The First Indochina War

George C. Herring, emeritus professor of history at the University of Kentucky, lectures on "The First Indochina War, 1946-1954," as part of the W&L Alumni College titled "Vietnam: A Retrospective."

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Education

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• The First Indochina War
• W&L

[Sodnal]

@oneinteligentmuslim You're an idiot.

[ARKALER]

In his autobiography, Colin Powell said something to the effect: "I can't help but think that if President Johnson had spent a quiet weekend at Camp David reading Bernard Fall's 'Street without Joy' or 'Hell in a very small place', they would have returned to the White House on Monday and tried to figure out a way out of the mess that was Vietnam."

Kennedy HAD read the 'Guns of August' just before the Cuban Missile Crisis. I think maybe it saved the world.

Can't get lucky twice in a row......

[sass225]

@sass225 and will hold due to artillery and air support). After two bloody days for the Viet Minh, Giap gave up, and (unfortunately) the idea of massive fighting camp to engage and defeat the enemy was born in the French High Command strategy. The French in 54 fully expected a reapeat of the hedghog defense and to inflict massive casulties on the viet minh but at the cost of public opinion not many french captured ever saw france agian

[sass225]

In November 1952, General Salan decide to create a huge fighting camp in the Na San valley south of the Black river to block the two main invasion routes to the T'ai highlands. This camp will be manned by 12 French battalions, with an air strip and artillery. From the 2nd to the 4th of December, general Giap will through human waves after waves at the camp, (for example the PA 21 and PA 26 (point d'appuis) held by 707 Legionnaire will be assaulted by the TD 209 (3000 Bo Dois)

[sass225]

@sheltercrow There was little american concern because as far as the american public knew there were no americans being killed there but 2 died at bien dien pho in 54 when the aircraft they were flying were shot down trying to drop supplies to the french.

[sass225]

The G.M.s (Groupement Mobile) were designed as self-sustaining motorized regimental task force unit modeled after the U.S. Army’s World War II combat commands. The G.M.s typically consisted of three infantry battalions with one artillery battalion, along with elements of light armor or tanks, engineer, signal and medical assets, totaling 3,000-3,500 soldiers. group mobile 100 included the 1st and second korea battalions who had fought side by side with the us 2nd inf div in korea

[sass225]

On 25 October, 1946 the only known evidence of direct Soviet involvement in the area came about, when a Japanese patrol captured a Russian adviser near Thủ Dầu Một. He was handed over to Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Jarvis, commander of the 1/1 Gurkha Rifles at Thủ Dầu Một. Jarvis tried several attempts at interrogation,so the soviet union was involved from the begining

[sass225]

petraus did use the ink spot stratagey but he also stopped the american blunder of communiting to war at first we were in large bases and went out during the day only to give up the land at night as we returned behind the wire.

[sass225]

thank you for the lecture I was born the day america signed away the south vietnamesse. I have been a student of this war and UW in general since I was 13.

[sass225]

@oneinteligentmuslim Veitnam was a french colony for 80 years. the american public is not imperialist at all. ho chi minh and vo nugyn gaip were both educated in the french system the first communist party ho joined in 1920 was the french communist party

[sass225]

@ASIANBOYZPRODUCTION what are you talking about the vietnamesse trained during the indo china war were on the french side many veits were. what your confused about is that during ww2 the oss sent a small unit to train viet minh to fight the japanesse fdr was in vavor of giving the veitnamesse there indapendence he was against colonialism

[sheltercrow]

Why did you find "little concern" in the American press about the French-Indochina war? An imperial power does not air the dirty laundry of another imperial power. Especially when you're both trying to present yourselves as champions of freedom and democracy in a war patently denying the same right for another. That nasty business of colony retention (one you've armed and aided) is just not good press.