About the Book
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.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction Maps AbbreviationsPart I Historical OverviewChapter 1. PreludeAmerican Public Opinion Public Relations and Westmoreland's Optimism Troop Disposition The Communist Decision to Conduct the Offensive The Plan Preparing for the OffensiveChapter 2. Border Battles, Hill Fights, and Khe SanhKhe Sanh The Hill Fights Operation Niagara The Siege of Khe Sanh BeginsChapter 3. The Tet OffensiveThe Offensive Begins The Battle for Saigon The Battle at the U.S. Embasssy Attacks Around the City The Battle of Cholon TEt CountrywideChapter 4. The Battle for HueThe Battle Begins The Marines Respond Fighting in the New City The Fight for the CitadelChapter 5. The Siege of Khe SanhThe Fall of Lang Vei Resupplying the Marines Tactical Air Support A New Attack Lifting the SiegeChapter 6. The Impact of the Tet OffensivePolitical Fallout The Request for Additional Troops The New Hampshire Primary The Presidential Election of 1968Chapter 7. Assessing the Tet OffensivePart II Issues and InterpretationsChapter 8. Motivations and Objectives of the Tet OffensiveChapter 9. Military Intelligence and the Surprise at TetChapter 10. What Happened at Hue?Chapter 11. Why Khe Sanh?Chapter 12. Tet and the MediaChapter 13. Tet and the American Military StrategyNotesPart III Chronology, 1967-68Part IV The Tet Offensive A to ZPart V DocumentsPresident 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 MenPresident Johnson's Address to the Nation Announcing His Decision Not to Seek Reelection, March 31, 1968Part VI ResourcesGeneral WorksEncyclopedias, Bibliographies, Dictionaries, Guides, and Atlases General Histories, Anthologies Biographies Memoirs Vietnamese Perspectives Oral Histories Document CollectionsLyndon Johnson and the WarThe Tet OffensiveThe Battle of HueThe Siege of Khe SanhThe Hill Fights and Border BattlesPresident Lyndon Johnson and the MediaMilitary Intelligence and TetU.S. Strategy in VietnamCombat After-action Reports and Command HistoriesMicrofilm/MicroficheDocumentary FilmsElectronic ResourcesWeb Sites CD-ROMsArchives and LibrariesIndex
About the Author :
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).
Review :
"A careful and judicious evaluation... Students especially will find this invaluable." -- Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs " The Tet Offensive will be of great value to military professionals, historians, and Vietnam veterans." -- Col. Gordon W. Keiser, U.S. Marine Corps, Proceedings "[A] well-written, and helpful reference... The Tet Offensive is enjoyable reading and an important new addition." -- MAJ John M. Hawkins, Military Review "Thorough... An excellent work worthy of inclusion in collections of studies on the Vietnam War." -- Larry K. Burke, The Journal of Military History "Without a doubt, this work will become the initial resource that student and historians alike will pull off the shelf to comprehend this seminal military event Highly recommended." -- Choice
