Paras Francais Indochine 1945-1954 - Eric Adam & Patrice Pivetta - Histoire & Collections

Outstanding book!

Highly regarded book, entirely in French but containing many photos and a detailed text. Universally praised by reviewers.

The French paratroops underwent a major expansion during the war in Indochina, after the inception of the Airborne Forces under Allied auspices in 1943-1945. The uniforms and equipment of French paratroopers in Indochina are characterised by their variety, and every original silhouette has been recreated in studio reconstructions. This volume is heavily illustrated with colour pictures of collectible artefacts, and includes large period photographs from the French Army archive.

Although the French Army had experimented with paratroops in the 1930s, and many Free French agents were parachute-trained in Britain, they only really started to show an interest when the Indochina War broke out after WW2. It was quickly realised that airborne tactics were an ideal solution to Indochina's inaccessible terrain, and soon airborne units were burgeoning everywhere: colonial infantry, chasseurs, Foreign Legion, secret service and Vietnamese parachute battalions all fought at some stage or other. Whatever their unit, French paras proved to be highly effective and their heroic sacrifice at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 truly cemented their reputation, even if it lost the war for France.

'Les Paras Francais' follows the usual lavishly-illustrated Histoire & Collections format, mixing wartime B&W photos with modern colour photos of models wearing vintage kit, and to say this book is the definitive overview of early French para uniforms and equipment would be an understatement: there are 12 pages on steel helmets and the evolution of combat jackets is so complex it has its own timeline ! You'll need to read French well to get the full benefit of the text but like most Histoire & Collections books, it's an invaluable reference source for its photos alone.

208 page hardcover published 2009