Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-22
French Brace Again
For Big Mass Attack
By. Wet Mini Troops
BY the Associated Press

~ vICI IuIIIIl uVUpS
BY the Assoeioisd Press
HANOI, Indo-C China, Mar. %,
French Union troops braced
themselves anew today for q still
expected new mass assault
against their Diem Bien Phu
fortress by the Communicated
Wet Mini.
Tank and infantry reinforce
ments bolstered the beSeiged de-
tenders In northwest Indo-
China.
From the skies poured new
stream Of fresh troops. war
equipment, ammunition and pro-
visions, parachuted from French
transports and American Flying
Boxcars piloted by American
civilians of the Hong Kong biased
Civil Air Transport Service.
French, Wet Namese. Senega-
lese, Moroccan and Algerian
troops and the hard-flghting
German soldiers who dominate
the French Foreign Legion were
dug deep into trenches and dirt
bagged bunkerS behind the
mazes Of barbed wire. The area
more and more took on the ap-
pearance Of a World War I bat
tlefleld, with the Wet Mimi also
In hastily constructed trenches.
some Of them only 200 to 400
yards from the French Union
line.
More u. s. Aid Sought.
In Washington United States
officials reviewed French requests |
for more United States bombers |
and transports. The United
States Joint chiefs Of staff con- |
sidered a proposal to send an
other group Of about Is B-26
light bombers and an undiScloSed |
number of transports to 1ndo-
China.
Gen. Paul Ely. chief Of staff Of |
the French armed forces who ar
rived in Washington Friday. was |
to confer today with President |
Eisenhower and Admiral Arthur |
Radford, chairman Of the United
States joint chiefs.
The French at Diene Bien Phu
still anticipated q sudden Wet
Mimi rush in an attempt to over
whelm the fortress.
They would count on driving
into the French entertainments
after looSening up the protective
network Of barbed wire with
nitroglycerine or dynamite and
hope to avoid losing another
5000 killed and 5000 wounded
as they did last week. dashing
from the surrounding hills and
across the plain into sheets Of
fire. from the heavily gunned
fortress.
Outnumbered 3 to l.
The estimated $4,000 Wet
Mimi far outnumber the defend
ers-probably three to one. But
as the new power for the de-
tenders cascaded from transport
planes, their hopes and conf
dence of turning back every rebel
assault muShroomed.
While opposing artillery again
fought violent duelS, the French
air armada under a drizzling
rain roared over the rebels in
the hills in fresh waves Of their
most intensive attacks of the
war.
They streaked fire through the
jungle-covered hills where most |
of the Wet Mini were en-
trenched miles from the heart |
of the fortress, showering in
cendiary bombs and napalm
barrageS.
Other squadrons roamed |
northward to blast the Wet |
Mini highway links with Com
munist China, from which the
rebels are getting their war
supplies.
Rebels Build Up Stocks.
The rebels feverishly built up |
fresh stocks of ammunition for |
their new attempt to smash the |
fortress and score big victory |
before the big powers meet in |
Geneva April 26 to try to settle
the eight-year-old indecisive |
Indo-C China war.
Observers figured Wet Mimi |
chief Ho Chi Mimi would be |
glad for a peace treaty if he |
could get the northern half of |
Indo-China. A smashing vic
tory would strengthen his de-
mands at Geneva. He would |
have little to talk about If the |
French smash every one of his
attacks upon the fortress and
destroy his best troops.
Stork Isn't Choosy