Customer Reviews

Giap: The Victor in Vietnam

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

 

 

A detailed, balanced and often fascinating account of the life of one of the twentieth century's most successful and lesser known military commanders. It is written by a British Brigadier (that's a one-star general in the US).

What makes this work different is that it doesn't pull punches in terms of 'political correctness'. It might therefore upset the odd Frenchman, the occasional American (or even some Japanese readers). Those that might have pre-conceived or ill-informed notions as to the role of their respective nations in the various wars in Vietnam during Giap's years as a commander.

It should be required reading at Army Staff Colleges, such as Leavenworth (if it isn't already) and France's Ecole Militaire at St.Cyr, where it probably is not, although it seems that there is a french translation.

In all, a thought provoking title, and well worth a read by those interested in the subject from whatever angle.

MacDonald, a Britisher, had easier access to the Vietnamese than an American or French writer would, as the Vietnamese judged he would be less biased in his approach. Their faith was rewarded; in a book which draws much on personal interviews with Vo Nguyen Giap and other veterans of the Vietnamese war, MacDonald has given us a clear, balanced, interesting portrait of one of the major military figures of the 20th Century.

In a career spanning three decades, having only the resources of a small third-world country (though with powerful international friends), Vo Nguyen Giap managed to bring the armies of two major Western powers to their knees. MacDonald tells us the military and some of the political story of this remarkable leader.

What is missing is the personal side. Except for a little information surrounding his first wife's death and his second marriage, the book is silent on Giap's private life. It would be fascinating to know more of this man as a person, but apparently Giap was unwilling to discuss personal matters with MacDonald. Perhaps this is just Vietnamese reticence, but there is no real insight into the man himself.

The political Giap is only a little more fully drawn. The blank spots here are a function of Vietnamese and Communist ways of thinking. Giap was a member of a collective leadership which took the collective part very seriously; no policy or initiative is attributed to an individual, only to the complete Politburo. A few hints of personal positions, a vague suggestion of a possible difference of opinion, and the screen of the collective solid front descends again.

Though primarily a biography of Giap, the book is also a history of the series of armed struggles in Indochina beginning in the late 1930s. The Japanese invasion, the French war (which MacDonald calls the Indochina war), and finally the war with the U. S. are all described tersely but clearly. It is refreshing and revealing to read an account which is designed neither to justify nor excoriate the U. S., but instead is a sober report on the facts.

Especially as the U. S. and Vietnam approach normal relations and as U. S. investment and interest in Vietnam increase, this is a useful and valuable book.

It should be required reading for politicians and military leaders but especially politicians who get all our kids in harms way. Great book on the life of a great General regardless of which side you're on. It isnt politically correct but it does take you inside the mind of the guy behind the victory in Vietnam. As a vet of two tours in Nam with the Marines I found it fascinating to peer inside the strategy and the man. Great read.

Vo Nguyen Giap was once a history school teacher who, without formal military training or education, led Vietnamese armies to victory over France and the United States. The French were so contemptuous of their opponent that they routine referred to him as "General" Giap, with the military title in quotes. With his last name as the title, I anticipated a first-rate biography, and was sadly disappointed. The man remains as enigmatic as ever. General Peter Macdonald is British, and was invited to Hanoi in 1990 to meet Giap. There was the possibility that as a national that did not directly participate in either war, and therefore did not carry any emotional baggage, that an objective account of the man and the war could have been produced. Instead, there is only a poor re-hash of the primary sources on the war, done with a distinctly anti-Vietnamese tone. Roughly half the book covers the French involvement, the other half the American.

In terms of the tone, a few quotes are worthwhile. Referring to the mixed nationality Groupement des Commandos Mixtes Aeroportes, Macdonold says: "They operated deep in the jungle, sometimes with Montagnard tribesmen, sometimes with Vietnamese peasants not yet brain-washed by the proselytizers." All too often, the Vietnamese who fought against the Western powers are considered the "fanatical" enemy (p 161). Not, for example, "dedicated" or "tenacious" or even "courageous. Another quote: "Giap pulled long chains to make his puppets jump far away on the other side of the horizon." Referring to the Vietnamese leadership, such as Le Duc Tho, he says: "Another veteran leader, and another ex-jailbird--for ten years in his case-was Truong Chinh..." As though being jailed by the French colonial authorities was a disgrace.

The tone, and snarky phrases indicate far graver omissions in his account. He emphasizes the "communist" aspect of the West's adversaries, but almost completely omits the nationalistic and anti-colonial aspects. Indeed, there is really no indication why the Vietnamese should be opposed to French rule. He mentions that the Geneva accords, signed in 1954, which called for elections in two years, but there is no comment about President Eisenhower's admission that 80% of the people would have voted for Ho Chi Minh. He calls the South Vietnamese government "legitimate" (p. 181) but certainly glosses over the origins of the leadership, and how they assumed power. At least he does state that they were astoundingly corrupt. And the author speaks of this legitimate government being "subverted" (p 176).

Macdonald's account of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu is a poor synopsis of Bernard Fall's account in Hell In A Very Small Place: The Siege Of Dien Bien Phu Concerning the American involvement, he entitles the chapter "GI Joe's War," a designation for American soldiers last used in World War II, never in Vietnam. I had heard the charge before, also from British military personnel, and, yes, to some degree it is true, I remember the golf course at Phu Cat airbase, but as Macdonald says it: "But a bigger factor in the blunting of their keenness was that all of them (referring to American soldiers)...lived what was known as `American-style,' with everything they needed to achieve that high standard transported to them by sea and air over thousands of miles." For sure, many who were fighting the war actually did not, but it is a flat amazing assumption that the conscripts who largely fought the war would have been more "keen" if they had lived a more Spartan life. Could it not have been, by far, his previous statement that "...they did not have the same edge, partly because many of them were not convinced that they were fighting for their country in the same direct way as their fathers had in previous wars."? No, we were not.

As an "outsider," who had "access," to Giap, as well as interviews with General Marcelle Bigeard, and General Westmoreland, Macdonald had a tremendous opportunity to provide fresh insights. Instead, he didn't even challenge "Westy," during the interview when he provided the hackneyed excuse that "it was all the media's fault," and not the fact that the United States was not fighting for its homeland. It was an opportunity lost. 2-stars.

This book tells it all. Must reading for any one who was in the war and others. Gives you the inside look at the other side and the way they fought and thought.