Battle of Na San

E128825

The Battle of Na San was a major 1952 French Union defensive victory in northwestern Vietnam, where a fortified airhead successfully repelled repeated Viet Minh assaults and influenced later strategies in the First Indochina War.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Battle of Na San canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf battle
military engagement
airfieldRole Na San airstrip used as logistical hub
belligerent French Union
Viet Minh
casualtiesSide French Forces in Indochina
surface form: French Union suffered lighter losses than Viet Minh

Viet Minh suffered heavy losses
combatant French Far East Expeditionary Corps
People's Army of Vietnam
commander Raoul Salan
Vo Nguyen Giap
conflict First Indochina War
country Viet Nam
surface form: Vietnam
date 1952
endDate 1952-12-02
followedBy French establishment of Dien Bien Phu strongpoint
fortificationType ring of strongpoints around an airfield
historicalSignificance key French defensive success before Dien Bien Phu
influenced French strategy in First Indochina War
planning for Dien Bien Phu
involved Viet Minh human-wave assaults
airborne troops
artillery
infantry
location Na San
northwestern Vietnam
notableFor heavy Viet Minh casualties
successful defense of an isolated fortified camp
use of airlift to sustain a remote garrison
operationType defensive strongpoint battle
opponent French Far East Expeditionary Corps
surface form: French Union forces

Viet Minh
surface form: Viet Minh forces
partOf First Indochina War
precededBy Viet Minh offensives in northwestern Vietnam in 1952
region northwest Tonkin
result French Union victory
sideOutcomeForFrenchUnion boosted confidence in hedgehog tactics
sideOutcomeForVietMinh lessons on attacking fortified airheads
startDate 1952-10-02
strategicConcept fortified airhead
hedgehog defensive position
supportedBy French air power
air supply
tacticalRole defensive battle for French Union
offensive operation for Viet Minh
terrain hilly terrain around Na San valley
theater Tonkin
yearInConflict mid-war phase of First Indochina War

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.