Revisiting the bunker where General De Castries was captured 70 years ago
Việt Nam•04/05/2024
General De Castries' command bunker, also known as the Northwest Combat Corps Command Headquarters, is located in Thanh Truong Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province. 70 years have passed, but the vestiges of the French army and General De Castries are still intact in the base that the French considered an impregnable fortress in Indochina.
During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, De Castries bunker was the headquarters of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group. The De Castries Tunnel is one of the country's 23 special historical monuments. The bunker was built with sturdy materials, capable of withstanding the most modern firepower at that time. The structure and layout remain intact. The tunnel is 2 m deep, 8 m wide and 20 m long, has 4 compartments, and around the tunnel and the partitions are rows of barrels filled with sand. The roof of the tunnel is covered with arched steel plates, on top of which are stacked many layers of sandbags and large logs. The tunnel has two doors leading to neighboring tunnels. The bunker was the workplace and resting place of General De Castries and the Command of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group.
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