BATTLE OF DIEN BIEN PHU
After the devastation of WWII and the occupation of France by Nazi Germany, the post-war French government looked to regain at least some of its prestige. One way was to reassert control of its colonial empire, which stretched across the globe but had become largely destabilised in the aftermath of the conflict.
Inevitably, the colonial initiative would require the deployment of French armed forces, and the colony of Indochina in Southeast Asia soon emerged as a hot spot. Early confidence gave way to frustration and disaster. Eventually, the French dream of resurgent preeminence in Indochina was shattered at Dien Bien Phu, a valley in the northeast, where the European army surrendered after a two-month siege masterfully conducted by communist Viet Minh forces.
FREE FROM FRANCE
Amid the August Revolution of 1945, Ho Chi Minh, a young communist revolutionary and leader of the Viet Minh, a coalition intent on establishing an independent nation, announced independence from France and the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Inspired by their charismatic leader and their fusion of communist and nationalist fervour, the Viet Minh launched a guerrilla war against the French.
Utilising hit-and-run tactics, keeping the French off-balance and refusing to commit substantial forces to a decisive battle, the guerrillas managed to stymie the efforts of a succession of French field commanders to end the insurgency
