Thiéblemont, André <br/><br/>
Indochina 1948: the battle of Phu Tong Hoa 

 -  2015.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 22 
<br/><br/> The term ‘resistance’ does not feature in the language of military tactics because the attitude or the behaviour it refers to is an implicit condition of defensive action and of many types of mission: preventing, covering, holding a position, etc. Nonetheless the military imagination is filled with epic tales of resistance, some better known to the general public than others. The battle of Phu Tong Hoa is undoubtedly one of the greatest acts of resistance in modern combat, short but rich in detail: one company manages to hold a position against several Viet Minh battalions. Little is known of the episode outside the French Foreign Legion. Its hero, Sub-Lieutenant Bévalot, now aged ninety-three, has made little attempt to win glory from it. We intend to pay him discreet tribute here.