Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook244 pages2 hours
Dien Bien Phu
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
When the world held its breath …
It is 25 years since the end of the Cold War, now a generation old. It began over 75 years ago, in 1944—long before the last shots of the Second World War had echoed across the wastelands of Eastern Europe—with the brutal Greek Civil War. The battle lines are no longer drawn, but they linger on, unwittingly or not, in conflict zones such as Iraq, Somalia and Ukraine. In an era of mass-produced AK-47s and ICBMs, one such flashpoint was French Indochina …
At the end of the Second World War France sought to reassert its military prestige, but instead suffered humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu in French colonial Indochina. The First Indochina war became a textbook example of how not to conduct counterinsurgency warfare against nationalist guerrillas. Anthony Tucker-Jones guides the reader through this decisive conflict with a concise text and contemporary photographs, providing critical insight into the conduct of the war by both sides and its wider ramifications.
The Viet Minh, after resisting the Japanese in Indochina, sought independence for Vietnam from France. The French, with limited military resources, moved swiftly to reassert control in 1945, sparking a decade-long conflict. French defense of Hanoi rested on holding the Red River Delta, making it a key battleground. When the Viet Minh invaded neighboring Laos the French deployed to fight a set-piece battle at Dien Bien Phu, in 1954, but instead were trapped. All relief attempts failed and French defenses were slowly overwhelmed. America considered coming to the garrison’s rescue using nuclear weapons, but instead left it to its fate, which set the scene for the Algerian and the Vietnam conflicts.
It is 25 years since the end of the Cold War, now a generation old. It began over 75 years ago, in 1944—long before the last shots of the Second World War had echoed across the wastelands of Eastern Europe—with the brutal Greek Civil War. The battle lines are no longer drawn, but they linger on, unwittingly or not, in conflict zones such as Iraq, Somalia and Ukraine. In an era of mass-produced AK-47s and ICBMs, one such flashpoint was French Indochina …
At the end of the Second World War France sought to reassert its military prestige, but instead suffered humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu in French colonial Indochina. The First Indochina war became a textbook example of how not to conduct counterinsurgency warfare against nationalist guerrillas. Anthony Tucker-Jones guides the reader through this decisive conflict with a concise text and contemporary photographs, providing critical insight into the conduct of the war by both sides and its wider ramifications.
The Viet Minh, after resisting the Japanese in Indochina, sought independence for Vietnam from France. The French, with limited military resources, moved swiftly to reassert control in 1945, sparking a decade-long conflict. French defense of Hanoi rested on holding the Red River Delta, making it a key battleground. When the Viet Minh invaded neighboring Laos the French deployed to fight a set-piece battle at Dien Bien Phu, in 1954, but instead were trapped. All relief attempts failed and French defenses were slowly overwhelmed. America considered coming to the garrison’s rescue using nuclear weapons, but instead left it to its fate, which set the scene for the Algerian and the Vietnam conflicts.
Unavailable
Author
Anthony Tucker-Jones
Anthony Tucker-Jones, a former intelligence officer, is a highly prolific writer and military historian with well over 50 books to his name. His work has also been published in an array of magazines and online. He regularly appears on television and radio commenting on current and historical military matters.
Read more from Anthony Tucker Jones
Radio Operator on the Eastern Front: An Illustrated Memoir, 1940–1949 The Art of War: Illustrated Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDien Bien Phu: The First Indo-China War, 1946–1954 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm 1990–1991 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Falaise: The Flawed Victory–The Destruction of Panzergruppe West, August 1944 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle for Budapest 1944 - 1945 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Panther Tank: Hitlers T-34 Killer Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tiger I & Tiger II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Panzer IV: Hitler's Rock Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Iran–Iraq War: The Lion of Babylon, 1980–1988 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rommel's Afrika Korps in Colour: Rare German Photographs from the Second World War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStalin's Revenge: Operation Bagration & the Annihilation of Army Group Centre Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Iraq War: Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003–2011 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Operation Dragoon: The Liberation of Southern France, 1944 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive, 1968 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoviet Cold War Weaponry: Aircraft, Warships, Missiles and Artillery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife and Death on the Eastern Front: Rare Colour Photographs From World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAllied Armour, 1939–1945: British and American Tanks at War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStalin's Armour, 1941–1945: Soviet Tanks at War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Afghan War: Operation Enduring Freedom 1001–2014 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Battle For Warsaw, 1939–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoviet Cold War Weaponry: Tanks and Armoured Vehicles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlaughter on the Eastern Front: Hitler and Stalin’s War 1941-1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rise of Militant Islam: An Insider's View of the Failure to Curb Global Jihad Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle for the Mediterranean: Allied and Axis Campaigns from North Africa to the Italian Peninsula, 1940-45 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHitler’s Winter: The German Battle of the Bulge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaesh: Islamic State's Holy War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Dien Bien Phu
Related ebooks
The Vietnam War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrue Stories of World War I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThere Was a Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYears of Plenty, Years of Want: France and the Legacy of the Great War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle for the Mediterranean: Allied and Axis Campaigns from North Africa to the Italian Peninsula, 1940-45 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThey Were There in 1914: Memories of the Great War 1914–1918 by Those Who Experienced It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland’s Forces in World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death In a Lonely Place Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlaves to the Generals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Second World War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vietnam War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTurning the Tide: Decisive Battles of the Second World War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spectre of War: International Communism and the Origins of World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yanks: The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Paris Peace Conference 1919: A student's guide to the Treaty of Versailles. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Battles of World War II: How the Allies Defeated the Axis Powers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorld War 2 In Review: A Primer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWounded Lion: The Pride of Lions, #5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoint of the Spear Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Trench: Life and Death on the Western Front 1914-1918 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944–45 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Brief History of the U.S. Army in World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAutopsy of an Unwinnable War: Vietnam Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Napoleonic Wars (1): The rise of the Emperor 1805–1807 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSedan 1870: The Eclipse of France Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blitzkrieg in the West: Then and Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Battle for Laos: Vietnam's Proxy War, 1955–1975 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTriumphant Fox: Erwin Rommel and the Rise of the Afrika Korps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Battle of Verdun: A Brief Overview from Beginning to the End Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Political Ideologies For You
A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The January 6th Report Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Capitalism and Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The U.S. Constitution with The Declaration of Independence and The Articles of Confederation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quest for Cosmic Justice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Communist Manifesto: Original Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mein Kampf: English Translation of Mein Kamphf - Mein Kampt - Mein Kamphf Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Call Them by Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Awakening: Defeating the Globalists and Launching the Next Great Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While Time Remains: A North Korean Defector's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933–45 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why We're Polarized Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
40. France's Darkest Hour, with Michael S. Neiberg & Julian Jackson 0% found this document usefulThe Road to Vietnam with Dr Pablo de Orellana: Why did the United States become involved in Viet… 0% found this document usefulThe Tet Offensive: Turning Point of the Vietnam War? 0% found this document usefulKorean War #28: London Stalling: London Stalling 0% found this document useful22 - 1941: Fighting the Shadow War: America's Entry into WWII 0% found this document usefulKorean War #20: Korean Background Part 3: Korean Background Part 3 0% found this document useful71.2 Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 0% found this document useful15 - The British Resistance: Auxiliary Units 0% found this document usefulKorean War #29: With Allies Like These: With Allies Like These 0% found this document useful86 Remembering the Dead, The Cenotaph: Neil Oliver's Love Letter to the British Isles 0% found this document usefulOrigins of WW1: Beyond the Archduke 0% found this document usefulPeter Harmsen, "Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze" (Casemate, 2015): An interview with Peter Harmsen 0% found this document useful
Related articles
FRENCH STRATEGY IN 1940s SETS COURSE FOR THE U.S. LATER VietnamArticle
FRENCH STRATEGY IN 1940s SETS COURSE FOR THE U.S. LATER
Jul 30, 2019
2 min readVerdun Hero Or Vichy Traitor? History of WarArticle
Verdun Hero Or Vichy Traitor?
Mar 17, 2022
9 min readShadows Of Indochina Military HistoryArticle
Shadows Of Indochina
Oct 29, 2019
11 min readHERO & TRAITOR MARSHAL HENRI PHILIPPE PÉTAIN History of WarArticle
HERO & TRAITOR MARSHAL HENRI PHILIPPE PÉTAIN
Aug 5, 2021
3 min readFrance In The Dock BBC History MagazineArticle
France In The Dock
Aug 3, 2023
4 min readDien Bien Phu History of WarArticle
Dien Bien Phu
Jun 10, 2021
12 min readDavid Olusoga: ‘Black Soldiers Were Expendable – Then Forgettable’ The GuardianArticle
David Olusoga: ‘Black Soldiers Were Expendable – Then Forgettable’
Nov 11, 2018
7 min readPATTON “OLD BLOOD & GUTS” History of WarArticle
PATTON “OLD BLOOD & GUTS”
Jan 20, 2022
11 min readA New History of World War II The AtlanticArticle
A New History of World War II
Apr 4, 2022
10 min readThe War That Plunged Europe Into A Nightmare BBC History MagazineArticle
The War That Plunged Europe Into A Nightmare
Oct 1, 2020
8 min readBlack Jack’s Men Military HistoryArticle
Black Jack’s Men
Dec 22, 2020
5 min readEastern Enmities BBC World Histories MagazineArticle
Eastern Enmities
Feb 27, 2020
5 min readThe Lesson of the Great War The AtlanticArticle
The Lesson of the Great War
Jul 9, 2018
5 min readFranco Had Joined The Axis? History of WarArticle
Franco Had Joined The Axis?
Apr 11, 2024
6 min readOn the British Brothers Who Infiltrated Nazi-Occupied France Literary HubArticle
On the British Brothers Who Infiltrated Nazi-Occupied France
Sep 28, 2018
5 min readForgotten Fronts Of World War I All About HistoryArticle
Forgotten Fronts Of World War I
Nov 5, 2020
6 min readBattle Of Dien Bien Phu All About HistoryArticle
Battle Of Dien Bien Phu
Nov 4, 2021
8 min readAustralia’s War With France TracesArticle
Australia’s War With France
Nov 30, 2018
It was the era of ‘Vichy France’, a murky and mostly forgotten period following the French surrender. When the Germans occupied Paris, a conservative – borderline fascist – French puppet government sympathetic to the Nazis was installed at the spa to
4 min readHighways To Nowhere America’s Longest Wars History of WarArticle
Highways To Nowhere America’s Longest Wars
Jun 10, 2021
4 min readReviews Military HistoryArticle
Reviews
Jan 24, 2023
8 min readCONFLICTS, ASSASSINATIONS & REVOLUTIONS All About HistoryArticle
CONFLICTS, ASSASSINATIONS & REVOLUTIONS
Jan 28, 2021
7 min readWhat If… napoleon Had Won The Battle Of Waterloo? History of WarArticle
What If… napoleon Had Won The Battle Of Waterloo?
Oct 5, 2023
5 min readEverything You Wanted To Know About The Napoleonic Wars History RevealedArticle
Everything You Wanted To Know About The Napoleonic Wars
May 11, 2023
6 min readThe World At War History of WarArticle
The World At War
Nov 1, 2018
1 min readThe Glory And Stupidity Of War MoneyWeekArticle
The Glory And Stupidity Of War
Mar 4, 2022
Ukraine has drawn more global interest in the last month than it has in the last 2,000 years. Every major headline implores us to pay attention. Here on the back page, we have no opinion about foreign policy... except that we are against it. We don’t
2 min readHow We Forgot The Korean War BBC History MagazineArticle
How We Forgot The Korean War
Jun 11, 2020
9 min readBlack Tigers VietnamArticle
Black Tigers
May 23, 2023
11 min readVietnamese Peasants Took on Elite French Force VietnamArticle
Vietnamese Peasants Took on Elite French Force
Oct 1, 2019
1 min readResisting Nazism Military HistoryArticle
Resisting Nazism
Dec 24, 2019
8 min readFamous Battle Magenta 1859 History of WarArticle
Famous Battle Magenta 1859
Dec 27, 2018
3 min read
Reviews for Dien Bien Phu
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews