Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.)

This an excellent telling of the story of Dien Bien Phu by one who was there during the siege. By one who lived through the initial three hours continuous artillery bombardment when Gen Giap demonstrated how he intended to smother the positions with fire. There are so many lessons to be learned from this book about simple things like the preparation of adequate parapets and overhead protection which will actually protect a defending unit to some extent. Setting up on the floor of the valley with the high ground controlled by the Viet Minh jn every direction. Promising Gen Dechaux that the airfield and landing craft would be protected when in fact it could never be. Assuming no oppositional cannon fire or anti-aircraft fire because the Viet-Minh were just gangs of farmers. Assuming that the Viet Minh had no major artillery to begin with but if they did, they would be destroyed by Col Piroth's counter-battery fire. Assuming that tubes would be set up on the reverse slope and fired in a high arc down onto DBP when in fact the Viet Minh dug their tubes in on the forward slopes and fired directly on their assigned targets. Anyone would tell you this is absolutely devastating. Simpson gives an excellent account of what it is like to be on the receiving end of this. It cannot be imagined. The sound and the fury of one incoming explosion is enough but try to imagine experiencing two or three hundred in a three hour period followed by a mass assault when the artillery is lifted or shifted. This is an excellent read and very realistic. It is a keeper. Do not miss it.

There are a few personel books written on the Battle of Dien Bien Phu...most were written with in a few years by the officers and men who were there and all of them in there own way are great.

Mr. Simpson book is written from several directions. First as an American who was there and forged friendships with many of the men and officers who were there. Second as reporter who desired to get the fact know matter what the cost was. And third he became a civil servant who severed the US Govt. And last I believe he feel in love with the people and the land...

Added it to your collect!!

A readable account of Dien Bien Phu, of interest primarily to the general reader; military history fans will probably find it too skimpy on issues of strategy and tactics, as well as on other matters (for instance, the author makes no effort to reconcile the widely divergent accounts of the performance of non-European troops; or, there is no serious assessment of de Castries as commander -- not only the murky business of his 'withdrawal', but also the unquestioned assumption that he was unsuited due to his training as a cavalry officer).

The book provides almost no general background; the reader who is not familiar with the history of French Indochina may find this a major problem. If that is not an issue, then the wealth of personal details Simpson provides will make it an easy and interesting read.

This is probabaly the best book you can find of the battle of Dien Bien Phu if you want to have a complete picture of that important struggle of 1953-54, without spending many days studying the massive and more authoritative volumes of Fall and Windrow. The author has personal knowledge of the Indochina and knew most of the protagonists by first hand. He also had the chance to interview General Giap in 1991 and also to study the archives of the French Army and the French Foreign Legion. The story flows like a novel, the details are excellent and not at all boring and the suspence excellent although you know the end. The only drawback is the absence of detailed maps with olny two of them to show the whole of Indochina in 1954 and the French strongpoints in the Dien Bien Phu valley. The author has included instead some nice b/w photos which are very useful fot younger readers to catch the spirit of the era.

Well written depiction of one hell of a battle. Hats off to the brave French warriors who risked it all.