PublishedPen And Sword, May 2024 |
ISBN9781526789297 |
FormatHardcover, 448 pages |
Dimensions23.4cm × 15.6cm |
A forensic study of war, imperial history and international relations, following the Second World War and leading into the Cold War and defeat of Western imperialism in Asia. And above all, the story of the pivotal battle and French defeat at Dien Bien Phu.
It shows France's revanchist attempt to regain imperial 'glory' in her former Asian empire following humiliation in the Second World War - defeat and Vichy. The effort was spurred by de Galle's chauvinism and desire to recover France's honour and reputation, after so many humiliations by friend and foe. The Communist led Vietminh, were guided to victory by ruthless revolutionary Ho Chi Min - far from the attractive 'Uncle Ho' who is revered as a communist saint in contrast to louche playboy emperor Bao Dai and the very able General Giap. Communist strength in rural Vietnam society - the Vietminh represented a nation in arms was backed by supplies from Communist China and the Soviet Union. It was an existential struggle on the French side - the end of cafe society, and the gravy train for planters, officials, the military, and politicians. Military matters including General Giap's strategy and tactics are analysed in detail,l but it was a 'soldiers' war', told at ground-level, and readers will feel the heat and fear of battle, be shocked at war crimes, and intrigued by the tales of Graham Greene et al. The global importance was not lost on the powers following exhaustion from world war and in the shadow of the Cold War. All great leaders were involved, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Churchill, Stalin, Khruschev, Chou En-Lai and Mao Zedong, Under the shadow of the A bomb, a negotiated peace and first detent of the Cold War would end in the sumptuous salons of Geneva. AUTHOR: John Pike is a military historian, barrister, and General Legal Counsel to a company on the Singapore Stock Exchange. He graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Oxford and after the College of Law was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 2003. Previously an economist and Investment banker in London, Tokyo and Germany for 20 years, as a barrister he specialised in banking, fraud, mercantile and competition law but also handled many political asylum cases. He has over the years advised the governments of Cambodia, Sri Lanka and the Bahamas on matters ranging from corruption to shipping policy. Over the last thirteen years he has lived and worked in Phnom Penh, Rangoon, Singapore and Lisbon, He was for a time a special adviser to a defence team at the Khmer Rouge UN War Crimes Trials in Phnom Penh. In Cambodia he worked for an NGO involved in rural and agricultural development working on EU, AUSaid and USAid programs. In 2004 he published, with Sir Jeremy Lever QC, the authoritative legal academic work on criminal price fixing cartels which was widely cited in the Court of Appeal and Supreme court. He is a military historian but steeped in the multifaceted aspects of war. His historiography of war includes grand strategy, battlefield tactics and weaponry, the international relations dimension, law, politics, and economics of war; and the social and cultural effects on society and even individuals - war is a personal story. He 'involves' his readers and brings to life heroism and tragedy but also the essential state- and geo-political developments in modern warfare. Having lived in Indochina for twelve years the author writes with an authentic knowledge of the its peoples, culture, topography, and battlefields, located in remote jungles and wetlands. Publications and future works contracted and contracting: The Thirty Years War 1618-1648: The First Global War and the End of Habsburg Supremacy (released); Ending the Thirty Years War: War, Diplomacy and Westphalia - 2 vols; Gustavus v Wallenstein: Military Revolution, Rivalry and Tragedy in the Thirty Years War; The Age of Firepower: Military Revolution 1600-1650 and Beyond. Future possible titles include The Gothic Legend and the Thirty Years War; and Boxer's War (Second World War memoir). 8 b/w illustrations
