Taking the Offensive: Combat Operations October 1966 to October 1967

Covering combat operations during the critical year that began in October 1966, this volume tells the story of how one of the best armies the United States has ever fielded took on both the enemy's guerrilla units and his main forces and time and again drove them from the battlefield. It also shows, however, that the enemy retained the initiative, fighting only when it suited. his purposes and retreating with impunity across South Vietnam's borders into Laos and Cambodia, where his sanctuaries were inviolable to American forces. It is a story that goes to the very essence of the Vietnam War, filled with the triumphs that Americans have always expected of their soldiers, but also with a measure of the inevitable bitterness and frustration inherent in an irresolute conflict. I believe there is much here for both soldier and civilian to learn. I commend the book to all who seek answers about the war, and especially to those who find themselves engaged in military operations that place to learn.