During this time, the anti-aircraft artillery force of the 351st Division and the air defence machine gun units of infantry divisions created a net of fire controlling Muong Thanh Airfield and the Dien Bien Phu airspace within an altitude of 3 kilometres. Therefore, the enemy’s aircraft had to drop parachutes from above 3 kilometres, resulting in one third of those parachutes falling into our battle positions.
Resupply was so difficult that Cogny had to send a telegraph to Navarre to report that the result of parachute drops to reinforce Dien Bien Phu on the 28th and 29th was zero, with only Isabelle having received 22 tonnes.
According to de Castries’ telegram to Cogny prior to the launch of our third assault, he requested an urgent resupply as the Dien Bien Phu garrison had only 275 155mm bullets, 14,000 105mm bullets and 5,000 120mm bullets left.
On the same day, our main divisions prepared for the third assault. The enemy attempted to carry out an escape plan (Operation Condor) but failed.
On other battlefields, on April 28, 1954, our troops broke into Nam Dinh Town and completely destroyed a battalion of collaborator troops, capturing 20 police and 505 collaborator troops.
The next morning, our troops launched an attack to block the enemy’s reinforcements, killing 100 enemy troops and capturing 517 guns of various kinds, 105 boxes of ammunition, destroying 5 tanks, 21 vehicles, one aircraft, and 21 cannons and machine guns.
