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France's defeat (1950-1956) |
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France's Defeat Guerrilla Warfare spells success for the Vietminh By 1950, the French had regained most of the major cities in Vietnam, including Saigon in the south and Hanoi in the North. However, they had difficulty in the countryside because of guerrilla fighters. Guerilla warfare is the type of strategy that employs hide, hit, and run tactics. France underestimated the effectiveness of the Vietnamese guerrilla fighters because they used relatively simple weapons compared to the more advanced weapons of the French. The French were able to destroy most of the Vietminh strongholds in the cities, however once they went to the countryside, the Vietminh disappeared in to the dense jungles. The superior French weapons were useless against an enemy who could not see. In order to counter the guerrillas, the French employed a new strategy, known as pacification. Many of the guerilla fighters relied on local villages for food, shelter and other miscellaneous supplies. So to defeat the Vietminh, the French needed to take away village support for the guerillas, and convince the Vietnamese people not to assist the guerrillas. Once a village was under French control, it was considered peaceful, or pacified. The strategy, however, was ineffective. Once the French left a village, the Vietminh would simply return to the village and obtained supplies from those who supported them. The French did not have enough troops to occupy every village in Vietnam, so they attempted to build a series of fortresses at key points throughout Vietnam, including one of the most important areas: The Red River Delta, a center of farming and industry. Vietminh guerrillas struck back, attacking French supply lines, and then quickly retreating into the underbrush. The French tried to strike back, but they had difficulty locating the Vietminh after they had retreated. These hit and run guerrilla attacks devastated and demoralized the French.
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