Christian Marie Ferdinand de la Croix de Castries (11 August 1902-29 July 1991) was the French commander at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ in 1954. Despite being overrun by Việt Minh forces on 7 May 1954, de Castries was promoted to brigadier general near the end of the battle. The French loss at Dien Bien Phu effectively ended the First Indochina War (1946-1954) and the French colonial empire in Southeast Asia. He was held prisoner for four months while an armistice agreement was reached in Geneva.
