A war of logistics : parachutes and porters in Indochina, 1945-1954 / Charles R. Shrader.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shrader, Charles R., author.

Series:

Foreign military studies (Lexington, Ky.)

Foreign military studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indochinese War, 1946-1954--Logistics.

Indochinese War, 1946-1954.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (515 pages)

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Kentucky : University Press of Kentucky, [2015]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Following the French reoccupation of Indochina at the end of World War II, the pro-Communist Vietnamese nationalists, or Viet Minh, launched a grassroots insurgency that erupted into a full-fledged war in 1949. After nearly ten years of savage combat, the western world was stunned when Viet Minh forces decisively defeated the French Union army at the battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954. Logistics dominated every aspect of the First Indochina War, dictating the objectives, the organization of forces, the timing and duration of the operations, and even the final outcome. In A War of Logistics, Charles R. Shrader meticulously examines both French Union and Viet Minh logistical units during the period of active conventional warfare, as well as external support provided to the French by the United States and to the Vietnamese by China. Although the Vietnamese had few advantages over their opponents, their military leaders brilliantly employed a highly committed network of soldiers and civilians, outfitted to accommodate the challenging terrain on which they fought. Drawing on extensive research such as declassified intelligence documents, the reports of French participants, and accounts by Viet Minh leaders, including Vo Nguyen Giap and Ho Chi Minh, A War of Logistics provides in-depth coverage of the often-ignored but critically important topic of logistics in modern military campaigns.

Contents:

Preface

1. A war of logistics

2. French Union combat forces

3. Viet Minh combat forces

4. French logistical doctrine and organization

5. Viet Minh logistical doctrine and organization

6. The opposing transport systems

7. French sources of supply

8. Viet Minh sources of supply

9. The shape of battles to come

10. The campaign for the base areas

11. The campaign for the lines of communication

12. Planning and buildup for the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

13. The limits of aerial resupply

14. The triumph of the porters

15. Logistics and the war in Indochina, 1945-1954.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 455-459) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-8131-6595-4

0-8131-6576-8

OCLC:

921843479