The enemy was totally confused. Taking advantage of the favourable opportunity, the 36th Regiment command ordered its soldiers to launch a decisive attack. After only two hours of fighting, our troops took complete control of Huguette 1 and destroyed and captured a legionnaire company.
At 22:00 on April 22, 1954, the 36th Regiment of the 308th Division organised an attack to destroy Huguette 1. Accordingly, the 36th Regiment ordered the use of small teams to capture several blockhouses at one end of the bridge. The howitzer ammunition used to support the unit was the same as previous nights, with 20 shells. But after the 13th shell was launched, an immediate halt was ordered.
Three spearheads of attack simultaneously emerged from the underground, planted explosives and demolished three blockhouses at one end of the bridge. Horrified to see Vietnamese soldiers wearing leaf hats and carrying bayonets appearing in the middle of the garrison, the troops of the enemy’s 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade could not help but surrender.
Not wasting the valuable chance, all three spearheads rushed to attack the command headquarters. Within half an hour, our soldiers took complete control of Huguette 1 and captured 177 legionnaires. The feat laid a firm foundation for our troops for encroach further into Muong Thanh Airfield. The 36th Regiment received a complimentary message from General Vo Nguyen Giap, commander of the campaign.
Aiming to eliminate the enemy’s fighting power, on April 22, 1954, the Campaign Command called on soldiers at Dien Bien Phu to step up the hunt for French troops. General Vo Nguyen Giap launched a hunting drive across the entire battlefield. After the drive was launched, the enemy was thrown into hard times. The injured were not treated in a timely manner, leading to discontent, with some even deserting their ranks.
