![]() The author seeks to transport the reader to the Indochina of the first decade following World War II through the distorted lens of the then-present, through which the major players and decision makers of the time viewed their respective worlds. This is what Fredrik Logevall accomplishes admirably with Embers of War. More recent studies have sought to paint a broader and more comprehensive picture of that complex war, fitting it into the chaotic and confused world of the early Cold War and the conflicting and often divergent objectives of the major powers of the time (some, like China, were newly emerging others, like France, were rapidly declining). He remains unsurpassed in analyzing the tactical, operational and battlefield leadership aspects of the various actions and operations. Do we really need such books? Can anyone actually tell us more than Fall has already told us? The answer is yes.įall essentially wrote the military history of France’s war in Vietnam-exactly what he intended to do. ![]() In recent years several authors have re-examined this critical period that set the stage for America’s own long involvement in Vietnam. ![]() ![]() Fall’s books Street Without Joy (1961) and Hell in a Very Small Place (1966) were considered the definitive histories of France’s 1946–54 war in Vietnam. ![]() Book Review: Embers of War, by Frederik Logevall CloseĮmbers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam, by Fredrik Logevall, Random House, New York, 2012, $40įor many years Bernard B. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |