Vietnamese Stalingrad: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Little-known Pages of the War in Indochina. 1953-1954

The book by candidate of historical sciences V.V. Ivanov is dedicated to the analysis of the main stages and results of one of the largest battles of the colonial war of France in Indochina from 1946 to 1954 - the battle for Dien Bien Phu, the 70th anniversary of which has passed. The author examined the process of preparing the French expeditionary corps and the Vietnamese People's Army for the battle for control over Northwestern Vietnam and Upper Laos. The main content of the work is dedicated to the characteristics of the course of confrontation with colonial troops during the winter of 1953/54, the stages of the battle for Dien Bien Phu (March-May 1954), and its results. The author paid attention to the analysis of various aspects of staffing, combat and political training of the personnel, and logistical support of the Vietnamese People's Army. In addition, the book presents a comprehensive analysis of several aspects of the participation of French Foreign Legion formations in the battle for Dien Bien Phu. Special attention is paid by the author to international issues of the period under consideration. This primarily relates to the policies of the USA and Great Britain in Vietnam in the early 1950s, the cooperation between the DRV and the PRC, as well as the impact of the battle for Dien Bien Phu on the process of ending the colonial war in Indochina.