About this title: In December 1953 French paratroopers, who had been searching for the elusive Vietnamese army, were quickly isolated by them and forced to retreat into their out-gunned and desolate jungle base-a small place called Dien Bien Phu. The Vietnamese besieged the French base for five long and desperate months. Eventually, the demoralized and weakened ...
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Date Published: 2005-12-26
ISBN-13:9780306814433ISBN:0306814439
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Cassell military, London
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780304366927ISBN:0304366927
Description: Good. History-Military and War. In December 1953 French paratroopers, who had been searching for the elusiv e Vietnamese army, were quickly isolated by them and forced to retreat into their out-gunned and desolate jungle base-a small place called Dien Bien P hu. The Vietnamese besieged the French base for five long and desperate mon ths. Eventually, the demoralized and weakened French were utterly depleted and withdrew in defeat. The siege at Dien Bien Phu was a landmark battle of the last ... read more
Edition: NEW ED
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: ORION PUBLISHING CO Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780304366927ISBN:0304366927
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 736 pages. (736 pages) stalingrad in the jungle: the battle that doomed the french empire and led america into vietnam 16 b/w photoillu(s), 22 map(s) edition new ed (Paperback) read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 10/02/2005
ISBN-13:9780304366927ISBN:0304366927
Description: Used-Good. Book in good or better condition. Dispatched same day from warehouse. Please email with any questions for quick response. read more
Edition: First Edition, First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Da Capo Press, New York
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780306813863ISBN:0306813866
Description: Maps and Photographs. Near Fine/Fine in Near Fine jacket. Handsome copy of stated first printing of first edition of this authoritative history of the Dien Bien Phu campaign and the end of the French presence in Vietnam. Bound in original gray hardcover binding with spine lettered in silver. Contents clean and fresh, binding sturdy and tight. Dust jacket has tan-and-gray-and-black background with silhouette photograph of a soldier standing in a landscape; lkettering in black and gray on panels ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Date Published: 2005-12-26
ISBN-13:9780306814433ISBN:0306814439
Description: Very Good. Paperback. Clean book with light bends in spine from reading and may have a bookstore stamp inside the cover. Quick response! read more
Description: Fine in Very Good+ dust jacket; Very minor edge wear on DJ; an attractive copy. 734 pp.; Da Capo Press; 2004; Hard Cover. 0306813866. read more
"I am surprised at how much I "enjoyed" this book which is to say I found it interesting and written in a style and format that made working through it's 650+ pages not difficult (but certainly not easy). It was very long and quite technical and detailed and yet I definitely got to know many of the principal players and got a real sense of the situation. What came across particularly clearly were the horrors of war. I've read a number of books that describe battles and the soldiers and what they endured but for some reason the way it is described in this book had more resonance for me. Apart from the significant events pre-dating the actual battle, the book clearly explains the politics involved which makes the slaughter of so many thousands all the more terrible. But then again, when was the last time that thousands died for a real cause? It is also difficult to believe that after witnessing what happened to the French in Vietnam that the Americans would jump in with such reckless abandon. And history continues to repeat as even today a large military power struggles to defeat a guerrilla force with local support..."
""The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam" by Martin Windrow is destined to be the definite account of this tragic battle. I knew as soon as I saw this title in the bookshop that I had to have it and it was one of the best purchases I have made so far this year! This is an excellent and detailed account of the fighting in the Valley of Dien Bien Phu between the professional French forces, including Legionnaire and elite Parachute Units, and the Vietnamese Bo Doi (Viet Minh) led by General Giap. The author takes the time to explain the military and political settings of the war in Indo China, offers detailed accounts of the opposing forces and commanders and provides a well researched narrative of the events leading up to this battle. The story of the battle itself for Dien Bien Phu is a classic military narrative that really pulls the reader into the story and gives us a rare insight into the hardships of the French soldier and his enemy.
One quote in the book that was used for a chapter heading by Colonel de Castries says a lot about this battle and the terrible fighting involved; "It's a bit like Verdun, but Verdun without the depth of defence, and, above all, without the Sacred Way". This is an excellent account of a shocking battle and I am sure that anyone who enjoys reading or studying military history will find this book an excellent addition to his or her library.
In over 657 pages of text (HB version), along with 22 maps of varying size and detail the author offers the reader a well researched and well presented account of this famous battle. At no time did I find the story boring or bogged down in detail. The narrative is fast paced, exciting and filled with human tragedy and numerous stories of soldier?s courage in the face of horrendous conditions.
In closing this is what Max Hastings had to say about this book: "This is an outstanding work of military history. It tells the story of the ghastly French experience in Indo-China in a way that has never been done before in English. The account of Dien Bien Phu is a masterpiece of meticulous historical narrative.""
"Post colonial lunacy. Windrow expands greatly on Fall's HELL IN A VERY SMALL PLACE. The French partake of La Légion étrangère's practiced art of utter defeat. Hints at what being shelled for weeks on end does to a human being. Impossible to even begin to imagine."
"The first book I've read that focuses completely on the French in Vietnam, The Last Valley did not disappoint me, and was a brilliantly readable work of military history that focused on something I had read bits and snatches about, but not enough to give me the whole picture. Having read a large number of books on the Americans in Vietnam, to read about the French fighting to control their South-Asian colony was fascinating. It was advantageous to me, that the author was British instead of American, which helped show Vietnam from a much more European viewpoint (which complimented the narrative.) Martin Windrow does a excellent job of using a variety of sources to create a narrative that that is easy to follow and remember. The use of eye witness reports, radio communications, official statements, and previous books on the subject are used to explore the failed French policy on Vietnam. The author does a good job at showing that the French general were not necessarily stupid, but instead, unable to effectively (except in a few isolated cases) create a counter-insurgency force to effectively combat the Communist guerrillas. This is the tragic story of how tactically amazing units in Dien Bien Phu that had to go through hell on earth, because, by the later stages of the battle, they could neither retreat or overwhelm the enemy. The Last Valley is the story of 16 and a half battalions that were doomed to death or capture, as a result of failure in policy at Dien Bien Phu. This book does a good job at showing how Dien Bien Phu was not a strategic loss to the French, but was a complete collapse in moral, which in the end, led the French out of Vietnam."
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