Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu by Bernard B. Fall is a definitive account of one of the most significant battles of the 20th century. In this meticulously researched and vividly written narrative, Fall chronicles the dramatic events of the 1954 siege, where French forces found themselves encircled by the Viet Minh in the remote valley of Dien Bien Phu.Drawing from firsthand accounts, official reports, and his deep expertise on Indochina, Fall captures the in...

In this classic account of the French war in Indochina, Bernard B. Fall vividly captures the sights, sounds, and smells of the savage eight-year conflict in the jungles and mountains of Southeast Asia from 1946 to 1954. The French fought well to the last, but even with the lethal advantages of airpower, they could not stave off the Communist-led Vietnamese nationalists, who countered with a hit-and-run campaign of ambushes, booby traps, and nighttime raids. Defeat came at Dien Bien Phu in ...

**A close-up, action-filled account of the crucial role the U.S. Navy played in the early years of the Cold War, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Fleet at Flood Tide and The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors“A lucid, fast-moving and fitting finale to [Hornfischer’s] career.”—The Wall Street Journal**A landmark chronicle of the U.S. Navy in the Cold War, Who Can Hold the Sea combines narrative history with scenes ...

"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 ...

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Ted Morgan has now written a rich and definitive account of the fateful battle that ended French rule in Indochina—and led inexorably to America’s Vietnam War. Dien Bien Phu was a remote valley on the border of Laos along a simple rural trade route. But it would also be where a great European power fell to an underestimated insurgent army and lost control of a crucial colony. Valley of Death is the untold story of the 1954 battle that, in six ...

The essential WWII historical reference detailing RAF Bomber Command's extensive campaign of strategic bombings across occupied Europe.The Royal Air Force Bomber Command's strategic bombing campaign started on the first day of the Second World War and ended five and a half years later with the final victory in Europe. It was a campaign of such enormous scale that historians have only recently begun to piece together the finer details of the individual raids. Aviatio...

This pictorial history shows the full extent of captured foreign aircraft used by Nazi Germany during WWII.No air force in the Second World War would make more use of captured planes than the Luftwaffe. With this in mind, military historian Jean-Louis Roba has tracked down hundreds of such aircraft with rare images that illustrate their uses, careers, and eventual fates. Foreign Planes in the Service of the Luftwaffe covers the complete hi...

Aces High is the vivid chronicle of aerial warfare over the Western Front in World War One and the personalities that characterised the era.These were the airmen who became legends in their own lifetimes: Albert Ball, Manfred von Richthofen (also known as the Red Baron), Mick Mannock, René Fonck and Georges Guynemer. The key to maintaining military superiority was by perfecting the aeroplane, which meant many of these pilots were flying dangerous, untested machines.

The first English translation of one German military pilot's experience before, during, and after World War II flying for the Third Reich.Johannes Kaufmann's career was an exciting one. He may have been an ordinary Luftwaffe pilot but he served during an extraordinary time with distinction. Serving for a decade through both peacetime and wartime, his memoir sheds light on the immense pressures of the job.In this never-before-seen translation of a rare accou...

A historian analyzes Nazi Germany's air force during its final year before Allied forces brought an end to World War II in Europe.The Last Year of the Luftwaffe is the story of a once all-conquering force struggling to stave off an inevitable and total defeat. This book gives a complete account of Luftwaffe operations during the last twelve months of the fighting in Europe—including the dramatic Bodenplatte (or "Baseplate") offensive over the Ardennes in De...

At the beginning of World War II the French faced the German invasion with 4,360 modern combat aircraft and 790 new machines currently arriving from French and American factories each month. When the phony war finally ended, some 119 of 210 squadrons were ready for action on the north-eastern front. The others were reequipping or stationed in the French colonies. Of the 119 squadrons France could bring into action only one-fourth of the aircraft were battle-ready.With France overrun by Jun...

"Simply superb! . . . easily the best book (in English) available on the French Air Service . . . The book is a gem."—The AerodromeIn comparison to their British and German counterparts, the French airmen of the Great War are not well known. Yet their aerial exploits were just as remarkable, and their contribution to the war effort on the Western Front was equally important. That is why Ian Sumner's vivid history of the men of the French air force during the war is...