Vietnam War Almanac: An In-Depth Guide to the Most Controversial Conflict in American History

With more than 58,000 casualties and 300,000 wounded, at a cost of more than $130 billion, the Vietnam War became one of the most divisive conflicts in American history. The scars left by the war can still be felt today, making it crucial that we have the facts about this watershed event.

Vietnam War Almanac contains a chronological history of the war in Vietnam, with day-by-day listings of the war on the ground, in the air, and at sea; international and U.S. events; and a biographical dictionary of major military and civilian figures. It may be impossible to fully understand such a complicated and horrible struggle, but for the families of veterans and for historians, the thorough presentation here, along with its extensive bibliography and index, is an excellent place to start. Coverage here includes:

• The Tet Offensive
• Walter L. Cronkite
• The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
• Vo Nguyen Giap
• Ngo Dinh Diem
• The Battle of Ia Drang Valley
• Robert S. McNamara
• The Battle of Hamburger Hill
• Abbie Hoffman
• The Battle of An Loc
• And much more

President Nixon claimed that the war was “misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” This almanac will ensure that it is remembered correctly.

James H. Willbanks is director of the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Willbanks is a retired lieutenant colonel with twenty-three years of service as an infantry officer in various assignments. He is the author of Abandoning Vietnam, The Battle of An Loc, and The Tet Offensive: A Concise History. He lives in Leavenworth, Kansas.