Charles Piroth
Encyclopedia
Charles Piroth was a French
Lieutenant Colonel
and veteran of the Italian Campaign
during the Second World War and more notably serving three tours in Vietnam
during the First Indochina War
. Piroth commanded the artillery of the French Dien Bien Phu
garrison during the siege of the valley
by the Viet Minh
. After failures by his artillery batteries to provide adequate support, he committed suicide in his bunker.
, arriving at first with General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
as a major in October 1945, he was pressed into service as an infantryman despite being an artilleryman due to the need for soldiers on the front line and the lack of targets for artillery. Piroth proved a popular commanding officer when serving north of Saigon in an area known as Thu Dau Mot. On 17 December 1946, Piroth was critically wounded during an ambush though he remained in command until he was eventually evacuated to Saigon, where his arm was amputated without anaesthesia.
Piroth was sent to recover in France, but a year later, in 1950 newly arrived French General de Lattre de Tassigny
dismissed him from the general staff. In late 1953, Piroth was given command of the artillery force at Dien Bien Phu by its commander Colonel Christian de Castries
. During the opening phases of the battle, the artillery was unable to adequately assist besieged French forces on two outlying hills, Gabrielle and Beatrice. Both these fortresses fell into the hands of Viet Minh General Giap, and Piroth suffered from heavy depression, not only due to the failure of his artillery to support the defenders, but also as he had failed to nullify the Viet Minh artillery before the battle began as he had promised.
On 15 March 1954, having circled the camp to apologise to various fellow officers, Piroth returned to his bunker and removed the pin from a grenade
clutched to his chest. He was buried secretly in his bunker, and his death was covered up for several days until newspapers dropped on the camp notified the men, the news of the death having been leaked to the paper from an unknown source. His replacement, Lieutenant Colonel Guy Vaillant, arrived on 20 March via air ambulance, one of the few to successfully land at Dien Bien Phu during the conflict.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and veteran of the Italian Campaign
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the Second World War and more notably serving three tours in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
during the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
. Piroth commanded the artillery of the French Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu
Điện Biên Phủ is a city in northwestern Vietnam. It is the capital of Dien Bien province, and is known for the events there during the First Indochina War, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, during which the region was a breadbasket for the Việt Minh.-Population:...
garrison during the siege of the valley
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. The battle occurred between March and May 1954 and culminated in a comprehensive French defeat that...
by the Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
. After failures by his artillery batteries to provide adequate support, he committed suicide in his bunker.
Indochina
Piroth served a total of three tours in IndochinaIndochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
, arriving at first with General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Philippe François Marie, comte de Hauteclocque, then Leclerc de Hauteclocque, by a 1945 decree that incorporated his French Resistance alias Jacques-Philippe Leclerc to his name, , was a French general during World War II...
as a major in October 1945, he was pressed into service as an infantryman despite being an artilleryman due to the need for soldiers on the front line and the lack of targets for artillery. Piroth proved a popular commanding officer when serving north of Saigon in an area known as Thu Dau Mot. On 17 December 1946, Piroth was critically wounded during an ambush though he remained in command until he was eventually evacuated to Saigon, where his arm was amputated without anaesthesia.
Piroth was sent to recover in France, but a year later, in 1950 newly arrived French General de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny, GCB, MC was a French military hero of World War II and commander in the First Indochina War.-Early life:...
dismissed him from the general staff. In late 1953, Piroth was given command of the artillery force at Dien Bien Phu by its commander Colonel Christian de Castries
Christian de Castries
Christian Marie Ferdinand de la Croix de Castries was the French commander at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Castries was born into a distinguished military family and enlisted in the army at the age of 19. He was sent to the Saumur Cavalry School and in 1926 was commissioned an officer but...
. During the opening phases of the battle, the artillery was unable to adequately assist besieged French forces on two outlying hills, Gabrielle and Beatrice. Both these fortresses fell into the hands of Viet Minh General Giap, and Piroth suffered from heavy depression, not only due to the failure of his artillery to support the defenders, but also as he had failed to nullify the Viet Minh artillery before the battle began as he had promised.
On 15 March 1954, having circled the camp to apologise to various fellow officers, Piroth returned to his bunker and removed the pin from a grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
clutched to his chest. He was buried secretly in his bunker, and his death was covered up for several days until newspapers dropped on the camp notified the men, the news of the death having been leaked to the paper from an unknown source. His replacement, Lieutenant Colonel Guy Vaillant, arrived on 20 March via air ambulance, one of the few to successfully land at Dien Bien Phu during the conflict.