Ambushes
On June 24, 1954, G.M. 100 received orders to abandon its defensive positions at An Khe and fall back to Pleiku, some 80 kilometers away over Route Coloniale 19. At the road marker 'Kilometer 15' the column was ambushed by Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment and suffered heavy losses. The remains of G.M. 100 managed to break through the ambush. The remnants of G.M. 100, now with G.M. 42 and the 1st Airborne Group had to brave 55 kilometers more of enemy road and was ambushed on June 28 and 29 at Dak Ya-Ayun by the Viet Minh 108th Regiment. The survivors finally reached Pleiku the following day.
In five days of fighting, G.M. 100 lost 85 percent of vehicles, 100 percent of artillery, 68 percent of signal equipment and 50 percent of weapons. The Headquarters Company had only 84 men left out of an original 222. The 43rd Colonial, the 1st and the 2nd Korea Battalion which numbered about 834 men each, was now mustered at roll call with 452, 497, and 345 men respectively. The 2nd Group of the 10th Colonial Artillery, reduced to fighting as infantry after the loss of all of their guns, had shrunk from 475 men to 215 men during the fighting. Colonel Barrou and several men were taken as prisoners of war. The Viet Minh 96th Regiment suffered more than 100 KIAs in comparison.
On June 29, the remains of 1st Korean Battalion was ordered to take part in Operation Forget-Me-Not to open Route Coloniale 14 between Pleiku and Ban Me Thuot which was over 96 kilometers away. On July 17, the column was ambushed at Chu Dreh Pass by local units of the Viet Minh 96th Regiment. When the survivors finally arrived at Ban Me Thuot the following day, there were only 107 men remaining out of 452, of those 53 were wounded, in addition a further 47 vehicles were lost.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Mang Yang Pass