| Operation Brochet | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the First Indochina War | |||||||
 Location of the Red River Delta | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
 Viet Minh | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~9,000 - 15,300 | ~10,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 96 casualties[1] | 10 dead[1] | ||||||
Operation Brochet took place during the French Indochina War, between August and October, 1953. A combined arms operation, Brochet involved 18 battalions of the French Expeditionary and Vietnamese National Armies fighting against the 42nd and 50th Viet Minh Regiments,[2] fighting in the southern reaches of the Red River Delta near Tonkin in North Vietnam.[3] The 1st and 2nd Parachute Battalions of the French Foreign Legion (BEP),[1][3] and the 1st and 3rd Colonial Parachute Battalions (BPC) took part,[4] as did forces of the Vietnamese National Army.[2] Their objective was to sweep the Delta and remove Viet Minh influence.[2]
Brochet enjoyed only limited success.[3] By October 11, 1 BEP had lost 96 men against only 10 confirmed Viet Minh war dead,[1] and despite French efforts between 5,000 and 7,000 of the Delta villages remained under Viet Minh control.[2]