[Gurachn]

Thanks a ton for those links, Pat.
A few that I hadn't seen before, including an excellent overhead shot of the main French base south of the Airfield that clarifies a few questions I had.
That google 3D stuff is cool too. The red marker is actually on Eliane 2, held by a mixed group of Moroccan tirailleurs and Foreign legion Paras, it was the site of some of the fiercest fighting of the battle. They held the position even after the Viet Minh detonated a huge mine (the massive crater is still visible today), and fought until the last bullet and grenade.
Epic stuff!
The long term implications are undeniable, but it's really the grim, desperate and unrelenting nature of the siege that really gets to me.
Cheers,

Grant