The Battle of Dienbienphu (Paperback)

Forty years ago, Frances war with the anticolonial Communist-led Vietminh insurgency climaxed in the bloody battle for the valley of Dienbienphu. The Vietminhs victory put the 17 million people of North Vietnam under Communist rule and would, in two years, induce Americas attempt to save South Vietnamwithout heeding the French armys catastrophic defeat. That defeat, former French soldier Jules Roy explains, occurred not because of a shortage of arms or troops, but more important, less tangible reasons. Hungry for a textbook victory, the French military command occupied the valley in a plan to lure the Vietminh down from the hills to destroy them with supposedly superior artillery. Roy vividly shows how French political infighting in Paris and rivalry in the high command left a few romantic professional officers and soldiers of the French Expeditionary Corps and the Foreign Legion to be surrounded and then overwhelmed by totally dedicated and resourceful enemy forces. Roy also profiles Vietminh soldiers and commanders and how they ended over eighty years of French colonial rule in North Vietnam. 16 pages of black-and-white photographs add to a moving and dramatic (New York Times Book Review) account of the battle that led to Americas involvement the Vietnam War. Roy relates the basic facts perceptively and brilliantly. Americans concerned with Vietnam should read The Battle of Dienbienphu. New York Times Book Review (front page) A searing portrait of Frances failure in Vietnam... Philadelphia Inquirer

General

Imprint:	BasicBooks
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	December 2001
First published:	December 2001
Authors:	Jules Roy
Introduction by:	Ralph Wetterhahn
Dimensions:	214 x 140 x 26mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	368
ISBN-13:	978-0-7867-0958-8
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War Books > Humanities > History > American history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War Books > History > American history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > Vietnam War Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history
LSN:	0-7867-0958-8
Barcode:	9780786709588

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