On 10 April, the French attempted to retake "Eliane" 1, which had been lost eleven days earlier. The loss posed a significant threat to "Eliane" 4, and the French wanted to eliminate that threat. The dawn attack, which Bigeard devised, began with a short, massive artillery barrage, followed by small unit infiltration attacks, then mopping-up operations. "Eliane" 1 changed hands several times that day, but by the next morning the French had control of the strong point. The Viet Minh attempted to retake it on the evening of 12 April, but were pushed back.