ABSTRACT
The communist habits in combat were well defined and quite repetitive. A clear and detailed knowledge of their patterns of operation might have prevented some of the surprises and saved some American lives. American military men criticized the French strategy in Indochina as “lacking in aggressiveness, defensive, and of doubtful value.” The most intense fighting of the French Indochina war took place in North Vietnam but the northern area of South Vietnam saw heavy combat. Friendly combat death statistics from the American involvement are available and they clearly suggest that the first half of each year brought the heaviest combat just as it did in the French war. The evidence also suggests that striking similarities occurred in some of the basic patterns of the French and American experiences in Vietnam. US-French relations became quite strained after the Geneva Convention of 1954 as the US increased its role in Vietnam.
