A John Tiller's Dien Bien Phu Primer

[StEvremond]

This post is mainly for people playing the great 'John Tiller's Dien Bien Phu' game, and especially those signed up to play in the upcoming Dien Bien Phu tourney. Anyway, here's my take on the Dien Bien Phu books in my collection, in no particular order:

'Hell in a Very Small Place' by Bernard Fall

This is the great original classic on the battle. Bernard Fall's was the de facto standard and must read on the battle for many years. He does a great job describing the battles in the trenches as well as the leaders at every level of command. There are many controversial moments in the book, such as the supposed take over by the 'paratroop mafia', as well as the idea that Viet Minh brainwashing of French and Algerian prisoners contributed to the ugly Algerian War and the abortive French military coup on the Paris government. As Mike Cox (DBP scenario designer) noted, the book is fifty years old and new information sources have since come to light." Still in all, it is a great book no matter how you cut the cards.

'Street Without Joy' by Bernard Fall

Fall covers the entire French-Indochina war here, and this book is still probably one of the few places that DBP gamers are going to find accounts of many of the non-Dien Bien Phu battles found in the game. Especially memorable is his chapter on the destruction of Mobile Group 100. Fall set the standard for modern military journalism, and if anyone knows of another account of the entire war that is as good or better than this one, I'd like to read it.

'The Last Valley' by Martin Windrow

Many readers (me included) think that when this big book was released in 2004, it replaced Bernard Falls 'Hell in a Very Small Place' as the best account of the battle. I like how Windrow starts with the Battle of Na San as sort of a teaser (and parallel) in the first chapter, then spends several hundred pages setting the stage for Dien Bien Phu with a wealth of background information. Many, many, memorable moments in this book, not the least of which being the grim fighting over the Eliane and Huguette entrenchments. His account of what it's like to experience a modern artillery barrage gave me nightmares. Also, his description of the the abominable treatment of French and Colonial POW's by the Viet Minh is most troubling. I like how he summarized 'Operation Vulture' and the proposed use of nukes to save the garrison: "Although this option was seriously considered, it was felt that any use of atomics would not only probably destroy the defenders as well as the attackers, but their use for a second time by the West in Asia would cause dire, indeed catastrophic political consequences that would still have been felt to this day." Anyway, if you only read one book from this list, this one would be it.


'The Battle of Dien Bien Phu' by Jules Roy

This interesting and dark book was written by a French officer who served in Indochina, and Roy often lapses into an almost historical fiction style of narrative. Although not as good as the Windrow and Fall books, it is still an enjoyable and enlightening read. Especially memorable was his account of the deteriorating relationship and eventual hatred between Generals Navarre (Supreme Commander) and Cogny (Tonkin Commander) as the battle went from bad to worse. My only complaint was that Roy tried to be poignant at the end with the account of his trip to Dien Bien Phu after the war ended, and he almost but doesn't quite succeed. Still in all a must-read for the DBP enthusiast, not the least being because it was written by a Frenchman.

'Operation Vulture' by John Prados

Prados' name should be familiar to most long-time military history buffs, and although I recommend this book, I admit it suffers a little from a case of "Where's the beef?" That is, he entices the reader in with hints of detail about the proposed use of nukes by the US to save the French Empire garrison at Dien Bien Phu, but when all is said and done he doesn't have much more to say about this than Fall or Windrow in their books. Indeed, this whole episode is something of a modern-day 'X File' with little available documentation. Having said that, the book is still worthwhile as an excellent study in brinkmanship. I loved how Prados intersperses narratives of the high-level political discussions with the progress of the siege of Dien Bien Phu. There is also a detailed account of the Vulture preliminaries; the deployment of USAF maintenance personnel to French airbases in Vietnam in Early 1954, as well as the feasibility studies by high level US military officials. There are also a number of memorable moments, like how Ike would publicly praise the bravery of the French garrison, but privately castigate them for allowing themselves to get into such a mess in the first place.

'Une Femme a Dien Bien Phu' by Genevieve de Galard and Beatrice Bazil

This book is well-rendered with excellent photos, and as far as I know one of the few first-hand accounts available about the battle. For those of you not familiar with Mademoiselle Galard, she was an air nurse who was trapped in Dien Bien Phu after her C47 medivac 'Dakota' was destroyed on the ground by Viet Minh artillery, and became something of a media darling when journalists started referring to her as the 'Angel of Dien Bien Phu'. The book is aimed at more of a general audience rather than military history buffs, but her accounts of day-to-day life in the nightmare siege still manage to be quite strong at times. I would admonish everyone though that the book is only available in French, and you will probably need at least an intermediate level understanding of the language to attempt reading it.

'Wolves in the City: The Death of French Algeria' by Paul Henissart

I mention this great book because it is something of a sequel to the French-Indochina war and the Siege of Dien Bien Phu. Although the book's focus is mostly on the French, the 'Pied Noire', and the OAS, it is still a great read. It's interesting to note that many French and Algerian comrades at Dien Bien Phu would find themselves on opposite sides in this strange three-sided war, and of course the OAS putsch was one of the most fascinating (if tragic) events in modern French history.

'The Centurions' by Jean Larteguy

This hard to find book is one of the great historical military novels of all time. It starts during the French-Indochina war, then quickly moves to the Algerian war. The main character is a dead ringer for the real-life Colonel Marcel Bigeard; a name that should be very familiar to Dien Bien Phu enthusiasts. I would also add that the book was made into a movie during the 60's called 'Lost Command' staring Anthony Quinn; a good, if not great film.

See everyone in the Huguette trenches for the Dien Bien Phu tournament!

Vive la France!!! :coffee: