North Viet Nam's Senior General Vo Nguyen Giap ranks among the greatest of military geniuses. Giap began preparing for his wars hiding in a cave with Viet Nam's future leader, Ho Chi Minh. Giap had no troops, no equipment, no formal military education or training. Through sheer determination, he forged a military during World War II that helped defeat the Japanese. He then drove the French out of Viet Nam, crushing them in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. Twenty-one years later, the United States lost its first war when Saigon fell. Until now, reports of Giap's life story have been a patchwork of erroneous information and larger-than-life legends. Even his date of birth has been misreported. This the a thoroughly documented and complete biography of Giap from his birth through his schooling; his exile in China; his complex relationships with the French, Ho Chi Minh, and the Communist Party; his early role as journalist and propagandist; his development of a victorious peasant army; and his genius at defeating superior forces. It also tells the full story of his mistakes and his ruthless commitment of Vietnamese lives and resources. His genius lay in his ability to learn, to modify his tactics, and to motivate a whole nation to fight to the death and sacrifice everything for victory.