Military Model Scene

Title: Dien Bien Phu 1954
Author: Martin Windrow
Publisher: Osprey
ISBN: 978-1-4728-4400-2

Subtitled 'The Defeat that Lured America into Vietnam' this is number 366 in the Osprey Campaign series. A 96-page softcover book in the usual series style, this tells us the story of the famous battle at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam in 1954, when the French forces and the Vietnamese Peoples Army. Filled with the story of the battle, it moves on from the author's earlier work on the subject back in 2004, but updated thanks to more information that has been released since then by the Vietnamese government.
The book opens with the background to the campaign, and the French involvement in Indo-China and the concept of a prepared battlefield. That is followed by a Chronology of events and then looking at the Opposing Commanders and the Opposing Forces, in excellent detail with their Orders of Battle. An examination of the plans of both sides is next, before getting into the major element of the book, describing the events of the various phases of the battle, which mid-March through to early May. Everything is rounded off with the Aftermath and some notes on the Battlefield Today. As well as all the detail in the text, there are many illustrations throughout the book as we expect with these Osprey titles. They include archive images, some of their first class 3D topographical maps showing the various positions, more 'normal maps' and the excellent artwork that Osprey are so well known for.
Despite air support and even airlifting in a number of M24 Chaffee tanks, in bits, which were then reassembled in situ, the French forces were defeated and it led to France pulling out of Vietnam after 7 years of war in Indo-China. A compact account of the battle, but one I think is a great choice if you want to learn more about this famous battle, one which had a huge impact to the French at home, and in leading on to the story of the later US involvement in their separate Vietnam War. Recommended without any hesitation.
Thanks to Osprey for our review copy.

Robin