Pierre Langlais
Encyclopedia
Pierre Charles Albert Marie Langlais (2 December 1909 - 1988) was a French military officer who fought in World War II
and Indochina
. He is best known as the ad-hoc commander of the French garrison during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
.
, in Morbihan
, Brittany
. He attended St Cyr Military Academy
and graduated in 1930. He chose to serve in the Compagnies Méharistes
in North Africa patrolling the Sahara
.
forces in Operation Torch
he joined the French Expeditionary Corps seeing action in Italy. He then passed into the French First Army under the command General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
, seeing action in Alsace
and Germany.
including the Battle of Hanoi
in December 1946.
Langlais returned to Indochina for a second two year tour of duty in 1949. Assigned to the Chinese border area he watched the defeat of the last remaining units of the Kuomintang
armies on the mainland.
Returning to France, in October 1951 Langlais was given command of the 1st Colonial Half Brigade of Paratroop Commandos (1 DBCCP), training replacements for Indochina. The unit was previously commanded by Jean Gilles. In order to take this assignment Langlais trained as a paratrooper.
Returning to Indochina in June 1953 for his third tour, Lt Col Langlais was given command of Groupement Aéroporté 2 (GAP 2), (Airborne Group 2), comprising:
, the seizing of the Dien Bien Phu
valley. Langlais jumped with the men of the 1 BEP, but badly injured his ankle on landing and had to be evacuated to Hanoi the following day. Langlais returned to Dien Bien Phu with his foot in plaster on 12 December 1953 to take command of all airborne forces in the valley he immediately joined GAP 2 in the field on an operation along the Pavie Track to relieve the garrison at Mường Pồn
. The operation was a failure; GAP 2 was repeatedly ambushed along the Pavie Track and it reached Muong Pon after the garrison had been overrun. The return to Dien Bien Phu was harassed by frequent Viet Minh
ambushes and artillery fire. On 21 December GAP 2 launched another reconnaissance raid called Operation Regate to the Laotian town of Sop-Nao to link up with a Laotian-Moroccan-French force coming from Laos, the 50 mile route was extremely difficult with mountainous terrain cut by deep ravines and numerous rivers. The link-up was achieved on 23 December and GAP 2 then returned via a different (and worse) route to Dien Bien Phu, arriving back in the valley on 26 December. Langlais' report on the operation left no doubt that long range offensive operations from Dien Bien Phu were not feasible. Langlais' advice was ignored and offensive operations continued through January and into February 1954 although the tightening Viet Minh siege ring meant that raids were increasingly encountering Viet Minh forces within a few kilometres from the central position at Dien Bien Phu. On 17 February faced with ongoing losses to the garrison, General René Cogny
ordered that henceforth only light reconnaissances be conducted by limited numbers of personnel. On 11 March Langlais led GAP 2 on its last large reconnaissance operation against Viet Minh trenches being dug on Hill 555 overlooking Strongpoint Beatrice, only 3.2 km from the central position, the raid was a failure.
At 17:00 on 13 March Langlais was taking a shower when the Viet Minh artillery barrage that signalled the start of the battle began, he ran to his command post and got in contact his subordinate units. At 17:30 a shell hit Langlais' CP burying the occupants under sand and timber, they had just dug themselves out when a second shell scored a direct hit but fortunately it was a dud. At 19:50 Colonel de Castries
phoned Langlais to inform him that Lt Colonel Gaucher had been killed with his entire staff and that Langlais was now in command of the central sector.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and Indochina
Indochina
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...
. He is best known as the ad-hoc commander of the French garrison during 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...
.
Early life
Langlais was born at PontivyPontivy
Pontivy is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest.-History:...
, in Morbihan
Morbihan
Morbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. He attended St Cyr Military Academy
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
and graduated in 1930. He chose to serve in the Compagnies Méharistes
Mehariste
Méhariste is a French word that roughly translates to camel cavalry. The word is most commonly used as a designation of military units.-Origins of French Camel Corps:...
in North Africa patrolling the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
.
World War II
Langlais stayed in North Africa during the defeat of France in 1940. Following the defeat of the Vichy FrenchVichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
forces in Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
he joined the French Expeditionary Corps seeing action in Italy. He then passed into the French First Army under the command General Jean 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:...
, seeing action in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
and Germany.
Indochina
Langlais arrived in Indochina as a Battalion commander in the of the 9th Colonial Infantry Division (9e DIC) in October 1945. His battalion participated in the early battles of the First Indochina WarFirst 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...
including the Battle of Hanoi
Battle of Hanoi
On December 19, 1946 Vietnamese nationalists fighting for the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh detonated explosives in Hanoi, and the ensuing battle, known as the Battle of Hanoi marked the opening salvo of the First Indochina War. The explosives, set off at 20:03...
in December 1946.
Langlais returned to Indochina for a second two year tour of duty in 1949. Assigned to the Chinese border area he watched the defeat of the last remaining units of the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
armies on the mainland.
Returning to France, in October 1951 Langlais was given command of the 1st Colonial Half Brigade of Paratroop Commandos (1 DBCCP), training replacements for Indochina. The unit was previously commanded by Jean Gilles. In order to take this assignment Langlais trained as a paratrooper.
Returning to Indochina in June 1953 for his third tour, Lt Col Langlais was given command of Groupement Aéroporté 2 (GAP 2), (Airborne Group 2), comprising:
- 1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes1st Foreign Parachute RegimentThe 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was an airborne unit of the Foreign Legion. It fought in the First Indochina War, Suez Crisis and Algerian War, but was disbanded after taking part in a putsch against the French government in 1961....
(1 BEP) (Foreign Parachute Battalion) - 8e Bataillon de Parachutistes de Choc8th Marine Infantry Parachute RegimentThe 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne regiment in the French Army. It is an elite unit that can be rapidly sent anywhere in the world...
(8 BPC) (Parachute Assault Battalion) - 5e Bataillon de Parachutistes Vietnamiens (5 BPVN) (Vietnamese Parachute Battalion).
Dien Bien Phu
On 21 November 1953 Langlais and GAP 2 took part in Operation CastorOperation Castor
Opération Castor was a French airborne operation in the First Indochina War. The operation established a fortified airhead in Dien Bien Province, in the north-west corner of Vietnam. Commanded by Brigadier General Jean Gilles, Castor was the largest airborne operation since World War II...
, the seizing of the 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:...
valley. Langlais jumped with the men of the 1 BEP, but badly injured his ankle on landing and had to be evacuated to Hanoi the following day. Langlais returned to Dien Bien Phu with his foot in plaster on 12 December 1953 to take command of all airborne forces in the valley he immediately joined GAP 2 in the field on an operation along the Pavie Track to relieve the garrison at Mường Pồn
Mường Pồn
Mường Pồn is a commune and village of the Dien Bien District of Dien Bien Province, northwestern Vietnam. Less than 4 kilometres from the Lao border, it lies along National Route 12, north by road from Dien Bien Phu. A garrison was located here during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, relieved by...
. The operation was a failure; GAP 2 was repeatedly ambushed along the Pavie Track and it reached Muong Pon after the garrison had been overrun. The return to Dien Bien Phu was harassed by frequent 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...
ambushes and artillery fire. On 21 December GAP 2 launched another reconnaissance raid called Operation Regate to the Laotian town of Sop-Nao to link up with a Laotian-Moroccan-French force coming from Laos, the 50 mile route was extremely difficult with mountainous terrain cut by deep ravines and numerous rivers. The link-up was achieved on 23 December and GAP 2 then returned via a different (and worse) route to Dien Bien Phu, arriving back in the valley on 26 December. Langlais' report on the operation left no doubt that long range offensive operations from Dien Bien Phu were not feasible. Langlais' advice was ignored and offensive operations continued through January and into February 1954 although the tightening Viet Minh siege ring meant that raids were increasingly encountering Viet Minh forces within a few kilometres from the central position at Dien Bien Phu. On 17 February faced with ongoing losses to the garrison, General René Cogny
René Cogny
René Cogny was a French Général de division, World War II and French Resistance veteran and survivor of Buchenwald and Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camps. He was a commander of the French forces in Tonkin during the First Indochina War, and notably during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu...
ordered that henceforth only light reconnaissances be conducted by limited numbers of personnel. On 11 March Langlais led GAP 2 on its last large reconnaissance operation against Viet Minh trenches being dug on Hill 555 overlooking Strongpoint Beatrice, only 3.2 km from the central position, the raid was a failure.
At 17:00 on 13 March Langlais was taking a shower when the Viet Minh artillery barrage that signalled the start of the battle began, he ran to his command post and got in contact his subordinate units. At 17:30 a shell hit Langlais' CP burying the occupants under sand and timber, they had just dug themselves out when a second shell scored a direct hit but fortunately it was a dud. At 19:50 Colonel 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...
phoned Langlais to inform him that Lt Colonel Gaucher had been killed with his entire staff and that Langlais was now in command of the central sector.
Post-War career
By 1966, Langlais had been promoted to Brigadier General, and commanded the French 20th Airborne Brigade at Pau.Death
In 1988, in failing health and depressed, Langlais committed suicide by jumping from an apartment window.Works
Langlais wrote a book about his experience at Dien Bien Phu:- Dien Bien Phu. Paris: Éditions France-Empire, 1963. 261 pp. Paris: Presses Pocket, 1969. 253 pp.