[Skooz]

IIRC, many of the Germans who served with the Foreign Legion during this time were former Waffen SS men who had fled Germany after WW 2.

They took no prisoners, were dreadfully feared by the enemy and generally kicked communist butt during their time in Vietnam.

When it became public that the French had former SS fighting on their side, the German units were withdrawn. Soon after, the French collapsed and Dien Bien Phu followed.

[JasonC]

Um, no, not remotely. Germans were clobbered in DBP along with the rest of the garrison, and there was no withdrawing anybody involved. Also, they were a modest portion of the legion, which was a modest portion of the overall French force in Indochina. The French used more Vietnamese than Germans - a third to half of many units - and more Frenchmen than Vietnamese. Read Bernard Fall, he is the best history of this war (and one of the best military historians of the last century).