First In Last Out: An Unconventional British Officer In Indo-China

by J.P. Cross

This is an account of two episodes in the unconventional career of John Cross, a retired Lt Col of the Brigade of Ghurkas. After the end of World War II he was one of the "first in" in the counter-insurgency operations against the Vietminh, commanding a battalion of the very Japanese troops he had been sent to disarm. This story provides the backdrop to his return to Indo-China as British Defence Attache to Laos between 1972 and 1976, where he became doyen of the Corps of Attaches, itself a source of intrigue and national rivalry. His mastery of the main languages of the region gave him access to high Laotian political circles. Cross uses his personal photographs to shed light on the conflict in Laos - a little-known sideshow to the war in Vietnam. His observations - often acerbic and highly uncomplimentary - provide insights into a diplomatic community and a narrative on the course of events in Vientiane, as communist supremacy was asserted over the whole region.

245 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1992

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly excellent. Well worth the wait (roughly 18 years!), well worth every penny. This book would have been indispensable just for the eye-witness account of Viet-Nam in 1945; the section on Laos in the early 1970s, the larger part of the book, was both interesting and insightful as well. I think it is a sad commentary on armies in general, or at least on military bureaucracies, that Colonel Cross was not further promoted. This is particularly difficult to understand given the fact that he is one of the foremost authorities on insurgency/counterinsurgency (as well as jungle warfare), especially in the context of formerly colonial polities. Unfortunately, most of his books are somewhat difficult to get hold of, this one being the most difficult. I own & have read four of Colonel Cross's works, and would recommend all of them highly- first to military professionals, and then to anyone with an interest in either military matters or post-WWII international history.