Customer Reviews

The French Indochina War 1946-1954 (Men-At-Arms, 322)

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North Americans have a bad habit of forgetting history, and not just their own. Before their was a Vietnam War, the French were fighting it out tooth and nail with the Viet Minh to preserve the next-to-last reminent of their colonial empire. They lost, and the United States leapt in convinced they could do what the French had failed at. This book gives you an excellent persepctive on this forgotten bit of Indochinese history. Although the main thrust is on the uniforms and other militaria, it also gives the reader a "grunt's" view of the war. Some interesting historical tidbits too. Get it and see.

I had been trying to get this book for years and was excited when it was finally in-stock. To my dismay, all the original artwork illustrations were badly reproduced and in a yellowish tinge therefore rendering any references to uniform colors totally pointless. As Osprey Publishing's key attraction is their excellent illustrations, this reprinted edition drops below their usual high QC standards.

However, this book serves as a good overview primer to understanding the French Army's experience in Vietnam.

this war is an example of a kind of war between an invader and the local people, perhaps viet nam, angola and others could have been evoided if the politi|cs in the great nations took in consideration thios pytpe of war
well written, and easy to understand, a great picture of the kind of the xx century "national wars " has developed and ended.
The slogans of this kind of wars , has been repeated in all the others, "nihil novo sub sole"

A short but 1st rate look at how the French tried to maintain their Far East Empire in the face of Local Nationalism. Excellent text and illustrations make this a good buy for the person who wants an insight in this forgotten part of the Viet Nam War.