Second French Indochina Campaign
Encyclopedia
The Second French Indochina Campaign, also known as the Japanese coup of March 1945, was a Japanese military operation in Cambodia
, Laos
and Vietnam
, then a French colony and known as French Indochina
, during the final months of the Second World War. Vietnam was not a real colony at this time. The area known as Cochinchina was a colony proper. However, the regions of Annam and Tonkin were French "protectorates".
The campaign resulted in short-lived independence of the Empire of Vietnam
, the Kingdom of Laos
and the Kingdom of Cambodia, and in the complete disorganization of Indochina's French administration. A small-scale campaign of guerrilla warfare
followed, while France prepared to retaliate, but Japan ultimately surrendered before any major military engagements could take place. As result of the confusion the Viet Minh
were able to take control of the power vacuum that was presented to them.
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In 1945, the Japanese feared an Allied offensive in French Indochina. The Vichy regime had ceased to exist in Europe, but its colonial administration was still in place in Indochina, though governor Jean Decoux
had recognized and contacted the Provisional Government of the French Republic
In early March, Japanese forces were redeployed around many of the main French garrison towns, and on 9 March 1945, the Japanese delivered an ultimatum for the French troops to disarm, without warning. Those who refused were usually massacred. In Saigon, senior Japanese officers invited the French commanders to a banquet. The officers who attended were arrested and almost all were killed. In Saigon the two senior Vichy officials, General Emile-René Lemonnier
and Resident Camille Auphalle, were executed by decapitation, after refusing to sign surrender documents. The French upcountry garrisons fared better, however, and, under the leadership of Major-General Marcel Alessandri, a column of 5,700 French troops, including many French Foreign Legion
naires fought its way through to Nationalist China
.
The French administration was effectively dismantled. The Japanese pressed the Empire of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Laos and the Kingdom of Cambodia to declare their independence. Emperor Bảo Đại
complied in Vietnam and collaborated with the Japanese. King Norodom Sihanouk
also obeyed, but the Japanese did not trust the francophile monarch.
Nationalist leader Son Ngoc Thanh
, who had been exiled in Japan and was considered a more trustworthy ally than Sihanouk, returned to Cambodia and became Minister of foreign affairs in May, then became Prime Minister in August. In Laos however, King Sisavang Vong
, who favoured French rule, refused to declare independence, finding himself at odds with his Prime Minister, Prince Phetsarath Rattanavongsa
.
, famed commander of the Flying Tigers
, went against these orders, as aircraft from the 51st Fighter Group and 27th Troop Carrier Squadron
flew support missions for the French forces retreating into China.
Commandos from the British liaison organisation Force 136
had been conducting minor operations in French Indochina since late 1944. After the coup, French and British reinforcements were parachuted into Indochina and conducted guerrilla operations against the Japanese. French troops which had escaped from the Japanese coup in March joined the French and British commandos to take part in the fighting. French resistance groups had more latitude for action in Laos
, as the Japanese had less control over this part of the territory. However, the commandos lacked precise orders from their governments and the practical means to mount any large-scale operations.
The French and Lao
guerrilla groups also lacked significant firepower, but nevertheless managed to gain control of several rural areas. In northern Vietnam, Hô Chi Minh
's Viet Minh
started their own guerrilla against the Japanese and established their bases in the countryside without meeting much resistance from the occupying forces, who were mostly present in the cities.
In France, recently liberated from Nazi occupation, the French Far East Expeditionary Corps
was established and prepared to be sent to Indochina to fight the Japanese.
However, Japanese troops surrendered when Emperor Hirohito
announced Japan's capitulation in August. On 16 August, the Japanese garrisons officially handed control to Bảo Đại
in the North and the United Party in the South. This however allowed nationalist groups to take over public buildings in most of the major cities. The Viet Minh
were thus presented with a power vacuum and on 19th the August Revolution
commenced in which the Viet Minh easily took power. On August 25, 1945, Bảo Ðại was forced to abdicate in favour of Hồ and the Việt Minh As Bảo Đại
abdicated, the Viet Minh took control of Hanoi
. In the Thái Nguyên Province
, Japanese troops refused to surrender and did battle with the Viet Minh from 20 to 25 August. They finally surrendered on August 26, and the Viet Minh could take possession of their weapons. Hô Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam's independence
on 2 September.
) entered the country, and started disarming the Japanese troops. They were joined by the French Far East Expeditionary Corps
, which arrived in September. Jacques Massu
's troops took control of Saigon.
French Indochina was left in chaos by the Japanese occupation. Admiral Jean Decoux
, who had supported the Vichy regime instead of Free France, was sent to France to face trial. In Laos, Phetsarath Rattanavongsa's Lao Issara
deposed the King in October and declared the country's independence, but its government had to flee in April 1946, as the French troops advanced towards Laos. In Cambodia, Son Ngoc Thanh was arrested by the French. Hô Chi Minh found himself in partial control of north Vietnam, setting the stage for the First Indochina War
.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and 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 –...
, then a French colony and known as French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, during the final months of the Second World War. Vietnam was not a real colony at this time. The area known as Cochinchina was a colony proper. However, the regions of Annam and Tonkin were French "protectorates".
The campaign resulted in short-lived independence of the Empire of Vietnam
Empire of Vietnam
The Empire of Vietnam was a short-lived puppet state of Imperial Japan governing the whole of Vietnam between March 11 and August 23, 1945.-History:...
, the Kingdom of Laos
Kingdom of Laos
The Kingdom of Laos was a sovereign state from 1953 until December 1975, when Pathet Lao overthrew the government and created the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Given self-rule in 1949 as part of a federation with the rest of French Indochina, the 1953 Franco-Lao Treaty finally established a...
and the Kingdom of Cambodia, and in the complete disorganization of Indochina's French administration. A small-scale campaign of guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
followed, while France prepared to retaliate, but Japan ultimately surrendered before any major military engagements could take place. As result of the confusion 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...
were able to take control of the power vacuum that was presented to them.
The Coup
Jean Decoux
Jean Decoux was a French politician, who was the Governor-General of French Indochina from 1940 to 1945, representing the Vichy French government.-Biography:Decoux was born in Bordeaux...
had recognized and contacted the Provisional Government of the French Republic
Provisional Government of the French Republic
The Provisional Government of the French Republic was an interim government which governed France from 1944 to 1946, following the fall of Vichy France and prior to the Fourth French Republic....
In early March, Japanese forces were redeployed around many of the main French garrison towns, and on 9 March 1945, the Japanese delivered an ultimatum for the French troops to disarm, without warning. Those who refused were usually massacred. In Saigon, senior Japanese officers invited the French commanders to a banquet. The officers who attended were arrested and almost all were killed. In Saigon the two senior Vichy officials, General Emile-René Lemonnier
Emile-René Lemonnier
Emile-René Lemonnier was a French Army general who served during World War I and World War II. Stationed in French Indochina in 1945, he was beheaded by the Japanese at the beginning of the Second French Indochina Campaign....
and Resident Camille Auphalle, were executed by decapitation, after refusing to sign surrender documents. The French upcountry garrisons fared better, however, and, under the leadership of Major-General Marcel Alessandri, a column of 5,700 French troops, including many French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
naires fought its way through to Nationalist China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
.
The French administration was effectively dismantled. The Japanese pressed the Empire of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Laos and the Kingdom of Cambodia to declare their independence. Emperor Bảo Đại
Bảo Đài
Bảo Đài is a commune and village in Lục Nam District, Bac Giang Province, in northeastern Vietnam.-References:...
complied in Vietnam and collaborated with the Japanese. King Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
also obeyed, but the Japanese did not trust the francophile monarch.
Nationalist leader Son Ngoc Thanh
Son Ngoc Thanh
Son Ngoc Thanh was a Cambodian nationalist and republican policitian, with a long history as a rebel and a government minister.-Early life:...
, who had been exiled in Japan and was considered a more trustworthy ally than Sihanouk, returned to Cambodia and became Minister of foreign affairs in May, then became Prime Minister in August. In Laos however, King Sisavang Vong
Sisavang Vong
Sisavang Phoulivong , was king of Kingdom of Luang Phrabang and later Kingdom of Laos from 28 April 1904 until his death on 20 October 1959.-Early life:...
, who favoured French rule, refused to declare independence, finding himself at odds with his Prime Minister, Prince Phetsarath Rattanavongsa
Phetsarath Rattanavongsa
Prince Phetsarath Rattanavongsa was prime minister of Laos from 1942 to 1945, and was the first and last vice-king of the Kingdom of Laos.-Early life:Phetsarath was born on 19 January 1890 in Luang Prabang, the second son of...
.
Consequences
The Republic of China, which had given shelter to escaped French troops, and the United States, were reluctant to start a large-scale operation to restore French authority, as they did not favour colonial rule. Both countries ordered that their forces provide no assistance to the French, but General Claire Lee ChennaultClaire Lee Chennault
Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault , was an American military aviator. A contentious officer, he was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fight-interceptor aircraft during the 1930s when the U.S. Army Air Corps was focused primarily on high-altitude bombardment...
, famed commander of the Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers
The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941–1942, famously nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army , Navy , and Marine Corps , recruited under presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The ground crew and headquarters...
, went against these orders, as aircraft from the 51st Fighter Group and 27th Troop Carrier Squadron
27th Troop Carrier Squadron
The 27th Troop Carrier Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 443d Troop Carrier Group, based at Liangshan, China...
flew support missions for the French forces retreating into China.
Commandos from the British liaison organisation Force 136
Force 136
Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...
had been conducting minor operations in French Indochina since late 1944. After the coup, French and British reinforcements were parachuted into Indochina and conducted guerrilla operations against the Japanese. French troops which had escaped from the Japanese coup in March joined the French and British commandos to take part in the fighting. French resistance groups had more latitude for action in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, as the Japanese had less control over this part of the territory. However, the commandos lacked precise orders from their governments and the practical means to mount any large-scale operations.
The French and Lao
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
guerrilla groups also lacked significant firepower, but nevertheless managed to gain control of several rural areas. In northern Vietnam, Hô Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh
Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...
's 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...
started their own guerrilla against the Japanese and established their bases in the countryside without meeting much resistance from the occupying forces, who were mostly present in the cities.
In France, recently liberated from Nazi occupation, the French Far East Expeditionary Corps
French Far East Expeditionary Corps
The French Far East Expeditionary Corps was a colonial expeditionary force of the French Union Army sent in French Indochina in 1945 during the Pacific War.-Pacific War :...
was established and prepared to be sent to Indochina to fight the Japanese.
However, Japanese troops surrendered when Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
announced Japan's capitulation in August. On 16 August, the Japanese garrisons officially handed control to Bảo Đại
Bảo Đài
Bảo Đài is a commune and village in Lục Nam District, Bac Giang Province, in northeastern Vietnam.-References:...
in the North and the United Party in the South. This however allowed nationalist groups to take over public buildings in most of the major cities. 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...
were thus presented with a power vacuum and on 19th the August Revolution
August Revolution
On August 19, 1945, the Việt Minh under Hồ Chí Minh began the August General Uprising Tổng Khởi Nghĩa, which was soon renamed the August Revolution . Whether or not this series of events should be called a "revolution" is disputable; what is clear is that, from August 19 onwards, demonstrations and...
commenced in which the Viet Minh easily took power. On August 25, 1945, Bảo Ðại was forced to abdicate in favour of Hồ and the Việt Minh As Bảo Đại
Bảo Đài
Bảo Đài is a commune and village in Lục Nam District, Bac Giang Province, in northeastern Vietnam.-References:...
abdicated, the Viet Minh took control of Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
. In the Thái Nguyên Province
Thai Nguyen Province
Thái Nguyên is a province in northeastern Vietnam. It is a mountainous, midland province with natural area of 3534.45 square kilometres and a population of 1,149,100 people as of 2008...
, Japanese troops refused to surrender and did battle with the Viet Minh from 20 to 25 August. They finally surrendered on August 26, and the Viet Minh could take possession of their weapons. Hô Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam's independence
Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
The Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was written by Hồ Chí Minh, and announced in public at the Ba Đình flower garden on September 2, 1945. It led to the secession of North Vietnam.-History:Vietnam became a colony of France in the late nineteenth century...
on 2 September.
Aftermath
Troops from the United Kingdom—the 20th Indian Division under Major General Douglas Gracey—and the Republic of China (National Revolutionary ArmyNational Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
) entered the country, and started disarming the Japanese troops. They were joined by the French Far East Expeditionary Corps
French Far East Expeditionary Corps
The French Far East Expeditionary Corps was a colonial expeditionary force of the French Union Army sent in French Indochina in 1945 during the Pacific War.-Pacific War :...
, which arrived in September. Jacques Massu
Jacques Massu
Jacques Émile Massu was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez crisis.-Early life:Jacques Massu was born in Châlons-sur-Marne to a family of military officers; his father was an artillery officer...
's troops took control of Saigon.
French Indochina was left in chaos by the Japanese occupation. Admiral Jean Decoux
Jean Decoux
Jean Decoux was a French politician, who was the Governor-General of French Indochina from 1940 to 1945, representing the Vichy French government.-Biography:Decoux was born in Bordeaux...
, who had supported the Vichy regime instead of Free France, was sent to France to face trial. In Laos, Phetsarath Rattanavongsa's Lao Issara
Lao Issara
The Lao Issara was an anti-French, non-communist nationalist movement formed in 1945 by Prince Phetsarath. This short-lived movement emerged after the Japanese defeat in World War II and became the government of Laos before the return of the French. It aimed to prevent the French from restoring...
deposed the King in October and declared the country's independence, but its government had to flee in April 1946, as the French troops advanced towards Laos. In Cambodia, Son Ngoc Thanh was arrested by the French. Hô Chi Minh found himself in partial control of north Vietnam, setting the stage for 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...
.
See also
- C.L.I.
- First French Indochina Campaign
- Force 136Force 136Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...
- Viet MinhViet MinhViệt 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...
Media links
- The General Sabattier in Lambaesis, French Algeria, French newsreels archives (Les Actualités Françaises), July 15, 1945
External links
- The 9th March 1945 onslaught (3-part dossier) Japanese intervention of 1945, Dr. Jean-Philippe Liardet