Combat Operations: Taking the Offensive, October 1966 To October 1967 (United States Army in Vietnam series)

Macgarrigle, George L; Center Of Military History

ISBN 10: 1780394144 / ISBN 13: 9781780394145

Edité par Militarybookshop.Co.UK, 2011

A propos de cet article

N° de réf. du vendeur I-9781780394145

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Combat Operations: Taking the Offensive, October 1966 To October 1967 (United States Army in Vietnam series)
• Éditeur: Militarybookshop.Co.UK
• Date de parution: 2011
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 1780394144
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9781780394145
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• État de l'article: New

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Originally published in 1998 by the U.S. Army Center of Military History "Combat Operations: Taking the Offensive" chronicles the onset of offensive operations by the U.S. Army after eighteen months of building up a credible force on the ground in South Vietnam and taking the first steps toward bringing the war to the enemy. The compelling story by George L. MacGarrigle begins in October 1966, when General William C. Westmoreland believed that he had the arms and men to take the initiative from the enemy and that significant progress would be made on all fronts over the next twelve months. Aware of American intentions, North Vietnam undertook a prolonged war of attrition and stepped up the infiltration of its own troops into the South. While the insurgency in the South remained the cornerstone of Communist strategy, it was increasingly overshadowed by main-force military operations. These circumstances, according to MacGarrigle, set the stage for intensified combat. The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong units retained the advantage, fighting only when it suited their purposes and retreating with impunity into inviolate sanctuaries in Laos and Cambodia. With Westmoreland feeling hamstrung by political constraints on his ability to wage war in the vast hostile areas along the border, 1967 ended with a growing uncertainty in the struggle to secure the countryside. Relying on official American and enemy primary sources, MacGarrigle has crafted a well-balanced account of this year of intense combat. His volume is a tribute to those who sacrificed so much in a long and irresolute conflict, and soldiers engaged in military operations that place great demands on their initiative, skill, and devotion will find its thought-provoking lessons worthy of reflection.

Présentation de l'éditeur

Covering combat operations during the critical year that began in October 1966, this volume tells the story of how one of the best armies the United States has ever fielded took on both the enemy's guerrilla units and his main forces and time and again drove them from the battlefield. It also shows, however, that the enemy retained the initiative, fighting only when it suited. his purposes and retreating with impunity across South Vietnam's borders into Laos and Cambodia, where his sanctuaries were inviolable to American forces. It is a story that goes to the very essence of the Vietnam War, filled with the triumphs that Americans have always expected of their soldiers, but also with a measure of the inevitable bitterness and frustration inher­ent in an irresolute conflict. I believe there is much here for both soldier and civilian to learn. I commend the book to all who seek answers about the war, and especially to those who find themselves engaged in military operations that place to learn.