Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Léa

Operation Léa was a campaign fought in 1947 in what is now Vietnam. It was part of First Indochina War, which ran from 1946 to 1954. The recorded result: French operational failure. Recorded strength: 15,000 against 20,000.

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Fought1947
WhereVietnam22.133N, 105.833E
OutcomeFrench operational failure
BelligerentsFrench UnionagainstViệt Minh
Part ofFirst Indochina War1946 to 1954

Where it sits in First Indochina War

Battle of Hanoi, 1946Operation Papillon, 1947Operation Léa, 1947Battle of Phu Tong Hoa, 1948Battle of Cao Bang, 1949Battle of Dong Khe, 1950Battle of Route Coloniale 4, 1950Battle of Vinh Yen, 1951Battle of the Day River, 1951Battle of Nghia Lo, 1951Battle of Hoa Binh, 1951Battle of Nghĩa Lộ, 1952Operation Lorraine, 1952Battle of Na San, 1952Operation Hirondelle, 1953Operation Adolphe, 1953Battle of Muong Khoua, 1953Operation Camargue, 1953Operation Mouette, 1953Operation Castor, 1953Battle of Mang Yang Pass, 1954Operation Atlante, 1954Battle of Dien Bien Phu, 195419461954Operation Léa, 1947
23 placed engagements of First Indochina War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1947 (year precision)
to 1947
PlaceVietnam
22.133N, 105.833E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Strength15,00020,000
Casualties and losses242 killed; 586 wounded; 43 missing or drowned; Vietnamese claims: 3,300 killed; 3,900 wounded; 270 surrendered; 18 aircraft destroyed; 54 riverine crafts destroyed; 255 tanks/APCs destroyed; 25 artillery pieces captured260 killed; 168 wounded; Western estimate: 7,200 killed; 1,000 captured
Commanders
  • Jean Étienne Valluy
Operation LéaOperation LéaBattle of Phu Tong HoaBattle of Hòa MộcSiege of Tuyên QuangBattle of Yu OcBattle of Bình Lệ NguyênBattle of Phu Tong HoaBattle of Hòa MộcSiege of Tuyên QuangBattle of Yu OcBattle of Bình Lệ NguyênHanoiViệt TrìSơn TâyHong GaiBắc GiangHa GiangLạng SơnCao Bằng100 km22.133N, 105.833E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1947

Operation Léa is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 269 in present-day Vietnam.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3354762, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Léa, revision 1382318966, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.