Christian de Castries
Encyclopedia
Christian Marie Ferdinand de la Croix de Castries (11 August 1902 – 29 July 1991) 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 later resigned to devote himself to equestrian sports. After rejoining the army at the start of World War II, he was captured (1940), escaped from a German prison-of-war camp (1941), and fought with the Allied forces in North Africa, Italy, the south of France and finally, during the liberation in Southern Germany
In 1946 Castries, soon to become a lieutenant colonel, was sent to Indochina. He was wounded and spent a year recuperating in France before returning to Vietnam as a full colonel. In December 1953 he was charged with defending Dien Bien Phu against the Viet Minh
and was given a field promotion to brigadier general. After an eight-week siege, the garrison was defeated. The French were overrun by the Viet Minh forces on 7 May 1954, effectively ending the First Indochina War
and the French presence in Southeast Asia. Castries was held prisoner for four months while an armistice agreement was reached in Geneva. He retired from the military in 1959.
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...
commander at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
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...
in 1954. Castries was born into a distinguished military family
House of Castries
The house of la Croix de Castries is a French noble family from Languedoc. Castries was named after one of its members.-History:Their heraldic shield is "azure, on a cross, or". Family tradition holds that one of the family's members was saint Roch, the pilgrim apostle who dedicated his life to...
and enlisted in the army at the age of 19. He was sent to the Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
Cavalry School and in 1926 was commissioned an officer but later resigned to devote himself to equestrian sports. After rejoining the army at the start of World War II, he was captured (1940), escaped from a German prison-of-war camp (1941), and fought with the Allied forces in North Africa, Italy, the south of France and finally, during the liberation in Southern Germany
In 1946 Castries, soon to become a lieutenant colonel, was sent to Indochina. He was wounded and spent a year recuperating in France before returning to Vietnam as a full colonel. In December 1953 he was charged with defending Dien Bien Phu against 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...
and was given a field promotion to brigadier general. After an eight-week siege, the garrison was defeated. The French were overrun by the Viet Minh forces on 7 May 1954, effectively ending 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...
and the French presence in Southeast Asia. Castries was held prisoner for four months while an armistice agreement was reached in Geneva. He retired from the military in 1959.