The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, 1954. France's Defeat in Southeast Asia

History's Greatest Battles

The downfall of French power sounded the death knell for their imperial hold over Southeast Asia, unraveling an empire and sowing the seeds of American intervention. This defeat not only closed one chapter of colonial dominion but ignited the fuse that would draw the United States into a web of conflict and alliances, forever altering the course of history in the region.
Dien Bien Phu. November 1953 - May 1954.
French Forces: ~16,000 Soldiers.
Viet Minh Forces: ~50,000 Soldiers.
Additional Reading and Research:

• Porch, Douglas. "Dien Bien Phu and the Opium Connection." Military History Quarterly, Summer 1995.
• Keegan, John. Dien Bien Phu.
• Fall, Bernard. Hell in a Very Small Place.

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