My Account Wish List
Advanced Search
Print - Close Window
www.greenwood.com/catalog/GM1675.aspx
All Greenwood Products
The Battle of Ap Bac, Vietnam They Did Everything but Learn from It
(Click to Enlarge)
David M. Toczek
ISBN: 0-313-31675-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-31675-3
224 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 4/30/2001
List Price: $115.00 (UK Sterling Price: £79.95)
Availability: Print on demand
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: Toczek provides the first description of the entire battle of Ap Bac and places it in the larger context of the Vietnam War. The study thoroughly examines the January 1963 battle, complete with detailed supporting maps. Ironically, Ap Bac's great importance lies in American policymakers' perception of the battle as unimportant; for all their intelligence and drive, senior American government officials missed the early warning signs of a flawed policy in Southeast Asia by ignoring the lessons of the defeat of the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) on 2 January 1963.

The outcome of Ap Bac was a direct reflection of how the U.S. Army organized, equipped, and trained the ARVN. With all the ARVN officer corps's shortcomings, the South Vietnamese Army could not successfully conduct an American combined arms operations against a smaller, less well-equipped enemy. American leadership, both military and civilian, failed to draw any connection between ARVN's dismal performance and American policies toward South Vietnam. Although certain tactical changes resulted from the battle, the larger issue of American policy remained unchanged, including the structure of the advisory system.
Table of Contents:
  • Foreword
    Preface
    The Background
    The Belligerents
    The Fight
    The Aftermath
    Conclusions
    Appendix A: Brief Chronology of Events
    Appendix B: Key American Leaders in Vietnam
    Appendix C: The Ballad of Ap Bac
    Appendix D: Operational Terms
    Appendix E: ARVN Weapon Systems Characteristics
    Appendix F: U.S. Army/ARVN Vehicle/Aircraft Characteristics
    Selected Bibliography
    Index
About the Author: DAVID M. TOCZEK is a serving US Army lieutenant colonel currently assigned to a NATO post in Heidelberg, Germany. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, he received his Master's in history from Texas Tech University and spent three years as a military history instructor and assistant professor in the Department of History, United States Military Academy, teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
LCC Class: 959
All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2009 ABC-CLIO
130 Cremona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117 805-968-1911