Valley of the Shadow: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu

Struggling to reassert control over their Indochinese colonies after World War II, the French established a huge air-land base in the valley of Dien Bien Phu. But when the opposing Vietnamese People's Army (VPA) began massing its forces against the base in late 1953, French commanders seized the opportunity to draw their elusive enemy into a decisive set-piece battle.



Defending a series of fortified positions which were reliant upon a single airstrip-and later, risky and inaccurate airdrops-...