Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, Cold War

Battle of Route Coloniale 4

Battle of Route Coloniale 4 was a battle fought in 1950 at Đông Khê, in what is now Vietnam. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Đông Khê. It was part of First Indochina War, which ran from 1946 to 1954. The recorded result: Việt Minh victory. Recorded strength: 6,000 regulars; 2,000 regulars against 30,000 regulars.

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Fought1950
WhereĐông Khê, Vietnam22.421N, 106.446E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeViệt Minh victory
BelligerentsFrench Union; France; French Indochina; State of VietnamagainstNorth Vietnam; Việt 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, 195419461954Battle of Route Coloniale 4, 1950
23 placed engagements of First Indochina War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1950 (year precision)
to 1950
PlaceĐông Khê, Vietnam
22.421N, 106.446E
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength6,000 regulars; 2,000 regulars30,000 regulars
Casualties and losses4,800 killed and missing; unknownWestern estimated: 9,000 casualties; Việt Minh’s report: 1,000 killed and 1,550 wounded
Commanders
  • Marcel Carpentier
Battle of Route Coloniale 4Battle of Route Coloniale 4Battle of Bang BoBattle of Phu Tong HoaOperation LéaBattle of Nui BopLạng Sơn CampaignBattle of Bang BoOperation LéaBattle of Nui BopLạng Sơn CampaignThái NguyênViệt TrìBắc GiangHa GiangYên BáiCao Bằng100 km22.421N, 106.446E
Placed at Đông Khê; the exact site is not recorded. 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 1950

Battle of Route Coloniale 4 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 Q2748355, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Route Coloniale 4, revision 1371209382, read 2026-11-14, 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.