I saw this movie not long after reading “a Street Without Joy”found it more than interesting,it brought a ground level perspective to the battle at Dien Bien Phu….
A strange outbreak of infighting which is perhaps not in the book and historical person based on. 'Nobody was going to blame Bigeard for Dien Bien Phu. It is correct BTW that volunteers continued to parachute into the valley till a couple of days before the fall to reinforce the garrison Despite the fact it was about to fall being obvious. Many of those brave men had had time for near zero parachute training. For English language history The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam by Martin Windrow
Raspeguy is inspired by Bigeard but is not necessarily supposed to be him. Many movies suffer from this 'compression syndrome'. There were 15,000 combatants on the side of the French at DBP when it fell. I doubt anyone would want to blame a LCol for the failure of the battle. There's a similar feel for the Battle of Algiers later where it seems to be only Raspeguy's regt in the city. Where is Gen Massu and all the other paras of the 10th Div? Of course, DBP is only the first few mins of the film (unfortunately. I'd have liked to see it expanded a bit). I still haven't seen Schoedoerffer's film about DBP and Jump Into Hell is pretty cheesy. The bulk of the film is set in Algeria following Larteguy's excellent novel. Lost Command has always been a favourite of mine but pales in comparison to the source novel, The Centurions. Should be watched with Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers. You are correct on Windrow's book. Bernard Fall's Hell in a Very Small Place was the definitive book on DBP for decades. Windrow's book blows it out of the water with amazing detail etc. Highly recommended.
@@lib556 The Praetorians was an excellent book as well though as much French politics as French military campaign as its looking back on the the Coup that brought the Grand Charles back to power and ended the 4th Republic. Rights were bought but the film was never made. A pity really as there was I think a little Challe Offensive in there and more than one helicopter, say if they had included a Brigade De Chasse action, might have given a film demo of the Americans not inventing air mobnility in Vietnam. Windrows book is excellent, highlighting such points as the three officer corps effectively. Gaullists, Vichy who had switched sides in late 1942 and the men who had spent 5 years in German POW camps. Also the major illustration of how limited was the air support for such a bold operation. For the war in Algiers the book is Savage War of Peace by Alistair Horne. Who like Windrow made a living for himself writing books about French History. By the way in 2021 Windrow 'Did it again' did DEP again for Osprey Publishings Campaign Series. Not bothered getting that one as 'shortened the last valley. Books for Osprey seem to be Mr Windrow's chief area these days.
Jean pouget parachuted in during the last days and was Captured He helped jean larteguy write the first part of the novel The centurions as he had first Hand knowledge of pow camps!
I saw this movie not long after reading “a Street Without Joy”found it more than interesting,it brought a ground level perspective to the battle at Dien Bien Phu….
you should read the 2' books that this movie is based on =
the Centurions and the preturoians both worth the read
What's pretty clear is everybody thought Dien Bien Phu was a good idea... until the Viet Minh artillery opened up.
A strange outbreak of infighting which is perhaps not in the book and historical person based on. 'Nobody was going to blame Bigeard for Dien Bien Phu. It is correct BTW that volunteers continued to parachute into the valley till a couple of days before the fall to reinforce the garrison Despite the fact it was about to fall being obvious. Many of those brave men had had time for near zero parachute training.
For English language history The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam by Martin Windrow
Raspeguy is inspired by Bigeard but is not necessarily supposed to be him. Many movies suffer from this 'compression syndrome'. There were 15,000 combatants on the side of the French at DBP when it fell. I doubt anyone would want to blame a LCol for the failure of the battle. There's a similar feel for the Battle of Algiers later where it seems to be only Raspeguy's regt in the city. Where is Gen Massu and all the other paras of the 10th Div?
Of course, DBP is only the first few mins of the film (unfortunately. I'd have liked to see it expanded a bit). I still haven't seen Schoedoerffer's film about DBP and Jump Into Hell is pretty cheesy. The bulk of the film is set in Algeria following Larteguy's excellent novel. Lost Command has always been a favourite of mine but pales in comparison to the source novel, The Centurions. Should be watched with Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers.
You are correct on Windrow's book. Bernard Fall's Hell in a Very Small Place was the definitive book on DBP for decades. Windrow's book blows it out of the water with amazing detail etc. Highly recommended.
@@lib556 The Praetorians was an excellent book as well though as much French politics as French military campaign as its looking back on the the Coup that brought the Grand Charles back to power and ended the 4th Republic. Rights were bought but the film was never made. A pity really as there was I think a little Challe Offensive in there and more than one helicopter, say if they had included a Brigade De Chasse action, might have given a film demo of the Americans not inventing air mobnility in Vietnam. Windrows book is excellent, highlighting such points as the three officer corps effectively. Gaullists, Vichy who had switched sides in late 1942 and the men who had spent 5 years in German POW camps. Also the major illustration of how limited was the air support for such a bold operation.
For the war in Algiers the book is Savage War of Peace by Alistair Horne. Who like Windrow made a living for himself writing books about French History. By the way in 2021 Windrow 'Did it again' did DEP again for Osprey Publishings Campaign Series. Not bothered getting that one as 'shortened the last valley. Books for Osprey seem to be Mr Windrow's chief area these days.
@@666johnco Horne's book is good.
None of the movies about
Dienbienphu reveal the real
Participants
All are fictionalised
Even the 1992 one!
Jean pouget parachuted in during the last days and was
Captured
He helped jean larteguy write the first part of the novel
The centurions as he had first
Hand knowledge of pow camps!
"I need fighters not historians!!" LOVE IT.
Vo Nguyen Giap was, of course, a history teacher.
@@lllordllloyd toeing the party line doesn't count.
Langlais burnt his red beret at the real surrender
Bigeard kept his on!
The senior commanders were in the bunker at the surrender
Not in.the trenches
3:01
french surrender fast eh
cringe
Doubt it, the french military is always plagued by weak politicians of the 20th century.