Bernard B. Fall fue un distinguido corresponsal de guerra e historiador especializado en Indochina a mediados del siglo XX. Con una profunda comprensión de las sociedades locales y una mirada crítica hacia las tácticas militares, predijo con acierto los fracasos de Francia y Estados Unidos en las guerras de Vietnam. Su obra se caracteriza por un agudo enfoque analítico, impulsado por el deseo de comprender las complejas fuerzas políticas y sociales que dan forma a la región. La dedicación de Fall a la verdad y su presencia en el frente cimentaron su legado como un observador vital de la guerra moderna.
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.