ABSTRACT
One battle in Vietnam was world famous before it was over: the Viet Minh's great victory over the French in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. An extraordinary convergence of military goals for both sides took place thanks to the ghost of Dien Bien Phu. There was a great debate within Communist ranks concerning the best way to deal with the Americans. Paradoxically, the enemy was playing into American hands. United States (US) commanders were desperate for large battles that would enable their forces to use their firepower and training as intended. More importantly, however, it became very obvious to military men in Vietnam that the US would accomplish nothing as long as the enemy continued to build strength. North Vietnamese forces were rarely encountered until late in 1967. American battalion commanders in Vietnam rarely awoke to see their units facing oblivion.
