DIEN BIEN PHU 1954

◗ Martin Windrow ◗ Osprey (2021) ◗ £15.99 ◗ 96 pages (softback) ◗ ISBN:9781472844002 ◗ ospreypublishing.com There is something immeasurably sad about a siege where the defender is doomed almost from the start: the second half of Stalingrad, and Dien Bien Phu, spring to mind.

The author combines an excellent writing style with considerable knowledge of this period, including previous titles on the siege and on the French Foreign Legion.You get a focused analysis of orders of battle, tactics, commanders and plans, plus an expert commentary on the siege with its mixture of almost 18th Century assaults and siege techniques.

From experience, I can say that this makes an unusual and interesting wargame – I used Pendraken’s delightful 10mm range. TheVietminh had the benefit of numbers (you can‘recycle’figures for subsequent assaults) and operational initiative; the French had reasonable troop numbers and equipment, but underestimated enemy numbers and logistics and so had too extended a perimeter, exacerbated by strong Vietminh AA fire that crippled effective air support. The impending monsoon, and the Geneva peace talks, gave added impetus to get a result. This is a fine analysis, and a tribute to immense bravery on both sides.