Westmoreland's War Reassessing American Strategy in Vietnam [Hardcover]

General William C. Westmoreland has long been derided for his failed strategy of attrition in the Vietnam War. Historians have argued that Westmoreland's strategy placed a premium on high body counts through a big unit war that relied almost solely on search and destroy missions. Many believe the U.S. Army failed in Vietnam because of Westmoreland's misguided and narrow strategy

In a groundbreaking reassessment of American military strategy in Vietnam, Gregory Daddis overturns conventional wisdom and shows how Westmoreland did indeed develop a comprehensive campaign which included counterinsurgency, civic action, and the importance of gaining political support from the South Vietnamese population. Exploring the realities of a large, yet not wholly unconventional environment, Daddis reinterprets the complex political and military battlefields of Vietnam. Without searching for blame, he analyzes how American civil and military leaders developed strategy and how Westmoreland attempted to implement a sweeping strategic vision.

Westmoreland's Waris a landmark reinterpretation of one of America's most divisive wars, outlining the multiple, interconnected aspects of American military strategy in Vietnam-combat operations, pacification, nation building, and the training of the South Vietnamese armed forces. Daddis offers a critical reassessment of one of the defining moments in American history.

Preface

Introduction: A Word on War and Strategy

1. Conceiving Strategy for the Cold War Era

2. From Advice to Support to War

3. The Myth of Attrition in Vietnam

4. On Bewildering Battlefields: Implementing Westmoreland's Strategy

5. The Parallel War

6. Training an Uncertain Army

Conclusion: When Strategy May Not Matter

Daddis's book will compel many scholars to revisit their histories of Vietnam. --Daniel P. Murphy,Journal of American Culture

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