Dien Bien Phu: The Epic Battle America Forgot (Ausa Book) [Paperback]

Howard R. Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ausa Book | Publication Date: March 1996

Dien Bien Phu is the definitive account of the great, climactic battle in French Indochina that led to the American commitment to Vietnam. Defense analyst Howard R. Simpson was an eyewitness.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The battle of Dien Bien Phu (1953-1954), stresses the author, was one of the modern era's most decisive confrontations. Simpson, who as a U.S. Information Agency correspondent visited the isolated French fortress and knew many of its defenders, relates the story in heroic terms: how General Giap's Viet Minh troops hauled artillery pieces across mountain ranges and through dense jungles to dominating heights overlooking Dien Bien Phu, their shells ultimately forcing the French surrender; the poignant call for volunteers willing to parachute into the besieged fort to reinforce the casualty-depleted garrison and the response by hundreds of men even though Dien Bien Phu was already doomed. The fall of the fort on May 7, 1954, after a 57-day siege was a disaster for France, for it spelled the end of French hegemony in Indochina and opened the way for U.S. involvement in the region. Simpson pointedly reviews the lessons that would be ignored by the Americans in their ensuing war with the NVA/VC: not to underestimate the guerrilla or overestimate U.S. air power, and above all to secure the support of domestic public opinion. Simpson ( Tiger in the Barbed Wire ) has written a military classic based on newly released documents, interviews with survivors, and his own vivid and compassionate recollections. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When Gen. Henri Navarre assumed command in Vietnam in May 1953, French forces in Indochina were on the defensive. Devising a plan, he would lure the enemy into a conventional battle, where French firepower superiority would prevail. History proved otherwise. Though not as well known to some readers, Dien Bien Phu surely ranks alongside the Alamo as a great siege and tribute to human courage. The author (Tiger in the Barbed Wire, Brassey's, 1992) hopes this bloody lesson isn't wasted, observing, "Do not underestimate a guerrilla foe." A captivating work, Simpson's blow-by-blow account also features an incisive political overview that will have Monday-morning military enthusiasts gnashing their teeth over French (and later, American) wrongheadedness. Well worthwhile, this book lacks only the emotional flavor that imbues a superior battle account like Duane Schultz's The Last Battle Station: The Saga of the USS Houston (LJ 2/1/85). Highly recommended for libraries with Vietnam war collections or where there is special interest in military history.
Richard Paul Snyder, Cty. of Los Angeles, P.L., Lakewood
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's Inc (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574880241
• ISBN-13: 978-1574880243
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,148,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dien Bien Phu Through The Eyes Of An American Who was There, September 22, 1999

By 

P. Connors "Colonialpara" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dien Bien Phu: The Epic Battle America Forgot (Ausa Book) (Paperback)

This is the personal memoir of an American diplomat who was posted to French Indo-China before, during and after the catastrophic defeat of the French Expeditionary Corps at Dien Bien Phu. It is not the scholarly review of the daily travails of the battle that can be found in the late Bernard B. Fall's HELL IN A VERY SMALL PLACE, but, it is a valuable addition to the literature of that pivotal battle. Simpson knew all of the key players on the French side. He knew "Bruno" Bigeard, commander of the famous 6eme "Batallion de Parachutistes Coloniaux; the aristocratic cavalry officer de Castries, who commanded the French garrison at DBP. He knew the rest of the "paratroop mafia" including Langlais, Botella, Brechignac and Giraud who eventually took command of the French pockets of resistance and held the Viet Minh at bay for 57 days. Simpson tells of the mistakes that the French made and compares them to some of the later ones made by America in our war there. But, it is also obvious that he was a man of his times and his leanings were toward the French. Simpson admired the elan and bravery of the soldiers of the French Expeditionary Corps. The Frenchmen and Legionnaires who fought a thankless war at the end of the supply line were professionals and he respected them for their dedication and their desire to prevent the Associated States of Indo-China from falling into the Communist orbit. This book is a personal history, filled with personal anecdotes and of course because it is history, we already know the ending. The French lost at Dien Bien Phu and were eventually forced to leave the "crown jewel" of their overseas empire. Eventuallly, the problem would become America's as the decision-making shifted from Paris to Washington. I recommend this book to readers of Fall's fine history of the battle AND to people who haven't read it because they don't want to get into the technical details of the battle. Students of the French conflict in Indo-China should also read this book so that they can fill in any gaps concerning the personalities of the senior French leadership. All in all, this book needs to be in the library of any serious student of the lengthy war that bled the finest of both the French and American armies.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Looking For Your First Book On the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?, July 17, 2006

By 

Steve (Minneapolis, Mn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dien Bien Phu: The Epic Battle America Forgot (History of War) (Paperback)

Why should you buy this book?

After all, there are three (debatably) better books on this pivotal siege/battle, the one written by Jules Roy, the one written by Martin Windrow and the last by Bernard Fall.

What makes Simpson's book good is that it can serve two purposes. One, the reader can gain a fast understanding of the siege/battle without going into sometimes tedious detail. And two, this book serves as a great jumping-off point for those who want to learn more about this great siege/battle. That is why I read his book. I found it to be a real page-turner.

My only complaint about Simpson's book is the lack of maps. The only two maps were of French Indo-China in 1954 and of the French positions in and around Dien Bien Phu. Readers would have been better served with slightly more elaborate maps, perhaps ones that showed the various sub-forts (ex: Eliane 4)within the various strongpoints. Maps that also showed the attack routes used by the Vietminh would have been a plus as well.

All in all, this is a good book with only one error that I could spot. In the chapter "Living With Death", Simpson makes mention of the battle of Camerone in 1863, a battle in which the French Foreign Legion's reputation was born.

Simpson states that "...the five surviving Legionnaires died fighting, skewered by Mexican bayonets..." In fact, three Legionnaires survived the battle, spared by the awe-struck Mexicans who marvelled that such men could fight as furiously as the Legionnaires did.

If you're looking for a good initial book to read about Dien Bien Phu, I definitely recommend it.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, with lots of little nuggets., August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dien Bien Phu: The Epic Battle America Forgot (Ausa Book) (Paperback)

Simpson's profile of the legendary "Para" Bigeard is welcome, as their are not too many of this Homeric figure. I'd have given it a five star, but Fall's "Hell In A Very Small Place" and Jules Roy's "Siege of DIen Bien Phu" were more griping and comprehensive (Simpson had flown out of DBP by the the time of the siege.)