TheChinesecommunistsplayedavitalpartintheBattleofDienBienPhu,1954,whichmarkedtheendofFrenchpowerinIndochina.
FrenchestimateswerethattheVietMinhhadminimalartillerysupport,andFrancewasboundtowin.TheFrenchartillerycommander,ColonelPiroth,wassoconfidentthatherejectedtheofferofadditionalartillery,andpromisedhecoulddefendDienBienPhuwithartilleryalone,totallyunawareoftheVietMinh'spossessionofheavyartillery,capturedbytheChinesecommunistsfromtheUSinKorea.Consequently,theFrenchweresurroundedbyplentyofhiddenartilleryunitsonthemountaincrestsoverlookingthem,whoproceededtoriptheFrenchtopieces.Piroth'sartillerywererenderedpowerless.
Havingcircledthecamptoapologisetovariousfellowofficers,Pirothcommittedsuicidebypullingthesafetypinoutofagrenade.
一九五四年奠邊府之役，結束了中南半島的法國勢力。中共在戰役中舉足輕重。
據法國估計，越盟幾乎沒有大砲助陣，法軍勝券在握。法軍砲兵指揮官皮羅上校滿懷信心，拒絕當局多運來大砲，還許諾單憑他的砲兵，就可保衞奠邊府，完全不知道越盟擁有中共在朝鮮奪得的美軍重砲。結果法軍被大量隱蔽的越盟砲兵包圍。那些砲兵在四周山頂上，居高臨下，把法軍殺得落花流水。皮羅的砲兵無能為力。
皮羅繞軍營走了一周，向其他一些軍官道歉，然後拔去手榴彈安全別針，自殺死了。