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.

Bernard B Fall was 40 years old when he was killed by a booby trap in northern South Vietnam on February 21, 1967. By the time of his death he had already authored seven books on Vietnam. This book, first published shortly after Dr Fall's death, is a tribute to his life's work. It contains the only known autobiographical account of his life, several previously unpublished articles, notes for 'Street Without Joy Revisited', and transcripts of Dr Fall's tape recordings, including his last recorded words.

Bernard Fall wrote the classics Street Without Joy and Hell in a Very Small Place, which detailed the French experience in Vietnam. One of the first (and the best-informed) Western observers to say that the United States could not win there either, he was killed in Vietnam in 1967 while accompanying a Marine platoon. Written by his widow Dorothy, Bernard Fall: Memories of a Soldier-Scholar tells the story of this courageous and influential Frenchman, who experienced many of the major events of the twentieth century. His mother perished at Auschwitz, his father was killed by the Gestapo, and he himself fought in the Resistance. It focuses, however, on Vietnam and on two love stories. The first details Fall's love for Vietnam and his efforts to save the country from destruction and the United States from disaster. The second shows a husband and father dedicated to a cause that continuously lured him away from those he loved. With a foreword by the late David Halberstam.

This classic account of the French War in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia is back in hardcover. Includes an introduction by George C. Herring.

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.

A visual history of the Vietnam War in the Stackpole Military Photo Series. Included are detailed photos of soldiers, helicopters and ground vehicles, villages and terrain, base camps, and more. With hundreds of photos, many of them rare and never published before, this is the perfect complement to the narrative accounts in the Stackpole Military History Series, such as Street Without Joy and Land With No Sun.

Jungle Mission is a poignant account of René Riesen’s life and mission during the First Indochina War amongst the Montagnards, and his ever growing love for these people by going native, learning their language, their traditions, their rituals, and their way of life. During World War II, Riesen worked briefly for the Vichy government and, following liberation, received a 20-year prison sentence. He volunteered to serve in the “BILOM” (Bataillon Leger d’Infanterie d’Outre-Mer), where WWII political prisoners could redeem themselves. Arriving in Saigon in May 1950 as a Colonial Infantry “2eme Classe” soldier affected to the BILOM—which by then had ceased to exist and most of its soldiers assigned to the BMEO (“Bataillon de Marche Extreme Orient”) created in January 1950—Riesen was assigned to the 1st Company, 4th BMEO at the outpost of Kon Plong, controlling access to the coastal plains of Son Ha and Ba To; this post was located about a day’s travel away from Kontum, positioned on a 1,800m high peak, where the rainy season lasted about seven months, with thick fog present almost every day. In December 1950, the 4th BMEO was renamed to the 4th Montagnard battalion, and its HQ remained at Ban Mé Thuot whilst its Battalions operated around Kontum. Riesen would go on to serve four years in the Kontum area and joined the GCMA after its formation, serving under Captain Hentic (“L’action Hre”). For his services in French Indochina, Corporal Riesen was awarded the French Croix de Guerre, the Croix des T.O.E (Théâtres d’opérations extérieures) and the Croix de la Vaillance Vietnamienne, with palm for his actions in French Indochina. As with many others, following his tour in Indochina Riesen was sent to the much quieter operational theatre of Algeria; however, this area too did not remain peaceful for long, escalating quickly into full warfare, and Riesen and his wife died during an ambush by Arabs in December 1956.