Category: History: Military: SE Asia

Copyright/published Year: 2007 by Naval Institute Pres

ISBN: 1591148537

Binding: trade pap

Description: On January 2, 1963, the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) and its ì American advisors were soundly defeated by Viet Cong guerrilla ì forces at Ap Bac. The loss should have caused U.S. policy makers ì to question the value of their efforts to train and equip the ì ARVN troops, but they failed to perceive the battle's ì significance. In this book, a longtime U.S. Army officer and ì history professor at West Point provides the most comprehensive ì treatment of the battle in print. David Toczek not only analyzes ì the operation in detail but places it in the larger context of ì the war to better evaluate the meaning of what happened. He shows ì that U.S. civilian and military leadership missed an opportunity ì early on to learn from their mistakes when they failed to draw ì any connection between the ARVN's dismal performance at Ap Bac ì and American policies toward South Vietnam.

Toczek notes that while a few tactical changes resulted from ì the battle, no policy changes were made, not even to the ì structure of the advisory system. The author also takes a look at ì the actions of John Paul Vann, the outspoken U.S. Army advisor at ì Ap Bac that Neil Sheehan wrote about in his Pulitzer ì Prize-winning book A Bright Shining Lie. Such a careful ì examination of a battle seen as a metaphor of the entire Vietnam ì War will prove useful to readers today eager to avoid the ì pitfalls of the past as they consider how best to fight ì insurgents of the 21st century.

Condition Information

This is a used book and is in ' like new' condition.

Additional condition description

Like new copy. Appears never read. NO remainder markings.

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