In response on 16 October the French command dropped the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion (6 BPC), commanded by Major Marcel Bigeard into Tu Le, midway between Gia Hoi and Nghĩa Lộ to cover the retreat of French forces to the west bank of the Black River.
On October 16th, in response to a situation, the French command deployed the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion (6 BPC), led by Major Marcel Bigeard, to Tu Le, situated between Gia Hoi and Nghĩa Lộ, to support the withdrawal of French troops to the west bank of the Black River.