Operation Hirondelle was the codename for the two-day French airborne operation to destroy the Viet Minh supply depots near Lang Son, during the French Indochina War. It was carried out from July 17, to July 19, 1953, by the paratroopers of the French and Vietnamese National Armies, commanded by General Marcel Bigeard. The 2,000-men French forces successfully attacked and destroyed Viet Minh’s weapons caches hidden in caves near Colonial Routes Four and One. “Hirondelle” is a French word which means “swallow” in English.
After a successful first phase, Operation Hirondelle forces retreated over land through Loc Binh, where other French units had been dropped on July 17 to repair and hold a river crossing for the retreating units; and then to form a rearguard for 20 miles. The entire force rendezvoused with Mobile Group Five, and was then extracted by sea on July 19, thus ending a successful military operation.
Below, a French officer and two local soldiers, as part of the French forces, during Operation Hirondelle
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