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(dramatic orchestral music)
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00:00:03,150 --> 00:00:04,120
- [Male Narrator] Our history
is no more than a series
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00:00:04,150 --> 00:00:06,050
of incredible events.
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00:00:06,083 --> 00:00:08,273
Every one of us can
influence its course.
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00:00:09,233 --> 00:00:13,073
(dramatic orchestral music)
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00:00:30,166 --> 00:00:32,316
The most infinite
decimal of our decisions
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00:00:32,350 --> 00:00:35,320
can influence the
future of humanity.
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00:00:35,350 --> 00:00:39,170
To know the past, is
to foresee the future.
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North Vietnam, 1972.
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(yelling in foreign language)
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At a village exit,
this jungle combat unit
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00:00:45,066 --> 00:00:46,996
has just fallen into an ambush
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00:00:47,033 --> 00:00:48,153
(gun shots firing)
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00:00:48,183 --> 00:00:50,273
The clash is violent,
but fortunately
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00:00:50,300 --> 00:00:52,130
for these Russian commandos,
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00:00:52,166 --> 00:00:54,476
two helicopter gunships
of the Soviet Air Force
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00:00:55,016 --> 00:00:55,426
were patrolling
the surroundings.
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00:00:55,466 --> 00:00:58,096
(explosions)
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00:00:58,133 --> 00:00:59,403
At the end of World War II,
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00:00:59,433 --> 00:01:01,153
France has granted independence
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00:01:01,183 --> 00:01:03,133
to all its Asian colonies.
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00:01:03,166 --> 00:01:06,226
Southern Vietnam has become
a pro-Western republic.
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00:01:07,466 --> 00:01:10,476
To reunite the country, the
South Vietnamese have launched
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00:01:11,016 --> 00:01:13,266
a vast offensive against
the northern communists
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00:01:13,300 --> 00:01:16,020
with the approval of
the United States.
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00:01:16,050 --> 00:01:19,400
Overwhelmed, the North has
called on its powerful
allies,
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00:01:19,433 --> 00:01:22,133
China and the Soviet Union.
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Russia is bogged down in the
killing fields of Vietnam.
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00:01:25,416 --> 00:01:27,326
But none of that ever happened.
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In 1945, France is going
to deny independence
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to it's Asian colonies
and to disrupt
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00:01:33,150 --> 00:01:35,050
the political balance
of the region.
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December 19th, 1946, in
response to an insurrection,
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the French colonial forces
shell the city of Hanoi.
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00:01:49,066 --> 00:01:53,246
May 7th, 1954, after a
dreadful 56-day long siege,
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the trench camp of Dien Bien Phu
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falls into the hands of
the Viet Minh troops.
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00:01:58,133 --> 00:02:01,283
July 21st, 1954,
the Geneva Accords
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put an end to the
first Indochina War,
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00:02:04,116 --> 00:02:06,996
and to the French
colonial presence in Asia.
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00:02:07,033 --> 00:02:09,203
These three inextricably
linked events
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00:02:09,233 --> 00:02:12,053
are key moments in the
first Indochina War,
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00:02:12,083 --> 00:02:13,403
which leads to the independence,
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00:02:13,433 --> 00:02:16,423
and then the
unification of Vietnam.
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(ship's horn)
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October 5th, 1945, Saigon
Port, French Indochina.
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(slow light jazz)
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00:02:26,350 --> 00:02:29,080
Sent thousands of
miles away from Paris,
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00:02:29,116 --> 00:02:31,996
which he liberated from
the Nazis a few months ago,
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00:02:32,033 --> 00:02:34,133
General Leclerc
arrives in this far-off
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00:02:34,166 --> 00:02:36,016
Southeast Asian colony.
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00:02:38,050 --> 00:02:39,370
This World War II hero,
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00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:41,420
General de Gaulle's
right hand man,
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was given the task of restoring
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French colonial sovereignty.
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00:02:47,033 --> 00:02:50,253
For France, losing
Indochina isn't an option.
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00:02:52,333 --> 00:02:54,453
Created at the end
of the 19th century,
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this colony gathers under
French administration
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00:02:57,216 --> 00:03:02,046
Cochinchina, Cambodia,
Annam, Tonkin, and Laos.
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00:03:03,316 --> 00:03:05,416
Indochina is an
exploitation colony
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00:03:05,450 --> 00:03:08,150
that allows access to
the Chinese market.
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00:03:09,466 --> 00:03:14,116
French colonists employ a
massive and cheap workforce.
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00:03:14,150 --> 00:03:18,100
Most rice, tea, opium, and
above all, rubber productions
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are sent to mainland France.
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00:03:21,483 --> 00:03:23,373
In order to control the country,
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00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,450
it is covered with
bridges, roads, railroads,
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00:03:26,483 --> 00:03:29,203
as well as hospitals
and schools.
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00:03:29,233 --> 00:03:31,123
The colonial
administration relies
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00:03:31,150 --> 00:03:34,370
on many Vietnamese executives,
perfectly fluent in French.
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00:03:36,066 --> 00:03:39,266
Some even study in Paris,
before
going back to their country
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00:03:39,300 --> 00:03:41,350
to hold civil servant positions.
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Through contact with
Western intellectuals,
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00:03:46,016 --> 00:03:48,346
these students return home
with their heads full of
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00:03:48,383 --> 00:03:51,423
Marxist ideals,
democratic values
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00:03:51,450 --> 00:03:53,120
and dreams of independence.
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00:03:56,383 --> 00:04:00,083
One of them soon adopts
the name He Who Enlightens,
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in Vietnamese, Ho Chi Minh.
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00:04:03,050 --> 00:04:06,050
He embodies the
anti-colonial struggle.
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00:04:06,083 --> 00:04:08,123
In 1941, he founds the
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00:04:08,150 --> 00:04:10,130
League for the
Independence of Vietnam,
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00:04:10,166 --> 00:04:13,216
the Viet Minh, of which
he becomes the leader.
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Meanwhile, World War
II has broken out.
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The Japanese have launched a
large campaign of conquests.
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The scarce French
colonial troops
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were only able to offer
a symbolic resistance.
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00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,120
Indochina passes under
Japanese Imperial supervision.
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00:04:31,150 --> 00:04:33,380
But the atomic bombings
change everything.
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00:04:35,233 --> 00:04:40,073
Japan, devastated, surrenders
on September 2nd, 1945.
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Ho Chi Minh immediately
takes his chance.
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00:04:45,133 --> 00:04:49,053
He seizes power and proclaims
the independence of Vietnam.
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00:04:56,283 --> 00:04:59,173
- [Female Narrator] Welcome
to the memory of humanity.
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Every historical event,
regardless of how small,
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is recorded and connected.
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00:05:06,466 --> 00:05:10,096
You only need to change one
to upset all the others.
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00:05:11,183 --> 00:05:14,183
Here, we're able
to control time,
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00:05:14,216 --> 00:05:16,466
analyze and compare
billions of events,
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00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,200
in order to rewrite
history in infinite ways.
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00:05:20,233 --> 00:05:22,433
In the aftermath
of World War II,
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the balance of powers
has been shattered.
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Europe is in ruins.
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The Soviet Union and
the United States
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are the new game masters.
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Part of the French military
staff understands that a war
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is too risky, and that
they need to negotiate.
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00:05:40,033 --> 00:05:43,173
This is the report General
Leclerc gives to de Gaulle,
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who seems hostile
to a new conflict.
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00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:49,420
But the head of the
temporary government resigns.
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00:05:51,133 --> 00:05:54,403
At the time, Leclerc finds
himself alone in the face of
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00:05:54,433 --> 00:05:57,333
the High Commissioner for
Indochina, d'Argenlieu,
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00:05:57,366 --> 00:06:01,366
convinced that the colony must
be kept by force if need be.
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00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:04,070
We have arrived at a
point of divergence.
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00:06:05,316 --> 00:06:08,046
A point of divergence
is a key moment,
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00:06:08,083 --> 00:06:09,303
a crossroads in our history
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00:06:09,333 --> 00:06:13,023
where our world can swing
from one side to the other.
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00:06:14,433 --> 00:06:18,003
If Leclerc's recommendations
had been followed,
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00:06:18,033 --> 00:06:21,103
France probably wouldn't
have engaged in a war,
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00:06:21,133 --> 00:06:23,323
and would have initiated
a peace process.
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00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,170
Ho Chi Minh's Northern Vietnam
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00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,370
would have certainly
become communist.
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00:06:32,166 --> 00:06:35,296
Southern Vietnam might have
tried to reunify the country.
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00:06:38,033 --> 00:06:41,303
It's young army trained
by Western military men,
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00:06:41,333 --> 00:06:43,283
would have easily
gotten rid of then,
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00:06:43,316 --> 00:06:47,196
unseasoned and underequipped
militiamen of the Viet Minh.
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00:06:48,366 --> 00:06:51,316
Therefore, it is easy to
imagine a military
intervention
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00:06:51,350 --> 00:06:56,050
of its communist allies, Mao's
China, and most importantly,
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00:06:56,083 --> 00:06:57,403
the Soviet Union.
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00:06:57,433 --> 00:07:00,253
The United States would
never have engaged
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in the Vietnam War.
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00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,200
(mysterious cymbal music)
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- [Male Narrator] 1950.
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00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:14,150
Route Coloniale 4.
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00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,230
Located in Tonkin, at the
northern extremity of
Indochina,
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it winds through the jungle
along the Chinese border.
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00:07:23,450 --> 00:07:27,300
(soft engine)
(yells in foreign language)
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00:07:27,333 --> 00:07:29,133
Every day, taking advantage
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of the weakness of the French
presence, Viet Minh fighters
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00:07:32,183 --> 00:07:34,403
move clandestinely
between the two countries.
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Mao's China welcomes
into it's midst
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00:07:38,133 --> 00:07:40,473
Viet Minh training
camps, supplies weaponry,
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00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:42,420
and if need be, asylum.
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00:07:44,016 --> 00:07:45,366
A precious support base.
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00:07:47,233 --> 00:07:52,253
(yells in foreign language)
(guns fire)
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The soldiers of the
French Expeditionary Corps
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00:07:58,383 --> 00:08:01,103
name this path, The Bloody Road.
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00:08:04,166 --> 00:08:06,416
From the first fights,
the Viet Minh majors
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00:08:06,450 --> 00:08:09,070
quickly understood that
they were incapable
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00:08:09,100 --> 00:08:12,280
of confronting the fire
power of the French troops.
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00:08:12,316 --> 00:08:14,476
On the other hand,
the vast support of
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00:08:15,016 --> 00:08:17,276
the northern population, and
their excellent knowledge
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00:08:17,316 --> 00:08:19,316
of the mountains and jungle,
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00:08:19,350 --> 00:08:23,400
offered the perfect conditions
to conduct guerrilla warfare.
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00:08:26,383 --> 00:08:29,023
If the French firmly
hold the cities,
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00:08:29,050 --> 00:08:32,150
the Viet Minh rapidly take
control of the countryside.
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00:08:34,033 --> 00:08:37,233
Then, commanded by brilliant
generals, like General Giap,
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00:08:37,266 --> 00:08:40,166
the Viet Minh troops begin
to achieve victories.
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00:08:41,250 --> 00:08:43,250
During the debacle of Cao Bang,
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the French discover a trained
and equipped Viet Minh army,
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00:08:46,433 --> 00:08:48,453
able to adapt to modern warfare.
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00:08:50,016 --> 00:08:53,026
In 1950, the conflict
enters into a new,
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00:08:53,066 --> 00:08:55,216
and broader context.
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The worldwide Cold War.
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00:08:58,316 --> 00:09:00,266
It is not a colonial
war anymore,
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00:09:00,300 --> 00:09:04,380
but a fierce battle between
communist and capitalist
powers.
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00:09:06,083 --> 00:09:09,383
If Vietnam turns, so will
the neighboring Laos,
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00:09:09,416 --> 00:09:13,016
then Cambodia, until the
whole of Southern Asia
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00:09:13,050 --> 00:09:15,320
falls like a series of dominoes.
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00:09:15,350 --> 00:09:18,020
(dramatic instrumental music)
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00:09:18,050 --> 00:09:21,230
Consequently, from 1952 onwards,
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the United States contributes
to the French war effort.
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00:09:25,250 --> 00:09:27,200
But despite the
French victories,
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00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:29,233
and the tremendous
casualties inflicted on the
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00:09:29,266 --> 00:09:33,396
Viet Minh troops, the
conflict
gets nowhere, bogged down.
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00:09:33,433 --> 00:09:37,003
The Viet Minh troops,
supported
by China, are constantly
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00:09:37,033 --> 00:09:40,433
restocked, and equipped with
heavy and modern weaponry.
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00:09:40,466 --> 00:09:44,196
In France, this far-off
conflict is at best ignored,
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00:09:44,233 --> 00:09:46,353
at worst, seen as a dirty war.
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00:09:48,083 --> 00:09:50,083
The government feels
that this conflict
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can no longer be won.
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00:09:52,333 --> 00:09:54,333
It will be necessary
to negotiate.
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00:09:56,350 --> 00:09:59,280
But, in order to act from
a position of strength,
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00:09:59,316 --> 00:10:03,096
both camps want a clear
and decisive victory.
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00:10:03,133 --> 00:10:06,023
To provoke the enemy into
a direct confrontation,
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the French military staff
plans the installation of
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00:10:08,350 --> 00:10:10,070
a large fortified base,
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00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:12,380
right at the heart of the
area
controlled by the Viet Minh,
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00:10:12,416 --> 00:10:15,076
near the village
of Dien Bien Phu.
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00:10:19,016 --> 00:10:22,376
- [Female Narrator]
Asymmetric warfare.
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00:10:22,416 --> 00:10:26,326
General Giap uses guerrilla
tactics fervently.
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00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,430
Psychological war,
lightning raids, ambushes,
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00:10:31,466 --> 00:10:34,376
nighttime attacks of
isolated locations,
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00:10:36,116 --> 00:10:39,046
then scatterings in the woods
and hiding among civilians.
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00:10:40,183 --> 00:10:42,353
(dramatic instrumental music)
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00:10:42,383 --> 00:10:45,033
He avoids direct confrontation
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00:10:45,066 --> 00:10:48,066
and attacks weak
spots by surprise.
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00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:52,330
His objective is perfectly
clear, drive the enemy out.
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The French Expeditionary Corps
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00:10:56,483 --> 00:11:00,103
is less than 200,000
soldiers strong.
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00:11:00,133 --> 00:11:02,153
Divided into scattered units,
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00:11:02,183 --> 00:11:05,133
a sufficient number to hold
the cities and the roads,
200
00:11:05,166 --> 00:11:07,316
but too low to lock
down the country.
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00:11:09,183 --> 00:11:11,323
The French entrench themselves,
202
00:11:11,350 --> 00:11:14,450
and rely on their fire power
in direct confrontation.
203
00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,320
Often, they can't succeed
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00:11:17,350 --> 00:11:20,280
in distinguishing the
rebels from just civilians,
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00:11:20,316 --> 00:11:22,426
they don't know on
whom they can fire,
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00:11:22,466 --> 00:11:25,016
nor where danger will come from.
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00:11:25,050 --> 00:11:27,430
That is what Ho
Chi Minh theorizes
208
00:11:27,466 --> 00:11:31,176
as the fight of the
tiger and the elephant.
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00:11:31,216 --> 00:11:35,226
When it's impossible to
locate or identify the enemy,
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00:11:35,266 --> 00:11:37,326
firepower is useless.
211
00:11:39,350 --> 00:11:42,380
(propellor spinning)
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00:11:42,416 --> 00:11:44,116
(dramatic drum music)
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00:11:44,150 --> 00:11:47,350
- [Male Narrator] November
20th 1953, 7:20 A.M.
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00:11:48,483 --> 00:11:50,133
Airbase of Hanoi.
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00:11:50,166 --> 00:11:53,476
(yelling in foreign language)
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00:11:54,016 --> 00:11:56,466
On the runway the
Battalion Chief Bigeard
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00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,480
has just gotten the green
light
to launch Operation Castor.
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00:12:02,333 --> 00:12:05,373
Within a few hours, he and
his men will be dropped with
219
00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,330
the first wave, above the
plains of Dien Bien Phu.
220
00:12:15,300 --> 00:12:20,170
(dramatic instrumental music)
(gunshots)
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00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,320
After the first furious fights,
222
00:12:22,350 --> 00:12:26,130
French Parachute Battalions
soon hold the plains.
223
00:12:26,166 --> 00:12:29,276
As early as November 25th,
the former Japanese runway,
224
00:12:29,316 --> 00:12:33,226
dating back to World War II,
is brought back into
operation.
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00:12:33,266 --> 00:12:36,366
Immediately, a heavy airlift
is put in place, carrying
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00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:40,330
into Dien Bien Phu,
reinforcements,
artillery and everything
227
00:12:40,366 --> 00:12:44,276
needed to change the plains
into a strong, operational
base.
228
00:12:44,316 --> 00:12:48,126
This large valley, four miles
wide by ten and a half long,
229
00:12:48,166 --> 00:12:51,326
is surrounded by mountains
four thousand feet high.
230
00:12:51,366 --> 00:12:54,446
At the center, hills provide
an excellent natural defense,
231
00:12:54,483 --> 00:12:57,153
and a good view of
the surroundings.
232
00:12:57,183 --> 00:13:00,453
The French General Staff makes
it the center of its defense.
233
00:13:00,483 --> 00:13:04,373
At it's heart, the airfield,
vital to resupply the camp,
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00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,250
and on the outskirts,
fortified
strongpoints conceive to
235
00:13:08,283 --> 00:13:10,323
support one another
in case of attack.
236
00:13:10,350 --> 00:13:13,200
The strongpoints receive
feminine designations.
237
00:13:13,233 --> 00:13:16,303
Gabrielle, Beatrice,
Isabelle, or Eliane.
238
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,400
The success of this plan is
based on the enemies incapacity
239
00:13:20,433 --> 00:13:22,023
to carry heavy artillery
240
00:13:22,050 --> 00:13:24,430
into mountainous regions
deprived of roads.
241
00:13:26,083 --> 00:13:29,173
And if, by some miracle,
the adversary manages
242
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,070
to collect a few cannons,
243
00:13:31,100 --> 00:13:33,400
the Chief of the French
Counter-Battery assures that
244
00:13:33,433 --> 00:13:37,103
his own artillery pieces
would silence them right away.
245
00:13:37,133 --> 00:13:39,183
Provided that the
airlift is maintained,
246
00:13:39,216 --> 00:13:41,416
the French units are
confident they can repel
247
00:13:41,450 --> 00:13:43,450
any assault from
the enemy infantry.
248
00:13:45,150 --> 00:13:47,400
The intelligence reports
a great deal of activity
249
00:13:47,433 --> 00:13:49,133
among the enemy.
250
00:13:49,166 --> 00:13:52,246
All of its regiments seem to
converge towards Dien Bien Phu.
251
00:13:53,466 --> 00:13:56,146
General Giap, at the head
of the Viet Minh armies,
252
00:13:56,183 --> 00:13:59,183
is about to launch a
high intensity attack.
253
00:13:59,216 --> 00:14:01,476
Colonel de Castries,
the Base Commander,
254
00:14:02,016 --> 00:14:03,276
is resolutely waiting.
255
00:14:07,333 --> 00:14:11,453
- [Female Narrator] Dien Bien
Phu is 186 miles from Hanoi,
256
00:14:11,483 --> 00:14:14,233
and lost in the middle
of a mountainous jungle.
257
00:14:15,433 --> 00:14:19,273
It's impossible for the
French
army to reach it by foot.
258
00:14:19,300 --> 00:14:21,170
But not for the Viet Minh.
259
00:14:22,383 --> 00:14:25,453
Using the help of tens of
thousands of civilians,
260
00:14:25,483 --> 00:14:30,123
General Giap has hundreds
of miles of roads laid out.
261
00:14:30,150 --> 00:14:34,070
On bicycles, or aboard trucks
supplied by the Soviet Union,
262
00:14:34,100 --> 00:14:37,350
he transports massive amounts
of weapons and ammunitions
263
00:14:37,383 --> 00:14:41,383
right under the noses of the
French reconnaissance
aircraft.
264
00:14:41,416 --> 00:14:45,076
Heavy Chinese cannons
dismantled are hauled
265
00:14:45,116 --> 00:14:46,196
with only muscle power
266
00:14:46,233 --> 00:14:48,473
on the mountains that
surround Dien Bien Phu.
267
00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,050
Giap then has them reassembled,
268
00:14:51,083 --> 00:14:53,133
and installed on the
side of the hills,
269
00:14:53,166 --> 00:14:55,426
buried into shelters
carefully camouflaged,
270
00:14:55,466 --> 00:14:58,046
within range of the airfield.
271
00:14:58,083 --> 00:15:00,253
On the height
surrounding the base,
272
00:15:00,283 --> 00:15:03,453
he deploys whole divisions
of anti-aircraft guns,
273
00:15:03,483 --> 00:15:07,403
ready to release a deluge of
fire on the French Air Force.
274
00:15:07,433 --> 00:15:10,423
On the eve of the battle,
the North Vietnamese General
275
00:15:10,450 --> 00:15:13,400
has more than 30,000
well-equipped soldiers,
276
00:15:13,433 --> 00:15:17,003
and a considerable
artillery at his disposal.
277
00:15:17,033 --> 00:15:19,053
His primary objective
will be to cut the
278
00:15:19,083 --> 00:15:21,483
enemy's supply line, by
firing at the airfield.
279
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:26,150
More importantly, the
French General Staff,
280
00:15:26,183 --> 00:15:29,473
aware of these maneuvers, has
not informed the trench camp.
281
00:15:31,166 --> 00:15:35,076
Therefore, de Castries,
commander of Dien Bien Phu,
282
00:15:35,116 --> 00:15:38,096
had no knowledge of the
enemy's real strengths.
283
00:15:38,133 --> 00:15:41,053
He could not adapt to
the evolving threat.
284
00:15:42,333 --> 00:15:45,473
(ominous guitar music)
285
00:15:56,266 --> 00:15:59,346
- [Male Narrator] Night
of March 13th, 1954.
286
00:16:00,366 --> 00:16:02,166
Strongpoint Beatrice.
287
00:16:05,066 --> 00:16:07,416
The last Legionnaires
still able to fight,
288
00:16:07,450 --> 00:16:09,470
get ready for a last stand.
289
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,330
(gun reloading)
290
00:16:12,366 --> 00:16:14,276
From the end of
the afternoon on,
291
00:16:14,316 --> 00:16:17,046
thousands of shells have
fallen on their positions,
292
00:16:17,083 --> 00:16:19,073
harrowing these elite soldiers,
293
00:16:19,100 --> 00:16:21,470
destroying their
fortifications, their
artillery
294
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,130
and killing their Chiefs.
295
00:16:24,166 --> 00:16:28,146
Then, in successive waves,
the infantry has charged
296
00:16:28,183 --> 00:16:31,173
over and over again,
ignoring it's own casualties,
297
00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,220
up until the fall of
the French bunkers,
298
00:16:33,250 --> 00:16:34,380
one after the other.
299
00:16:36,100 --> 00:16:40,050
At dawn, despite a relentless
resistance of 1 to 12,
300
00:16:40,083 --> 00:16:43,173
the French flag doesn't
flutter above the fort
anymore.
301
00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,270
And yet, this
strongpoint was held
302
00:16:47,300 --> 00:16:49,170
by the elite of the French Army.
303
00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,370
The following day,
Gabrielle falls in turn.
304
00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,150
Crushed by pitiless
barrage of fire,
305
00:16:58,183 --> 00:17:01,253
then engulfed in a continuous
torrent of enemy soldiers.
306
00:17:01,283 --> 00:17:03,003
(dramatic violin music)
307
00:17:03,033 --> 00:17:05,183
The facts are indisputable.
308
00:17:05,216 --> 00:17:07,466
The enemy has a
strong artillery.
309
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:09,370
And the Chief of the
French Counter-Battery
310
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,480
proves to be unable
to silence it.
311
00:17:13,116 --> 00:17:16,216
Consumed by dishonor,
he commits suicide.
312
00:17:19,233 --> 00:17:21,183
The French Air
Force is too small
313
00:17:21,216 --> 00:17:23,996
and is impeded by disastrous
weather conditions,
314
00:17:24,033 --> 00:17:26,173
as well as by
anti-aircraft cannons,
315
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:28,020
positioned on the heights.
316
00:17:28,466 --> 00:17:33,176
(yelling)
(explosions)
317
00:17:33,216 --> 00:17:35,426
After only three
days of fighting,
318
00:17:35,466 --> 00:17:38,166
the entire French
strategy collapses.
319
00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:39,430
(plane engine roars)
(explosions)
320
00:17:39,466 --> 00:17:41,316
The runway is under
the direct fire
321
00:17:41,350 --> 00:17:43,350
of the Viet Minh cannons.
322
00:17:43,383 --> 00:17:47,203
Unless a miracle happens,
the battle is already lost.
323
00:17:49,166 --> 00:17:52,196
Soon, no other plane can land.
324
00:17:52,233 --> 00:17:53,483
The reinforcements
and the supplies
325
00:17:54,016 --> 00:17:56,416
can no longer be brought
in, only airdropped.
326
00:17:56,450 --> 00:17:58,220
The pilots take all the risks
327
00:17:58,250 --> 00:18:00,380
to help their comrade
in arms on the ground.
328
00:18:00,416 --> 00:18:03,116
They know the trench
camp cannot resist.
329
00:18:03,150 --> 00:18:04,320
They see from their cockpits
330
00:18:04,350 --> 00:18:07,250
it's defensive perimeter
dwindling day after day.
331
00:18:07,283 --> 00:18:09,333
(gun shots)
332
00:18:09,366 --> 00:18:12,126
The Viet Minh trenches
get inexorably closer
333
00:18:12,166 --> 00:18:13,416
to the French Nerf center.
334
00:18:15,350 --> 00:18:18,230
The General Staff sends all of
it's available reinforcements
335
00:18:18,266 --> 00:18:20,366
on the planes still fit to fly.
336
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:24,130
Yet they know these men are
likely to be sacrificed in
vein.
337
00:18:24,166 --> 00:18:25,246
(rain falls)
338
00:18:25,283 --> 00:18:28,303
In Hanoi, a call for
volunteers is issued.
339
00:18:28,333 --> 00:18:30,123
Candidates are aplenty.
340
00:18:30,150 --> 00:18:33,250
Several having never fought,
or done a parachute jump.
341
00:18:33,283 --> 00:18:35,003
(yelling in foreign language)
342
00:18:35,033 --> 00:18:38,133
Yet these men know that
the battle is already lost,
343
00:18:38,166 --> 00:18:41,096
and that they will land in
Hell, and certainly die
there.
344
00:18:43,233 --> 00:18:46,123
But they no longer
go there for France,
345
00:18:46,150 --> 00:18:48,430
and even less for Indochina.
346
00:18:48,466 --> 00:18:52,276
They go for honor, for
their brothers in arms,
347
00:18:52,316 --> 00:18:53,396
for their pals.
348
00:18:53,433 --> 00:18:57,383
(gun shots)
(yelling in foreign language)
349
00:18:57,416 --> 00:19:01,376
On the spot, the situation
is more and more critical.
350
00:19:01,416 --> 00:19:04,066
Dominique falls in turn.
351
00:19:04,100 --> 00:19:06,430
The French multiply the
heroic counter-attacks,
352
00:19:06,466 --> 00:19:10,116
but the Viet Minh soldiers,
despite appalling casualties,
353
00:19:10,150 --> 00:19:13,030
prove themselves, of a
rock-solid combativeness.
354
00:19:14,250 --> 00:19:17,470
Bravery, as well as death,
is found on both sides.
355
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,470
The Field Hospital is
overwhelmed with injured men.
356
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,200
Diluvial rains turned the
trenches into torrents of mud.
357
00:19:24,233 --> 00:19:26,373
The site is covered with bodies.
358
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,000
France solicits air
support from the USA,
359
00:19:30,033 --> 00:19:32,273
but despite two aircraft
carriers in the region,
360
00:19:32,300 --> 00:19:35,280
the American bombers
won't leave their sheds.
361
00:19:35,316 --> 00:19:38,216
On May 1st, the able-bodied
French, are expecting
362
00:19:38,250 --> 00:19:40,170
the full attack of
the Viet Minh Army.
363
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,100
Some 25,000-men strong.
364
00:19:43,133 --> 00:19:45,353
On the 4th, Huguette falls.
365
00:19:45,383 --> 00:19:49,173
The survivors fight
back-to-back, often
with bladed weapons.
366
00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,120
Under a shower of shells
and heavy machine guns,
367
00:19:52,150 --> 00:19:53,420
the French cling to Eliane.
368
00:19:54,483 --> 00:19:58,073
On the 5th, a mere 2000
men can still stand.
369
00:20:00,483 --> 00:20:04,283
On the 6th, in the evening, a
tremendous underground blast
370
00:20:04,316 --> 00:20:07,176
destroys the command
center of Eliane 2.
371
00:20:07,216 --> 00:20:10,096
Some bastions are only
defended by the wounded.
372
00:20:10,133 --> 00:20:12,023
(dramatic orchestral music)
373
00:20:12,050 --> 00:20:14,250
On the following day at 4 P.M.
374
00:20:14,283 --> 00:20:16,323
de Castries announces by radio
375
00:20:16,350 --> 00:20:20,030
that the enemy is about to
penetrate the central fort.
376
00:20:20,066 --> 00:20:23,276
At 5:30 P.M. the
stronghold ceases firing.
377
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:26,320
Dien Bien Phu has fallen.
378
00:20:29,333 --> 00:20:30,403
- [Female Narrator]
Was a French victory
379
00:20:30,433 --> 00:20:32,283
in Dien Bien Phu possible?
380
00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,350
Hard to know, but in order
to win, all of the other
381
00:20:37,383 --> 00:20:40,203
ongoing operations would
have had to be put on hold,
382
00:20:40,233 --> 00:20:42,303
and all of the forces
thrown into battle.
383
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,100
Dien Bien Phu wasn't a
strategic error per se, but
384
00:20:47,133 --> 00:20:50,183
it seems to have been beyond
the French operational means.
385
00:20:51,383 --> 00:20:54,303
General Giap fought to
liberate his country.
386
00:20:54,333 --> 00:20:56,403
He pinned all his
hopes on this fight.
387
00:20:58,350 --> 00:21:01,180
Before Dien Bien Phu though,
the Viet Minh had been
388
00:21:01,216 --> 00:21:04,416
on the brink of breaking
apart, after the latest
fights,
389
00:21:04,450 --> 00:21:06,300
harsh and costly in men.
390
00:21:06,333 --> 00:21:09,133
Some commanders had even
been considering retreating
391
00:21:09,166 --> 00:21:11,216
temporarily into China.
392
00:21:11,250 --> 00:21:14,000
But Giap has called
for all fighting units,
393
00:21:14,033 --> 00:21:16,203
even those afforded
government protection.
394
00:21:17,416 --> 00:21:20,396
In Dien Bien Phu, at the
height
of the fights, the French
395
00:21:20,433 --> 00:21:24,003
multiply the daring stunts
and retake many strongpoints,
396
00:21:25,233 --> 00:21:28,373
but without any backup, they
constantly have to retreat,
397
00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,220
losing the bitterly-won ground
398
00:21:30,250 --> 00:21:33,080
which is immediately
taken by the Viet Minh.
399
00:21:33,116 --> 00:21:37,166
Testimonies of soldiers tell
that for each enemy shot down,
400
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:38,270
two others appeared.
401
00:21:39,450 --> 00:21:42,180
In these conditions,
Dien Bien Phu soon became
402
00:21:42,216 --> 00:21:46,376
a battle already lost,
in a war already lost.
403
00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:54,270
- [Male Narrator]
11,000 prisoners.
404
00:21:55,383 --> 00:21:58,173
The luckiest, the
seriously injured,
405
00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:00,330
have been evacuated
by the Red Cross.
406
00:22:02,083 --> 00:22:05,223
For the others, it's the
beginning of a new Hell.
407
00:22:05,250 --> 00:22:08,370
Completely exhausted
after 56 days of fighting,
408
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,150
they will have to walk several
months through the jungle,
409
00:22:11,183 --> 00:22:14,403
to reach Distance Prisoner and
political re-education camps.
410
00:22:18,116 --> 00:22:21,016
More than 60% of them
will never come back,
411
00:22:21,050 --> 00:22:25,050
having starved to death, died
of sickness, or exhaustion.
412
00:22:30,050 --> 00:22:34,200
After seven years of an
unpopular war, France gives up.
413
00:22:36,133 --> 00:22:40,383
On July 21st, 1954, the
Geneva Accords are signed,
414
00:22:40,416 --> 00:22:43,066
putting an end to the
first Indochina War,
415
00:22:43,100 --> 00:22:45,380
and to the French
colonial presence.
416
00:22:45,416 --> 00:22:47,096
The Accords provide for a
417
00:22:47,133 --> 00:22:50,003
separation of Vietnam
into two zones.
418
00:22:50,033 --> 00:22:52,283
The Democratic Republic
of Vietnam to the north,
419
00:22:52,316 --> 00:22:55,276
under communist influence,
and the Republic of Vietnam
420
00:22:55,316 --> 00:22:57,466
to the south,
awaiting elections.
421
00:22:59,166 --> 00:23:01,426
But the Accords will
never be ratified.
422
00:23:01,466 --> 00:23:04,476
The war resumes immediately
between the two Vietnams,
423
00:23:05,016 --> 00:23:06,396
but this time without France.
424
00:23:06,433 --> 00:23:08,173
(explosions)
425
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,250
In the face of a communist
threat, the USA comes out
426
00:23:11,283 --> 00:23:14,283
of it's reserve and
gets actively involved.
427
00:23:14,316 --> 00:23:17,196
Their action, at first
limited to an economic
428
00:23:17,233 --> 00:23:20,353
and material aid, evolves
into military support,
429
00:23:20,383 --> 00:23:23,073
and then into a massive
troop deployment.
430
00:23:24,150 --> 00:23:25,380
It's the beginning
of the second phase
431
00:23:25,416 --> 00:23:29,426
of the Vietnam conflict, the
one we call the Vietnam War.
432
00:23:32,033 --> 00:23:34,283
In ten years, the
Americans will drop their
433
00:23:34,316 --> 00:23:37,466
twice-as-many bombs as all the
Allies during World War II.
434
00:23:40,416 --> 00:23:43,476
But that is another story.
435
00:23:44,016 --> 00:23:47,176
(slow orchestral music)
436
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,080
- [Female Narrator] In France,
the fall of Dien Bien Phu,
437
00:23:55,116 --> 00:23:58,296
was received with
relief for the majority.
438
00:23:58,333 --> 00:24:01,333
This war was quite simply
considered illegitimate,
439
00:24:01,366 --> 00:24:04,216
even immoral, by a
part of the population.
440
00:24:06,050 --> 00:24:08,350
The soldiers of the
Expeditionary Corps
were professionals.
441
00:24:08,383 --> 00:24:10,373
Some considered them
to be mercenaries
442
00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:12,150
who deserved their fate.
443
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,280
Back in their own country
after the hell of war,
444
00:24:16,316 --> 00:24:19,026
some veterans even got
stones thrown at them
445
00:24:19,066 --> 00:24:22,446
by communist activists
fiercely opposed to the war.
446
00:24:22,483 --> 00:24:24,353
To find a new job,
447
00:24:24,383 --> 00:24:27,273
being an Indochina
veteran was problematic.
448
00:24:29,066 --> 00:24:31,426
The strong presence of
former German soldiers
449
00:24:31,466 --> 00:24:34,126
and even former Waffen-SS among
450
00:24:34,166 --> 00:24:36,326
the elite regiment of
the French Foreign Legion
451
00:24:36,366 --> 00:24:39,326
contributed to people's
mistrust of its own army.
452
00:24:40,450 --> 00:24:43,020
However, be they Legionnaires,
453
00:24:43,050 --> 00:24:45,000
infantrymen from North Africa,
454
00:24:45,033 --> 00:24:47,153
or paratroopers of
the colonial forces,
455
00:24:47,183 --> 00:24:50,173
they didn't decide to throw
their country into this war.
456
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,080
This decision has
been taken in Paris,
457
00:24:53,116 --> 00:24:56,066
by politicians at the
head of the French state.
458
00:24:56,100 --> 00:25:00,170
As for the Vietnamese, facing
a powerfully armed enemy,
459
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,250
they were able to
find the weak spot.
460
00:25:02,283 --> 00:25:05,033
The tiger defeated the elephant.
461
00:25:05,066 --> 00:25:08,216
Over nearly 30 years of war,
this modest Asian country
462
00:25:08,250 --> 00:25:13,200
defeated France, then the
USA, to finally become free.
463
00:25:13,233 --> 00:25:16,483
(dramatic strings music)
37770
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