Credit

In the past, while I've certainly been willing to mock the French government, I've tried to give credit to the French military as a decent fighting force worthy of more respect.   I've been reading Hell in a Very Small Place about the siege of Dien Bien Phu in the First Indochina War, and nobody can read that and not be impressed with the bravery, tenacity, and skill of the French in fighting for that place.   Given the losses the Viet Minh suffered, it is hard not to conclude that had the French committed more resources at critical moments (or made a serious effort to relieve the fortress) that the outcome would have been very different.