Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-21
French Batter
Red Besiegers
With Firebonlbs
Defenders Seek
To Avert Buildup
For New Attack
BY the Asseeioted Press

HANOI. Indo- China, Mar. 20.
-Squadrons of French warplanes
swooped necessarily over rebel
positions around Diem Bien Phu
today. Showering thousands of
f1rebombs in an effort to flush
Wet Mimi besiegers into the
open so they could be moved
down by fortress guns.
Using all available aircraft
called in from land and carrier
bases, the. French began laying
down firebomb barrages in brill
liant moonlight early this morn
ing and kept hammering the
Communicated rebels through
out the day.
Circling the oval-shaped plain
in Northwest Indo-C China while
French and Wet Mini artillery
blasted away furiously at each
others key firing positions, the
French fighters and bomberS
dropped 200 and 500 pound in
cendiary bombs and jellied gas
oline smack into the heart of
rebel masses and their hideouts
in the surrounding billy jungleS.
Besiegers Digging In.
American.Supplie BPS bomb.
erS also reported scores of direct
hits upon rebel artillery en-
placements. Crews claimed to
have knocked out or seriously
damaged an estimated one
third of the Wet Minis main
firing positions.
While air and artillery bar
RACES went on, Wet Mimi troops
were at points 200 to 500 yards
from barbed wire barricades
guarding the main points of
entry into the heart Of the
fortress. They we're digging fox
holes and trenches despite bonn
bardment by French planes. :,
The Wet Mini were particu-
larry digging in east and south
Of the center of the fortress.
Thus far. the heaviest rebel in
fantry assaults have been
launched from the two northern
outposts which rebels took in
launching their big assault a
week ago tonight.
There were strong indications
that another attempt by the Wet
Mini to overrun the fortress
with masses of tens of thousands
Of troops was building up.
The French. steadily reinforced
with fresh troops. ammunition
and war supplies parachuted
from planes. were ready.
U. S. Equipment Evident.
The Wet Mimi have only put
In feeler attacks during the last
four days. They have used the
time to rush up more ammuni-
ton and supplies moving over
roads into their hill positions
from the northern Indo- Chinese
frontier.
Just about everything the
French are using to defend the
fortress bears the mark of the
United States. That includes
MA tanks flown into Diem Bien
Phu weeks ago along with arm
ored cars. 105mm. artillery,
heavy machine guns, and NOR
tars from the northern Indo-
China headquarters city of
Hanoi.
The tanks have been effective
In smashing the rampaging masses
Of wildly screaming Wet Mini
troops in their first series of
assaults upon the fortress, and
In spearheading French counter
attacks.
The Red China radio at Peip.
Ing said today that native troops
were deserving the French Union
forces and weakening the French
position. The radio claimed TO-
600 such troops deserted to the
Communists during the last
three months Of 1853 and that
q band Of 200 braved French
artillery fire this week to quit
the French lines.
In Washington, Gen. Paul Ely,
French armed forces chief of
stan. arrived for talks with Pres
ident Eisenhower and others
Monday about the Indo-C China
fighting. The President, Secre-
tary Of State Dulles and defense
chiefs discussed the situation for
more than an hour today.