Battle of Mang Yang Pass

Part of the First Indochina War

Date	Jun. 24 – Jun. 29, 1954
Location	Mang Yang, Vietnam
Result	Việt Minh victory; French forces managed to escape with heavy casualties

Belligerents

French Union

Việt Minh

Commanders and leaders

Pierre Chasse

Nguyễn Minh Châu

Strength

2,500 troops

2 battalions + 2 weapon companies of 96th Regiment, 700 troops

Casualties and losses

500 killed, 600 wounded, 800 captured

147 killed, 200 wounded

French Union

The Battle of Mang Yang Pass (also known as Battle of An Khe or Battle of Dak Po) was the last official battle of the First Indochina War. It was one of the bloodiest defeats of the French Union together with the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the battle of Cao Bang in 1950.

Groupement Mobile No. 100 ("Mobile Group 100" or G.M. 100) was a regimental task force unit of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps which was assembled as a convoy. It included the elite veteran UN Bataillon de Corée who fought in the Korean War at Chipyong-ni, Wonju and Heartbreak Ridge. Anxious to avoid a second disaster like the siege at Dien Bien Phu, the French Chief of Staff ordered G.M. 100 to abandon their isolated position in the Central Highlands. This was code named opération Églantine.

On Jun. 24, 1954, G.M. 100 received orders to abandon its defensive positions at An Khe and fall back to Pleiku, some 50 miles away over Route Coloniale 19. At the road marker 'Kilometer 15' the column was ambushed by Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment and suffered heavy losses. The remains of G.M. 100 managed to break through the ambush. The remnants of G.M. 100, now with G.M. 42 and the 1st Airborne Group had to brave 20 miles more of enemy road and was ambushed on June 28 and 29 at Dak Ya-Ayun by the Viet Minh 108th Regiment. The survivors finally reached Pleiku the following day.

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Wikipedia