The Last Valley

“A meticulous and masterly narrative” of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, which doomed the French Empire and led America into Vietnam ( Wall Street Journal ). In December 1953, French paratroopers searching for the elusive Vietnamese army were quickly isolated by their enemy and forced to retreat. They took refuge in their outgunned and desolate jungle base—a small place called Dien Bien Phu. The Vietnamese besieged the French base for five long and desperate months. Eventually the demoralized, weak