Bernard B. Fall fut un correspondant de guerre et historien éminent, spécialisé dans l'Indochine du milieu du XXe siècle. Possédant une profonde compréhension des sociétés locales et un regard critique sur les tactiques militaires, il a pressenti les échecs de la France et des États-Unis dans les guerres du Vietnam. Son œuvre se caractérise par une approche analytique pointue, motivée par le désir de comprendre les forces politiques et sociales complexes qui façonnent la région. Le dévouement de Fall à la vérité et sa présence sur le front ont solidifié son héritage en tant qu'observateur essentiel de la guerre moderne.
The 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu ranks with Stalingrad and Tet for what it ended (imperial ambitions), what it foretold (American involvement), and what it symbolized: A guerrilla force of Viet Minh destroyed a technologically superior French army, convincing the Viet Minh that similar tactics might prevail in battle with the U.S.
First published in 1961 by Stackpole Books, Street without Joy is a classic of military history. Journalist and scholar Bernard Fall vividly captured the sights, sounds, and smells of the brutal-- and politically complicated--conflict between the French and the Communist-led Vietnamese nationalists in Indochina. The French fought to the bitter end, but even with the lethal advantages of a modern military, they could not stave off the Viet Minh insurgency of hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, booby traps, and nighttime raids. The final French defeat came at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, setting the stage for American involvement and a far bloodier chapter in Vietnam's history. Fall combined graphic reporting with deep scholarly knowledge of Vietnam and its colonial history in a book memorable in its descriptions of jungle fighting and insightful in its arguments. After more than a half a century in print, Street without Joy remains required reading.