THE PARAS AT DIEN BIEN PHU - 20 November 1953 - 12 March 1954

This book retraces with unprecedented historical rigour, day by day, the combat of the paratroopers at Diên Biên Phu, weaving together testimonies, period documents and terrain study to bring to life the hell of the battle and the heroism of the combatants.

There are names that carry a particular resonance in our History. Diên Biên Phu rings in the collective imagination as a defeat, with its attendant bitterness — but also its Glory.

With 70 years of hindsight, we invite you to follow our parachute units in combat day by day, even hour by hour. For this book, which aims to be a genuine reference tool, the facts have been reconstructed from period documents and enriched with veterans' testimonies, because History cannot be understood without grasping the lives of the men who made it.

We made it a point of honour to produce as accurate a work of history as possible, through extensive cross-checking. The time has come to challenge certain legends that have circulated since the battle, and to restore the truth regarding certain events.

For the first time in a work of this kind, you will also discover the uniforms, weapons and equipment that formed part of the men's daily lives during the battle. But above all, we wish to make you truly feel the suffering and the selfless dedication shown by our paratroopers in this very real hell.