In the Tet Offensive of 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces launched a massive countrywide attack on South Vietnam. Though the Communists failed to achieve their tactical and operational objectives, James Willbanks claims Hanoi won a strategic victory. The offensive proved that America’s progress was grossly overstated and caused many Americans and key presidential advisors to question the wisdom of prolonging combat.
Willbanks also maintains that the Communists laid siege to a Marine combat base two weeks prior to the Tet Offensive-known as the Battle of Khe Sanh—to distract the United States. It is his belief that these two events are intimately linked, and in his concise and compelling history, he presents an engaging portrait of the conflicts and singles out key problems of interpretation.
Willbanks divides his study into six sections, beginning with a historical overview of the events leading up to the offensive, the attack itself, and the consequent battles of Saigon, Hue, and Khe Sahn. He continues with a critical assessment of the main themes and issues surrounding the offensive, and concludes with excerpts from American and Vietnamese documents, maps and chronologies, an annotated list of resources, and a short encyclopedia of key people, places, and events.
An experienced military historian and scholar of the Vietnam War, Willbanks has written a unique critical reference and guide that enlarges the debate surrounding this important turning point in America’s longest war.
Tabella dei contenuti
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Maps
Abbreviations Part I
Historical Overview Chapter 1. Prelude American Public Opinion
Public Relations and Westmoreland’s Optimism
Troop Disposition
The Communist Decision to Conduct the Offensive
The Plan
Preparing for the Offensive Chapter 2. Border Battles, Hill Fights, and Khe Sanh Khe Sanh
The Hill Fights
Operation Niagara
The Siege of Khe Sanh Begins Chapter 3. The Tet Offensive The Offensive Begins
The Battle for Saigon
The Battle at the U.S. Embasssy
Attacks Around the City
The Battle of Cholon
TEt Countrywide Chapter 4. The Battle for Hue The Battle Begins
The Marines Respond
Fighting in the New City
The Fight for the Citadel Chapter 5. The Siege of Khe Sanh The Fall of Lang Vei
Resupplying the Marines
Tactical Air Support
A New Attack
Lifting the Siege Chapter 6. The Impact of the Tet Offensive Political Fallout
The Request for Additional Troops
The New Hampshire Primary
The Presidential Election of 1968Chapter 7. Assessing the Tet Offensive Part II
Issues and Interpretations Chapter 8. Motivations and Objectives of the Tet Offensive Chapter 9. Military Intelligence and the Surprise at Tet Chapter 10. What Happened at Hue?Chapter 11. Why Khe Sanh?Chapter 12. Tet and the Media Chapter 13. Tet and the American Military Strategy Notes Part III
Chronology, 1967-68Part IV
The Tet Offensive A to ZPart V
Documents President Johnson’s ‘San Antonio Formula’ Speech of September 29, 1967Directive on Forthcoming Offensive and Uprisings, Priovincial Party Standing Committee, 1 November 1967Capabilities of the Vietnamese Communists for Fighting in South Vietnam, November 13, 1967 (Extract)Address by Commander of U.S. Forces in Vietnam, General William C. Westmoreland, November 21, 1967 (Extract)’Saigon Under Fire, ‘ CBS News Special Report, January 31, 1968Memorandum from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Earle G. Wheeler for the President, February 12, 1968 (Extract)Walter Cronkite’s ‘We are Mired in Stalemate’ CBS News Broadcast, February 27, 1968Report of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Earle G. Wheeler on the Situation in Vietnam and MACV Force Requirements, February 27. 1968 (Extract)Summary of Notes from March 26, 1968, Meeting Between President Lyndon Johnson and the Wise Men President Johnson’s Address to the Nation Announcing His Decision Not to Seek Reelection, March 31, 1968Part VI
Resources General Works Encyclopedias, Bibliographies, Dictionaries, Guides, and Atlases
General Histories, Anthologies
Biographies
Memoirs
Vietnamese Perspectives
Oral Histories
Document Collections Lyndon Johnson and the War The Tet Offensive The Battle of Hue The Siege of Khe Sanh The Hill Fights and Border Battles President Lyndon Johnson and the Media Military Intelligence and Tet U.S. Strategy in Vietnam Combat After-action Reports and Command Histories Microfilm/Microfiche Documentary Films Electronic Resources Web Sites
CD-ROMs Archives and Libraries Index
Circa l’autore
James H. Willbanks is director, Department of Military History, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel with twenty-three years service as an Infantry officer in various assignments, including a tour as an advisor in Vietnam. He is the author of two books on the Vietnam War, including
Abandoning Vietnam (University Press of Kansas) and
The Battle of An Loc (Indiana University Press), and the editor of a collection of essays entitled
The Vietnam War (Ashgate Publishing Limited).
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