No, others insisted, this went beyond the loss of Bernard. De Lattre despaired at the size of the obstacles that still stood in the way of victory in the war, these analysts believed, notwithstanding his success against Giap’s offensives earlier in the year. Paris was not delivering anywhere near the reinforcements he needed, and the VNA was not ready to make up the difference—and wouldn’t be ready for a long time to come, if ever.
