Evening star., 1954-05-18
Wet Mimi Free
Is Wounded as
Road d|sbombed
French Attack After
Red Troops Misuse
NeutruIized Route

ked troops Misuse
-NeutruIized Route
BY the Associated Press
HANOI. Indo- China. May 18.
The Wet Mimi conquerors Of
Dien Bien Phu have released 18
more French Union wounded
from the fallen fortress, the
French high command an
nounced tonight. The news
came after French planes re-
sumeG attacks on rebel troops
streaming eastward toward the
vital Red River delta.
The high command announce
ment did not indicate whether
Wet Mimi ot Geneva Cloim French
Broke Plan to Aid Wounded. Poee Az
the casualties had been turned
over before the heavy air as
sault, centering on a highway
neutralized, since Friday as a
hospital route for the Commu-
nist-led rebel wounded.
Arrive i'm LaOtian Capital.
The high command reported,
however. the 18 had arrived in
Luang Prabang, the royal capi-
tai of Laos. by helicopter from
the Northwest Indo-C China fort
ress which held out Sc days
against the Communists. Only
IL of the 753 reported subject to
evacuation had been brought out
previously. a.,
Twelve of the l8 were listed as
seriously wounded, with the other
six less so.
The command said it could not
say whether their release meant
the Wet Mini had accepted new
French proposals to speed up
the airlift.
New Contact Made.
A three-man French mission
had flown by helicopter to Diem
Bien Phu this morning to press
for rebel acceptance of six.
point French plan to speed
evacuation of the wounded. 1t
was headed by DR.. Pierre Huard.
The French air assault
smashed at Wet Mimi troop and
truck conveys moving along the
70-mile-long highway No. Al
between Dien Bien Phu and Son
La. the main route toward the
delta. Other planes also ham,
mered Wet Mini forces in key
sectors of the delta area.
Fighters firing rockets and
machine guns raked the rebel
columns crowding the highway.
ripping big gaps to slow the
movement of Wet Mimi forces
eastward. The attack was CEN
tered along a stretch between
Tuan Giao, q miles northeast Of
Dien Bien Phu, to Son La, 40
miles to the East.
American supplied B-26 bomb
ers also pounded rebel troops as
saulting the delta defense post
of Tay An, 25 miles southeast
of Hanoi. The attack forced
the Wet Mimi to scatter, putting
at least a temporary end to the
week-long rebel attack on the
post.
Warning Given by French.
The French had warned the
Wet Mimi the air strikes on the
highway would begin unless the
rebels agreed to the French
evacuation plan, which included
a French offer to treat and re-
turn gravely wounded Wet Mini
troops. The deadline for &C
ceptance was midnight last night
and the French high command
said no answer was received.
Son La is 80 miles from the
weSternmost perimeter of the
French delta defenses. These
are expected to be the next tar
get of the four Wet Mini die
visions which crushed the fort
ress of Dien Bien Phu.
The French had stopped bomb
ing this highway last Friday
after the rebels had agreed to
permit evacuation of 753 of the
1900 to 1000 French Union
wounded caught at Dien Bien
Phu when it fell.
Used to More Troops.
Rebel Gen. Vo Nguyen Clap
insisted that the French must
hold their fire on the highway
so his own wounded could be
moved.
The French contended later
Gen. Clap actually was using the
highway to funnel troops and
war material toward the Red
River delta.
When the French found they
could move only II wounded in
two days by helicopter and small
planes. and Gen. Clap refused to
permit repair of the air strip to
let bigger planes land, the high
command said it was no longer
bound to hold of it's air strikes.
1t said that such an airlift
would take at least a month and
by then Gen. Clap could move
out all his men and material.