The Easter Offensive: Vietnam 1972: Volume 1 - Invasion Across the DMZ (Asia@War) - Softcover

Grandolini, Albert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1910294071 ISBN 13: 9781910294079

Publisher: Helion and Company, 2015

Synopsis

On 30 March 1972 the South Vietnamese positions along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separated the North from South Vietnam were suddenly shelled by hundreds of heavy guns and multiple rocket launchers. Caught in a series of outposts of what was the former ‘McNamara Line’, the shocked defenders had just enough time to emerge from their bunkers at the end of the barrage before they were attacked by regular North Vietnamese Army divisions, supported by hundreds of armored vehicles that crashed though their defensive lines along the border. Thus began one of the fiercest campaigns of the Vietnam War but also one of the less well documented because by then most of the American ground forces had been withdrawn.

Following on from the details of the downsizing of American forces and the setting up of the ‘Vietnamization’ policy, the build up of both the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in the South and the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the North is discussed at length. A special emphasis is devoted to the study of the development the North Vietnamese armored corps that would spearhead the coming offensive. Consequently, the nature of the war changed dramatically, evolving from a guerrilla one into a conventional conflict.

The South Vietnamese resistance shuddered, and then crumbled under the communist onslaught, putting Hue the ancient imperial capital at risk. It was only thanks to US airpower, directed by a small group of courageous American advisers, which helped to turn the tide. Under the command of a new capable commander, the South Vietnamese then methodically counterattacked to retake some of the lost ground. This culminated in the ferocious street fighting for Quang Tri.

This first volume describes the combat taking place in the northern part of South Vietnam, and uses not only American archives but also Vietnamese sources, from both sides. The book contains 130 photos, five maps and 18 color profiles.

Asia@War - following on from our highly successful Africa@War series, Asia@War replicates the same format - concise, incisive text, rare images and high quality color artwork providing fresh accounts of both well-known and more esoteric aspects of conflict in this part of the world since 1945.

About this title

About the Author:

Military historian and aviation-journalist Albert Grandolini was born in Vietnam and gained an MA in history from Paris 1 Sorbonne University. His primary research focus is on contemporary conflicts in general and particularly on the military history in Asia and Africa. Having spent his childhood in South Vietnam, the Vietnam War has always been one of his main fields of research. He authored the book Fall of the Flying Dragon: South Vietnamese Air Force (1973-1975) two volumes on Vietnam’s Easter Offensive of 1972 for Helion’s Asia@War Series, and three volumes on Libyan Air Wars for Africa@War Series, and has written numerous articles for various British, French, and German magazines.

Review:

“Stunning in its magnitude.” (Argunners Magazine)

“Chart the action yourself. Get this superb summary. Then grab Grandolini's second installment on the Easter Offensive's two other fronts. Robustly recommended!” (Cybermodeler)

About this edition

• Publisher: Helion and Company
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1910294071
• ISBN 13: 9781910294079
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 72