____Operation DEDALE (Part I)*
France defends/attacks vs Vietminh**
________For Version 7+*
_____Design by F.DARGAUD *
__francois.dargaud@libertysurf.fr
**
A 20 turn, large-sized scenario**

**

Nam Dinh, 50 miles South of Hanoi along the Red River, January 5 1947 22:30: opening a path and linking with french troops under siege by Vietminh.
**

Note: This scenario is intended for play with all options on except C/C. It is recommanded to play the french side
as a human player vs AI. 
The map is historical and based on detailed sketches . Names followed by an asterisk are historical. Deployment is historical .**

**

BACKGROUND :*
After the japanese surrendered on August 15 1945, Indochina was split in 2 zones. In the north the Nationalist Chinese and in the south the British were in charge of disarming the Japanese.*
Just before that the Japanese attacked all french garrisons and emprisoned every french person, soldier or civilian, while killing many of them.*

They encouraged the Vietminh to form an independent government and supplied them with the weapons they had seized from the French.*
Following the announcement of the surrender they even supplied their own weapons. Some would join the Vietminh as instructors.*
**
The Vietminh was controlling most of Indochina until General Leclerc landed in Cochinchina to restore french authority.*
While regaining ground against the Vietminh, Leclerc was negotiating with Ho Chi Minh and an agreement was reached on March 6 1946, granting Vietnam Independance within the French Union.**
The year 1946 saw an increasing number of incidents between the Vietminh and the european population, organized by the Tu Ve, the vietminh people"s militia.*
Ho Chi Minh solemnly delivered on December 6 1946 a broadcasted declaration to the french National Assembly and Government confirming " the sincere desire of the vietnamese government and people
to cooperate in all fraternity with the french people" and told on December 17 to journalists that " me and my people are seeking, eagerly seeking peace. We do not want war".*
On december 19 he launched a general armed uprising throughout Indochina, in all major towns and cities, unleashing a wave of cruelty and brutality, especially against the civilian population.** 


THE ACTION :*

The garrison in Nam Dinh, Tonkin's third largest city after Hanoi and Haiphong, a reduced battalion of 6 RIC ( Colonial Infantry Regiment) is under siege, violently attacked by 6 000 Tu Ve.*
The French High Command ordered a combined operation : Operation Dedale.* The objective was to protect the very important manufacturing facilities of La Cotonniere, rescue the civilians and reinforce the garrison.*

The SAS half brigade was to be dropped in 2 waves with the objective of linking with the resistance points of the local garrison and clear a path for the Foreign Legion in charge of evacuating the civilians and the wounded and reinforcing the local forces.**
The seaborne part with the Legion will be portrayed in a second scenario.*
The second SAS wave could not be dropped due to fog, but the SAS managed to reach their objectives.
**
This was the first airborne operation in Indochina.

 **
YOUR MISSION :*
You must clear a path along Rue Belloy to La Cotonniere Factory and Camp Carreau,the Barracks of 6 RIC.*
Important for the second part of this operation is the landing stage.*

**
This operation is very representative, both in methods and results, of so many similar operations the French and later the Americans would again and again attempt.**
Source:*
"Paras Indochine 1944-1954", J-P. Pissardy*
"Histoire des Parachutistes Francais", H. Le Mire*
"La methode Vietminh, Indochine 1945-1954" P.Labrousse