It was argued that during the rainy season the enemy would be roadbound, and the Dien Bien Phu position would therefore prove a real cork in the bottle. To remove it the Communists would attempt to reduce Dien Bien Phu, which would enable the French to induce the main Vietminh forces into a pitched battle on ground where the French could concentrate their supposedly superior forces.

Westmoreland reported that the threat in northern I Corps was the most serious of the war. He also noted new intensity in enemy activity in other areas, especially in III Corps, where Saigon is located. He thought that the North Vietnamese saw a similarity between the allied base at Khe Sanh and the base at Dien Bien Phu, where the French had suffered a disastrous defeat in 1954.

Early in April there was a respite from the crisis; it seemed that the French troops might be able to hold on at Dien Bien Phu.

Dien bien phu

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