[VIETNAM WAR] &
MINISTERE DE LA DEFENSE NATIONALE.
Chien-Thuat va Phu'o'ng Phat Tac-Chien Viet-Minh.
AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE REPORT ON FRENCH TACTICS IN VIETNAM
Marked “Diffusion Restreinte” and stamped “10 Avr 1953.” By 1953, the French presence in Vietnam was under some distress. In the previous two years, French casualties had reached 90,000, they withdrew from Hoa Binh and Operation Lorraine had been cancelled.
The opening section is largely theoretical and discusses tactics as well the organisation of Viet-Minh troops. The second section is grouped under motivational headings - “Agir vide”, “Agir par surprise”, “Agir par ruse”. Indicative of France’s increasingly precarious position, the third looks at the purposes and uses of Viet-Minh tactics. There is a final section on combat in the villages of north Vietnam and then five annexes which are all drawn from documented incidents.
The election of Dwight Eisenhower would see a substantial increase in US aid to the French.
Very rare: not on OCLC. There is a similarly titled work held at the US Army War College which only has 65pp.
