Westmoreland's War: Reassessing American Strategy in Vietnam

About this book

General William C. Westmoreland has long been derided for his failed strategy of "attrition" in the Vietnam War. Historians have argued that Westmorelands 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 Westmorelands 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. Westmorelands War is a landmark reinterpretation of one of Americas 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.