase, the Vietminh player can move 4 units. Each time he takes a unit from an offensive base, a French stronghold or the jungle (the green all over the camp) to put it somewhere else, it counts as 1 movement.

5.8) If he wants the Vietminh could leave some of his offensive bases free, but cannot put more than 3 units on a single offensive base.

5.9) The Vietminh player cannot leave a French stronghold unoccupied. He cannot put more than 1 unit on a French stronghold.

5.10) Vietminh offensive bases in the south of Eliane and Claudine can only be used if Isabelle has been conquered. The interest of these bases for the Vietminh player is that he can build trenches to attack Eliane without controlling Beatrice and to attack Claudine without controlling Anne-Marie. It is the only advantage. There are no advantages to having two offensive bases to attack because the Vietminh player can attack with only 1 unit.

6) DESTRUCTION OF THE AIRSTRIP PHASE

6.1) During the destruction of the airstrip phase, the Vietminh rolls a die. The airstrip is destroyed if he rolls a 6 or a 5.

6.2) The Vietminh player can roll the die (to destroy the airstrip) as many times as he likes, but each time he rolls the die, his level of stock will diminish by 1 point. However, he has to decide how many times he is going to roll the die at the beginning of the phase. If he decides to roll the die 3 times, he must roll it 3 times (even if the airstrip is destroyed at the first roll), so his stock will diminish by 3 points.

Designers note: The Vietminh, to be sure of destroying the airstrip, had to launch massive artillery strikes without knowing if the first shells were or were not successful. That is why the Vietminh player has to decide at the beginning of the phase how many rolls he is going to make.6.3) Once the airstrip has been destroyed by the Vietminh player, it cannot be rebuilt. It stays unusable for the rest of the game.

Designers note: It is rather easy for the Vietminh to destroy the airstrip as it was in reality. During the battle, the airstrip did not last more than two weeks. In the game, it is the Vietminh player who should decide if it is interesting to use his artillery (and so some of his stock) to destroy the airstrip, knowing that if he is successful the level of French supply will diminish by 1 point every turn.7) ENTRENCHMENT PHASE

7.1) During the entrenchment phase, the Vietminh player can choose to build trenches in front of one, and only one, strongpoint. If he wants to do so, he must choose a unit (based on the offensive base next to the trenches) and roll a die. If he rolls a 6, 5 or 4 he can build the trenches successfully without losses. If he rolls a 3, 2 or 1 he can build the trenches successfully but the unit lose 1 point of combat strength. Building trenches is interesting because during the rest of the game, the Vietminh player can attack the strongpoint more easily (see the close combat rule for advantages). When the trenches have been built, the Vietminh player should put a trenches marker next to the Vietminh offensive base (red square with yellow stars) where the trenches have been built.

7.2) The trenches can be used only on turns after the turn its construction.

7.3) During the entrenchment phase, the French player could try to destroy as many trenches as he likes and he could try as many times as he likes to destroy a trench. To do so, he should choose a unit (based on the stronghold next to the trench he wants to destroy) and for each try, he should roll a die. The result of the operation is given by this table:

French tries to destroy trenches

DieDestruction of the trenchesFrench losses

6Yes0

5Yes1

4Yes1

3No1

2No1

1No2

If the trenches are destroyed, the trenches counter should be remove from the map.

Example : If the French player tries to destroy a trench with the 6 BPC (combat strength of 6) and he rolls a 4, the trenches will be destroyed but the combat strength of the 6 BPC will now be 5.7.4) The French player is not allowed to try to destroy a trench in front of a stronghold if the sum of the combat strength of all units on this stronghold is not at least equal to 3.

7.5) The Vietminh player can rebuild the trenches even if they have been destroyed in the previous turn.

7.6) The Vietminh player can only build trenches in front of Huguette if he controls Anne-Marie. He can only build trenches in front of Dominique if he controls Beatrice.

7.7) The Vietminh player can only build trenches to the west of Claudine if he controls Anne-Marie. He can only build trenches to the east of Eliane if he controls Beatrice.

Designers note: Rules 7.6 and 7.7 simulate the importance of Anne-Marie which protects the west of the centre of the camp and Beatrice which protects the east of the centre of the camp (take a look at the map to note).7.8) The Vietminh player can only build trenches in the south of Eliane and Claudine if he controls Isabelle.

Designers note: General Vo Nguyen Giap wrote in his book Dien Bien Phu that he first thought to launch a general attack on all the camp but he said he changed his mind because victory was not certain with a general attack. So he decided to avoid a general attack and attacked one strongpoint after the other, using trenches to protect his troops. The rules had to reflect this reality and to give a certain advantage to the Vietminh player if he chooses to use trenches.8) VIETMINH ARTILLERY PHASE

8.1) During the Vietminh artillery phase, the Vietminh player has the initiative (the French player is completely passive). The Vietminh player chooses one strongpoint he wants to attack, chooses the regiment he wants to attack with and then he launches his attack. To do so he rolls a die with the result of his attack being given by the following table.

Example: If the Vietminh unit has a combat strength of 10, and the number on the die is 4, the French unit on the strongpoint will lose 3 from his combat strength.Artillery and infantry combat table

CS

Die123456789101112

6- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3- 3- 3- 4- 4

5-- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3- 3- 3- 4

4--- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3- 3- 3

3---- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3

2----- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3

1------- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2

CS = Combat Strength

Designers note: It could be quite surprising for someone who does not know the battle of Dien Bien Phu to see that the Vietminh can use his artillery as he likes while the French are completely passive and cannot react. However, this is a realistic enactment. First of all, the Vietminh controlled all the mountains around the camp. During the weeks before the battle, the Vietminh army built shelters for their cannons. When they wanted to fire, they moved the cannon outside its hole, fired and put it back in its shelter. The Vietminh had also built fake cannons and shelters to deceive the French counter artillery. It worked so well that Colonel Piroth, who was leading the French artillery at Dien Bien Phu, and who had promised to reduce to silence every Viet cannon, committed suicide when he saw that he would not be able to destroy the Vietminh cannons. Colonel Pierre Langlais (number 2 of the camp after General de Castries) writes in his book Dien Bien Phu that the Vietminh artillery had always escaped from French counter artillery and even from French aviation.8.2) For each artillery combat, the Vietminh player loses 4 on the level of stock.

8.3) The Vietminh player can launch as much artillery attack as he likes in a turn (but each will cost him 4 of level of stock). He could place no more than 3 regiments in an offensive base and he could use them only one by one. So that means concerning the artillery that he could only use a regiment at a time to make an artillery strike.

Designers note: Using only artillery (during the first weeks) might appear for the Vietminh as an interesting strategy. However, I would not recommend it because it is very costly in stock and it would leave free the French Airforce which do not need to carry ammunitions if there is no combat (see rule 10).8.4) A French unit (if alone in the stronghold) cannot be completely destroyed by artillery strikes (so a stronghold cannot be conquered only with artillery strikes). The level of combat strength of a French unit on a stronghold cannot go under 1 after the Vietminh artillery strikes.

Example: If the BT3 (combat strength = 2) alone on Anne-Marie received artillery strikes and should lose 3 points of combat strength according to the table, this battalion would not be destroyed, its combat strength will be 1.

Designers note: Artillery is normally used in battle as a neutralising weapon before an infantry attack, it is not the case in Dien Bien Phu: Trenches in the Tropics (it is a destructive weapon) because I think it was a destructive one in the battle of Dien Bien Phu.

The neutralising effect of artillery is not so important on the French in Dien Bien Phu because they are in a blockhouse built to continue firing even when they are under attack. However, they were not perfectly built (the French lacked materials and they did not think they would have an artillery so powerful in front of them) and they often collapsed when a shell arrived right upon them killing all the men inside. The account of Sergeant Kubiak (who was legionnaire on Beatrice) is very interesting: We are all surprised and asked ourselves how the Viets have been able to find so many guns capable of producing an artillery fire of such power. Shells rained down on us without stopping like a hailstorm on a fall evening. Bunker after bunker, trench after trench, collapsed, burying under them men and weapons.9) VIETMINH CHOICE PHASE

9.1) During this phase, the Vietminh player chooses if he is going to try to conquer (or not) one stronghold (and only one, he can only conquer one stronghold per turn).

9.2) If the Vietminh player chooses not to try to conquer a stronghold, rules applying for the rest of the turn are under rule 10 concerning French Bombardment Phase.

9.3) If the Vietminh player chooses to try to conquer a stronghold, he should choose a unit to attack (the unit should already be placed on the offensive base in front of the stronghold attacked). If there are several French units in the stronghold, the French player should choose one of them who he is going to defend with.

10) FRENCH BOMBARDMENT PHASE

10.1) There is a French bombardment phase only if the Vietminh player chooses not to try to conquer a stronghold this turn and if the French player wants to bomb his enemy.

Designers note: if the Vietminh player does not try to conquer a stronghold, there will be no combat so the French player will not use his artillery and infantry ammunitions. The result of this situation is that transport planes will have to carry less supplies (only food no ammunition). Therefore the number of transport planes which will be needed to be escorted by fighters/bombers will diminish. In turn the French players could choose to use his fighters/bombers to bomb the Vietminh regiments. 10.2) If the French player chooses to bomb the Vietminh regiment, his level of supplies on the next turn will diminish by 3 points.

Designers note: if the French player decides to stop some of its transport planes so as to use their escort planes to bomb Vietminh regiment, it is normal that the turn after his level of supplies is not going to be as high as it would have been if he had not make this choice.10.3) During a bombardment phase, the French player chooses to target a Vietminh offensive base (and if there are several regiments, the one he wants to bomb) and rolls a die. Results are given by this table:

Vietminh losses after a French bombardment

DieVietminh losses

6- 6

5- 4

4- 4

3- 2

2- 2

1-

Example : if the French rolls a 4, the Vietminh regiment which were targeted will lose 4 points of combat strength.

10.4) The French also have the choice not to bomb the Vietminh regiments so his planes will carry supplies normally.

Designers note: the French player could make this choice if his level of stock is very low to be in a better position to fight on the next turn.11) FRENCH ARTILLERY PHASE

11.1) If the Vietminh player decides to try to conquer a strongpoint (he should choose one unit to attack, this unit should already be placed on the offensive base in front of the stronghold he wants to attack), the French player could choose to use his artillery against the Vietminh unit attacking. If he does so, there is a French artillery phase.

11.2) During a French artillery phase, all French units (on the stronghold attacked) are fighting. Their combat strength should be calculated but cannot exceed 6. The French player rolls a die and the result of his strikes is given by the intersection of the combat strength level and the number of the die (the French player uses the same artillery table as the Vietminh player). If the French player uses the same artillery table, it is necessary to multiply the Vietminh losses of the unit by 2.

Example: If the combat strength of the French unit is 3 and the French player rolls a 5 with the die, the Vietminh unit will lose 1 x 2 = 2 points of combat strength.

Designers note: Keep in mind that the French are in strongholds and they are using their artillery against men who are running to the top of the hill between barbed wire and mines. The Vietminh were using its artillery against the blockhouse which is why the French artillery should provoke two times more combat strength losses.

I have decided not to simulate the neutralising effect of French artillery but the killing effect because I believe that during the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the killing effect was much more important. It is important to keep in mind that French artillery was not used in an offensive way or on Vietminh camp or trenches to prevent an attack. It was only used (because of the lack of ammunitions) when an attack occurred to break it. French cannons were already pointed to shoot right in front of the French stronghold (very close to the French line). They were firing on a Vietminh assault wave and the result was deadly. 500 Vietminh soldiers died during the attack of Beatrice, 1300 during the attack of Gabrielle, 750 during the attack of Huguette.

11.3) After French artillery strikes, the French level of stock goes down by 2.

11.4) If the Vietminh is attacking without trenches in front of the stronghold, their losses should be multiplied by 2 (so in total by 4 because of rule 11.2).

Example : If we took the precedent example, that the Vietminh has not built trenches, the Vietminh unit will lose 4 points (1 x 2 x 2) of combat strength.11.5) If the Vietminh unit has been destroyed by the French artillery strikes, the turn is finished.

12) CLOSE COMBAT PHASE

12.1) If the Vietminh unit has not been destroyed by the French artillery strikes, there is a close combat phase.

12.2) During a close combat phase, the combat is not any more sequential. The unit fighting on the Vietminh side is the Vietminh unit which was chosen to attack the stronghold (and which was receiving the French artillery strikes if there were some). On the French side, all units on the stronghold are fighting. Their combat strength should be calculated but cannot exceed 6 (like for a French artillery phase). The French player chooses which unit (if there are several) is going to lose its combat strength first.

12.3) To know the result of close combat both players should roll a die. Losses of the units are given by the artillery and infantry combat table. The conquest of the stronghold is successful if the Vietminh unit destroys every French unit.

12.4) As it is an asymmetrical fight (French are in strongholds), it is necessary to multiply Vietminh losses of combat strength (given by the artillery and infantry combat table) by 2.

Example: if the French unit has a combat strength of 2 and the French players rolls a 6, the Vietminh unit will lose 1 x 2 = 2 points of combat strength.12.5) If the Vietminh has not constructed trenches, it is necessary to multiply Vietminh losses of combat strength (given by the rule 12.4) by 2.

Example: If we took the precedent example, that the Vietminh has not build trenches, the Vietminh unit will lose 4 points (1 x 2 x 2) of combat strength.12.6) After a close combat phase, French and Vietminh stocks go down by 1.

Designers note: It is absolutely necessary if you want to simulate the reality of the conquest phase during the battle to make trenches and strongholds play an important role. The rule (12.5) concerning the trenches is there to show that without trenches it would be very costly for the Vietminh. The rule (12.4) concerning stronghold is there to show that in every case, it would be more costly for the Vietminh to attack the French because they are in their stronghold.13) FRENCH COUNTER ATTACK PHASE

13.1) If the Vietminh player has destroyed all French units on a stronghold, he has conquered it. He should place the unit which he has attacked with (and only this unit) on this stronghold until the end of the turn. The replacement of the unit will not take place before the movement phase on the next turn.

13.2) If a strongpoint has been conquered by the Vietminh player, the French one could launch a counter attack. To do so, the French player chooses one unit (the lead unit) which is not used in a stronghold. The result of the counter attack is given by a simple principle:

Each player rolls a die and multiplies the number he gets on the die by his points of combat strength, the counter-attack is successful if the French player obtain a number superior or equal to the Vietminh number.

Example: If the French player has got a combat capacity of 6 and the Vietminh player of 8, and the French rolls a 5 and the Vietminh a 3, the French counter attack is successful because 6 x 5 = 30 is superior to 8 x 3 = 24.13.3) If the French counter-attack has been successful, the French unit lose 1 point of combat strength and the Vietminh unit lose 3 points. If the counter attack has not been successful, the French lose 2 points and the Vietminh does not lose anything.

13.4) The French player could use for his counter attack a supporting unit. It could be any unit which is not used on another stronghold. The points of combat strength of the leading unit and the supporting unit should be added.

13.5) The leading unit is the unit which supports the losses of combat strength. If it is destroyed, the remaining losses are going to be supported by the supporting unit.

13.6) If a counter-attack has been successful, the French player should place the counter of the leading unit on the strongpoint.

13.7) The squadron Shaffee (tanks) can only be used as a supporting unit and not as a leading unit.

13.8) After a French counter-attack, the French stock goes down by 2 and the Vietminh by 1.

Designers note: Counter-attack is the only French possibility of action (like it was in reality). The French player has to make an important choice. He should choose if he prefers to keep some good units in the centre of the camp to use them to counter-attack or if he prefers to put them on strongholds to make them more difficult to conquer. 14) REINFORCEMENT

14.1) French reinforcement will depend on the losses of strongholds. At the end of the turn, if there is at least:

One stronghold in Vietminh hand, French will receive 5 BPVN and 6 BPC

Two stronghold in Vietminh hand, French will receive 2/1 RCP

Three stronghold in Vietminh hand, French will receive 2 BEP

Four stronghold in Vietminh hand, French will receive 1 BPC

Designers note: after losses of 4 strongholds, reinforcements will not be sent anymore because French officers will consider that the battle is already lost.14.3) Vietminh reinforcements (regiment 176/Division 316 and regiment 148/independant) will arrive at the beginning of turn 5.

15) VICTORY

15.1) The Vietminh player wins the game if he controls 5 strongholds after the French counter-attack.

15.2) At any time, the French player could ask for a cease-fire. If he does so, and if the Vietminh player accepts, it is a limited victory for the Vietminh player.

15.3) The French player wins the game if, after ten turns, he still holds the 4 strongholds (Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique) at the centre of the camp.

15.4) If at the end of the game, the Vietminh player controls less than 5 strongholds and the French player does not control the 4 strongholds of the centre of the camp, it is a draw.

16) SCENARIO

16.1) The scenario depicts the battle from its start (March 13 1954). Each unit should be placed like this at the beginning of the game:

French side

Gabrielle: 5/7 RTA (5th Battalion, 7th Algerian Rifle Regiment)

Batrice: 3/13 DBLE ( 3rd Battalion, 13th Foreign Legion Half Brigade)

Anne-Marie: BT3 (3rd Tai (tribal) Battalion)

Huguette: 1/2 REI (1st Battalion, 2nd Foreign Legion Infantry Regiment)

Claudine: 1/13 DBLE (1st Battalion, 13th Foreign Legion Half Brigade)

Dominique: 3/3 RTA (3rd Battalion, 1st Algerian Rifle Regiment)

Eliane: 1/4 RTM (1st Battalion, 4th Moroccan Rifle Regiment)

Isabelle: 3/3 REI (3rd Battalion, 3rd Foreign Legion Infantry Regiment), 2/1 RTA (2nd Battalion, 1st Algerian Rifle Regiment)

Intervention (so placed in the centre of the camp): 1 BEP (1st Foreign Legion Parachute Battalion), 8 BPC (8th Parachute Assault Battalion), Squadron Shaffee (10 tanks).

Vietminh side

In front of Gabrielle: regiment 36 (division 308), regiment 88 (division 308), regiment 102 (division 308).

In front of Beatrice: regiment 141 (division 312), regiment 165 (division 312), regiment 209 (division 312).

In front of Dominique: regiment 98 (division 316).

In front of Eliane: regiment 174 (division 316).

In front of Isabelle: regiment 57 (division 304).

17) EXAMPLE OF PLAY

17.1) This section is an example of the first two turns of Dien Bien Phu: Trenches under Tropics. At the beginning of the game, units are placed like in the scenario.

First Turn

17.2) LOGISTIC PHASE

No supplies because it is the first turn, French and Vietminh stocks are full. Normal life of the army (food for the week to come) diminishes French stock by 4 and Vietminh stock by 2. At the end of this phase, the French stock is 11 and the Vietminh stock is 13.

17.3) MOVEMENTS PHASE

No movements allowed because it is the first turn.

17.4) DESTRUCTION OF THE AIRSTRIP PHASE

The Vietminh player wants to destroy the airstrip. He decides to fire his artillery 3 times (so his level of stock is going to diminish by 3 points). The first time he rolls a 2 so he is not successful. The second time he rolls a 5 so he is successful and does not need to roll the die a third time. At the end of the destruction of the airstrip phase, the airstrip is destroyed and the Vietminh level of stock is 10.

17.5) ENTRENCHMENT PHASE

The Vietminh player decides to build trenches in front of Beatrice with the 141/312 (combat strength: 12). He rolls a die and gets a 1. So the trenches are built but the 141/312 loses 1 point of combat strength (its combat strength is now 11).

The French player decides to try to destroy the trenches using the 3/13 DBLE (combat strength of 6). He rolls a die and gets a 4. So the trenches are destroyed but the 3/13 DBLE loses 1 point of combat strength (its combat strength is now 5).

At the end of the entrenchment phase, trenches in front of Beatrice are destroyed and both 141/312 and 3/13 DBLE have lost 1 point of combat strength.

17.6) VIETMINH ARTILLERY PHASE

The Vietminh player decides to strike artillery of 165/312 on Beatrice. He rolls a die and makes a 3. So the 3/13 DBLE loses 3 of his combat strength. At the end of the Vietminh Artillery Phase, the combat strength of 3/13 DBLE is 2 and the Vietminh level of stock is 6.

17.7) VIETMINH CHOICE PHASE

The Vietminh player chooses to try to conquer Beatrice with 165/312. The French unit which is going to defend is 3/13 DBLE (because it is the only one on Beatrice so the French player has no choice).

17.8) FRENCH ARTILLERY PHASE

The French player strikes his artillery with the 3/13 DBLE (combat strength of 2) on the 165/312 which is attacking. The French player rolls a die and gets a 5. So the 165/312 looses 4 points (1 x 2 x 2) of combat strength. At the end of the turn, the combat strength of 165/312 is 8 and the French level of stock is 9.

17.9) CLOSE COMBAT PHASE

They are now both fighting. The French player rolls a 6 and the Vietminh player a 5. So the 165/312 loses 4 points (1 x 2 x 2) of combat strength and the 3/13 DBLE loses 3 points of combat strength. The combat strength of 165/312 is now 4 and the French unit has been destroyed. At the end of the phase, the 165/312 counter should be placed on Beatrice (because the conquest is successful) and the counter of 3/13 DBLE should be taken out of the game. The Vietminh level of stock is now 5 and the French level is 8.

17.10) FRENCH COUNTER-ATTACK PHASE

The French player decides to launch a counter-attack with as leading unit 1 BEP (combat strength = 6) and as supporting unit 8 BPC (combat strength = 6). So the combat strength of the French counter-attack will be 12. Each player rolls a die. The French rolls a 3 and the Vietminh rolls a 5. The counter-attack is successful because 3 x 12 = 36 > 20 = 5 x 4. At the end of the counter-attack phase, the 1 BEP counter should be placed on Beatrice. The 1 BEP loses 1 points of combat strength (its combat strength is now 5) and the165/312 loses 3 points of combat strength (its combat strength is now 1) and its counter should be placed back on the offensive base in front of Beatrice. The Vietminh level of stock is now 4 and the French level is 6.

Second Turn

17.11) LOGISTIC PHASE

The French player decides to use a part of his aviation to bomb Vietminh supply lines, so his level of supplies will diminish by 2 this turn and Vietminh level of supplies will diminish by 3 on the next turn.

The French player rolls a die and gets a 3 so his level of supplies this turn will be 9 1 (airstrip destroyed) 2 (French aviation bombs Vietminh line) = 6. So the level of stock will be 6 (supplies) + 6 (stock remaining) = 12.

The Vietminh player rolls a die and gets 4 so his level of supply will be 9 this turn. His level of stock will be 4 + 9 = 13.

Normal life of the army (food for the week to come) diminishes French stock by 4 and Vietminh stock by 2. At the end of this phase, the French stock is 8 and the Vietminh stock is 11.

17.12) MOVEMENTS PHASE

The French player decides to move BT3 from Anne-Marie to the centre of the camp. He decides to move 8 BPC from the centre of the camp to Anne-Marie. They are the only moves he makes.

The Vietminh player decides to move 36/308 from Gabrielle to Anne-Marie. It is the only moves he makes.

17.13) DESTRUCTION OF THE AIRSTRIP PHASE

No destruction of the airstrip phase because the airstrip has already been destroyed.

17.14) ENTRENCHMENT PHASE

The Vietminh player chooses to build trenches using 209/312 in front of Beatrice. He rolls a die and gets a 6 so he builds the trenches successfully without losses. Combat strength of 209/312 remains 12.

The French player tries to destroy it using 1 BEP. He rolls a die and gets a 3 so he is not successful, the trenches are not destroyed and the 1 BEP loses 1 point of combat strength. Its combat strength is now 4.

The trenches in front of Beatrice will be usable on the next turn.

17.15) VIETMINH ARTILLERY PHASE

The Vietminh player chooses to strike with the artillery of the 209/312 on Beatrice. He rolls a 6 so the 1 BEP should lose (according to the table) 4 points of combat strength and be destroyed. But a unit on a stronghold could not be totally destroyed by artillery (rules 8.4) so at the end of the phase the combat strength of the 1 BEP is 1. The Vietminh level of stock is now 7.

17.16) VIETMINH CHOICE PHASE

The Vietminh player decides he is going to try to conquer Beatrice using the 209/312.

17.17) FRENCH ARTILLERY PHASE

The French fires the artillery of the 1 BEP on the 209/312. So the French player rolls a 4. The 209/312 does not lose any combat strength (see the table). French level of stock at the end of this phase is 6.

17.18) CLOSE COMBAT PHASE

The French player rolls a 4 and the Vietminh player rolls a 3. The 1 BEP is destroyed while the combat strength of the 209/312 remains the same. At the end of this phase, the counter of the 209/312 should be placed on Beatrice. The French level of stock is 5 and the Vietminh one is 6.

17.19) COUNTER-ATTACK PHASE

The French player decides not to counter-attack. He considers he is too weak and wants to wait for reinforcement to use them to defend others strongholds better.

DESIGNERS NOTES

Making the simulation of a battle is not easy. As you cannot make very detailed rules for everything because your game will never be playable, you have to make some choices. It is necessary to choose some of the factors (those which played the biggest role during the battle) and to try to simulate them in details while other factors (less important) will be simulated more simply.

From what I have read concerning the battle of Dien Bien Phu, I think there are five important points (by order of importance) that a simulation should not miss:

The importance of supplies. Both the Vietminh and French had great difficulties to get what they needed (weapons, ammunition, food) for the battle because they were very far from their base (300 kilometres from Hano). So it is necessary to make rules for players to feel this level of difficulty.

Combat which lasts a long time and is very costly in the lives of its men. The French lost 2748 men (4436 wounded), 7900 Vietminh were killed (15000 wounded). The Vietminh who won the battle were ready to lose many men so they launched attack after attack until they conquered a strongpoint. So the French and Vietminh soldiers died day after day over a period of two months. That is why I made the choice to use these markers of combat strength (-1, -2, -3, -4, -5). I knew that it was not particularly easy to play with but I think it is the best way to simulate the slow loss of combat capacity of every unit during the battle.

Movement is not a key element. The French are in their strongpoint, Vietminh are all around Dien Bien Phu. The Vietminh could move as they wanted around the valley which is rather small. The French do not move, they wait in their fortified camp. That is why I thought (as they did in the game Dien Bien Phu : une saison en enfer) that it is not interesting to use hexagons. The Vietminh player as the Vietminh had total liberty of movement in reality could choose to attack the stronghold he wants with the units he wants just by putting his regiment in front of the strongpoint. A grid of hexagons was not helpful at all to simulate the reality of the battle.

Vietminh initiative. The Vietminh had in reality the total initiative of battle and attacks. The French just waited in their fortified camp. The Vietminh chose when and where they wanted to attack. So the game had to simulate that all initiatives were Vietminh. That is why it is the Vietminh player who could decide on his combat (artillery or artillery and infantry) or decide to wait during one turn (to improve his stock, for example). The French are dependant, having no choice but to fight if the Vietminh want to. The only initiative he got is to launch or not if one of his strong points have been conquered a counter attack.

Role of trenches. Trenches played an important role. Without them, it would have been very difficult for the Vietminh to conquer strongholds. So building them was a vital task for the Vietminh but a difficult one because the French tried to destroy them. Trenches were slowly built all around the fortified camp closer and closer from the headquarters. I think a good and simple way to simulate this situation is to allow the Vietminh player to build trenches in front of one stronghold every turn by beginning with strongholds far from the headquarters.

An important choice was to take a decision concerning the level of the map. First I made the choice to try to do it like it was in reality with almost 40 little strongholds (for example Huguette 1, Dominique 2, Eliane 4) but it is not very playable (each game would have lasted a very long time if you think you need to have the possibilities to have at least artillery combat, infantry combat and French counter attack for each of the little strongholds) and it would necessitate at least 200 hundred counters because the French level of unit should be companies and the Vietminh one battalions. They made this choice for Dien Bien Phu Une saison en enfer and they got almost three hundred counters. So that is why I made the choice to have only big strongholds (Huguette, Dominique, Eliane) which include little ones. It has the advantage of leaving some time left to look to important points concerning the battle and especially supplies.

To achieve the aim of simplicity of the game, I had to make two other simplifications. The first one concerns the artillery. In Dien Bien Phu: Trenches in the Tropics, the artillery power is dependant on the level of combat strength of the unit which is firing the artillery (that is why I have not included artillery units on both side). In reality, it was not the case. On the Vietminh side, cannons were placed all around the valley and on the French side, they were placed in the centre of the fortified camp or in Isabelle. So the level of artillery fire (especially cannons of 105 and 155) was not really dependent on the combat strength of the unit attacking or attacked (mortars and bazookas were of course more dependent on the combat strength of the unit). So it is a weakness of the game but to simulate the reality of artillery would have necessitated making a lot of special rules.

The second simplification that I have made is to allow the Vietminh to attack only one stronghold per turn. It is a simplification because the player does not have the choice of launching a general attack (like Giap was thinking about doing in January 1954 before changing his mind). At the beginning, I thought of allowing the Vietminh player to attack as many strongholds as he wanted, but it made the game much more complicated. Attacking one and only one stronghold each turn helps to keep it simple.

Finally, I thought about simulating two other possibilities but I did not because they were not easy to simulate. The first one was the possibility of a heavy bombardment on Dien Bien Phu by the American airforce to help the French army in the valley. The French government asked for it and the U.S. thought about it (there was an American recognising flight over Dien Bien Phu) but finally it did not happen due to President Eisenhowers decision.

Simulating this (what is the probability of it actually happening?) would have been very difficult and too dependant on guessing. Moreover, if you simulate the possibility of an American bombardment, you should simulate the possibility of Chinese involvement (they were a great fear among the French and Americans, it could happen in case of U.S. bombardment). And again, in the case of an American bombardment, what was the probability for China to intervene ? That is why I chose not to simulate it because it was not any more about the battle (and what have happen) but guessing about international politics.

The second possibility that I wanted to simulate and that I finally did not, was the effect of giving medals and promotions to French officers in Dien Bien Phu. I have read that it raised their moral for a couple of days but I have also read that some officers thought, it is not costly for them to make me colonel because they know I will never come back. Due to a lack of information (did medals really give a boost to their moral?), I chose not to simulate it. However, I think it was interesting to bring up these two possibilities. They clearly show the limited possibilities of the action of French generals in Hanoi and Saigon.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Jules Roy, La Bataille de Dien Bien Phu, Julliard, Clichy, 1963.

Jules Roy, The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Faber and Faber, Great Britain,1965.

Colonel Pierre Langlais, Dien Bien Phu, Paris, 1964.

Gnral Yves Gras, Histoire de la Guerre dIndochine, Plon, France, 1979.

Erwan Bergot, Les 170 jours de Dien Bien Phu, Presses de la Cit, France, 1981.

Erwan Bergot, Dien Bien Phu, Presses de la Cit, France, 1989.

Gnral Vo Nguyen Giap, Dien Bien Phu, Editions The GIOI, Hanoi, 1994.

Peter Macdonald, Giap, Warner Books, England, 1994.

Roger Bruge, Les Hommes de Dien Bien Phu, Perrin, France, 1999.

Bernard B. Fall, Hell in a very small place, Da Capo Press, 2002.

Pierre Vallaud, Eric Deroo, Dien Bien Phu, Tallandier, France, 2003.

Patrick-Charles Renaud, Aviateurs en Indochine Dien Bien Phu, France, 2003.

Genevive de Galard, Une femme Dien Bien Phu, Les Arnes, France, 2003.

Pierre Vallaud, Eric Deroo, Indochine Franaise, Perrin, France, 2003.

Ren Bail, Dien Bien Phu Le camp retranch face au Vietminh, Historica n 49, Oct-Nov-Dec 1996.

Ren Bail, Dien Bien Phu Lagonie, Historica n 50, Janv-Fev-Mars 1997.

Games

Philip Sabin, Eastern Front, November 2003.

Paul Rohrbaugh, Operation Veritable : The Battle for the Reichswald, 2000.

Paul Rohrbaugh, Valle de la Mort, Dien Bien Phu, 2000.

Luc Olivier, Dien Bien Phu Une saison en enfer, Vae Victis, n33, juillet-Aout 2000, France.

Frank Alan Chadwick, Citadel The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Game Designers Workshop, USA, 1979.

Thanks

Professor Philip Sabin, Eric Deroo, Emeric Chabrier, Vronique Chabrier, Ian Hawgood, Michael Ng, David Hiley, Tim Gale, Gustaf Blomberg, Pontus, Nigel Wright, Adam Di Gleria.

TABLES

LOGISTICAL PHASE

Level of supply (each turn)

Players

DiceVietminhFrance

6914

5912

4910

379

278

177

Modifier of level of supply

Players

CaseVietminhFrance

Destruction of the airstrip.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Gabrielle.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Isabelle.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Gabrielle and Isabelle-3 (each turn)

Vietminh holds one of Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique.- 1 (each turn)

Vietminh holds two of Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique.- 2 (each turn)

Vietminh holds three of Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique- 3 (each turn)

Vietminh holds Huguette, Claudine, Eliane, Dominique- 4 (each turn)

French bombs Vietminh line- 3 (next turn)- 2 (same turn)

Modifier of stock

Players

CaseVietminhFrance

Beginning of the game1515

Normal life of the army (each turn)- 2- 4

Artillery strikes- 4- 2

Close combat- 1- 1

French counter attack- 1- 2

ENTRENCHMENT PHASE

French tries to destroy trenches

DieDestruction of the trenchesFrench losses

6Yes0

5Yes1

4Yes1

3No1

2No1

1No2

VIETMINH ARTILLERY PHASE, FRENCH ARTILLERY PHASE AND CLOSE COMBAT PHASE

Artillery and infantry combat table

CS

Die123456789101112

6- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3- 3- 3- 4- 4

5-- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3- 3- 3- 4

4--- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3- 3- 3

3---- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3- 3

2----- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2- 2- 3

1------- 1- 1- 2- 2- 2- 2

CS = Combat Strength

FRENCH BOMBARDMENT PHASE

Vietminh losses after a French bombardment

DieVietminh losses

6- 6

5- 4

4- 4

3- 2

2- 2

1-

Translation is mine. In French, Castries said : Linfanterie viet est devenue trs forte. Je la considre comme linfantrie la plus forte que jai jamais vue devant moi. Elle est trs suprieure linfantrie allemande.

I reproduce here the translation of Bernard B. Fall. See Bernard B. Fall, Hell in a Very Small Place, Da Capo Press, 2002, p. 488-489.

See Colonel Pierre Langlais, Dien Bien Phu, Paris, 1964, p 89.

See Bernard B. Fall, Hell in a very small place, Da Capo Press, 2002 p. 87-90. The author explains very clearly how important, on the French side, the lack of materials to construct blockhouse. To resist shell of 105 min calibre, Major Andr Sudrat, chief engineering adviser to Colonel de Castries, calculated that he misses 36,000 tons of materials. He will only have 6,000 tons (materials collected in the valley + materials sent from Hano).

Bernard B. Fall, Hell in a very small place, Da Capo Press, 2002, p. 137