By 1944, Major-General Sabattier was commanding the Tonkin Division. He asked Lieutenant-General Eugène Mordant for permission to prepare to fight a guerrilla war in the event the Japanese chose to end French administration. This would have included establishing supply caches in the mountains. The request was refused. Anticipating a Japanese "coup", Sabattier put his troops on armed exercise status on 8 March 1945. Although this was countermanded by Mordant, not all units heeded his order and some were prepared when, on 9 March, the Japanese staged a "coup d'état" and overthrew the French colonial government.