English

DTIC ADA563052: The French Officers: Craftsmen of the Conquest and Pacification of Tonkin (1871-1897)

From 1871 to 1897, France progressively expanded her colonization over Tonkin, also called Indochine, in the North of Vietnam. Three attempts were necessary to completely gain control of, then pacify, this territory. Navy and Army officers played a crucial role in this expansion by integrating their action into the political agenda. In such a context, they successively challenged the Annamites and Chinese armies, then local piracy and insurgency. Based on their personal experience and culture, they used an empirical approach to adjust western ways of warfare to a very specific operational environment and changing political limitations. During this unique episode, French senior and junior officers continuously upgraded their military forces and tactics to efficiently compete with the various foes they faced. At the end of this period, they had developed a coherent doctrine of pacification mixing politics, economic development, and security with French colonial interests. To a certain extent, the officers were the key enablers between political willingness and application in the field. They were clearly involved in the adaptation of doctrine and in the field, suffering in their flesh

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