Vietnam - A War Lost and Won - Softcover

Cawthorne, Nigel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0572031440 ISBN 13: 9780572031442

Publisher: Arcturus Publishing, 2005

Synopsis

The war in Vietnam was the longest war in American history. US ground troops were in Vietnam for eight long years. In all the American commitment in Southeast Asia lasted 15 years. During that time 46,370 US servicemen died in battle, more than 10,000 died from noncombat-related causes, and a further 300,000 were wounded. The Australian and New Zealand troops who fought there lost 496 dead and 2,398 wounded. But these figures pale beside Vietnamese losses. The South Vietnamese, America’s ally, lost 184,000 soldiers; the Communist enemy a further 900,000. It is estimated that over a million civilians lost their lives. However, the psychological damage to America was incalculable. Vietnam was the first war that America lost. It left the country bitterly divided. Many of 2.7 million Americans who served in Vietnam suffered psychologically for decades to come and America discovered that, for all its might and technological superiority, it could not defeat the ill-equipped peasant army of a small and fiercely determined enemy.

About this title

Synopsis:

This comprehensive and balanced account provides a highly original look at the emotive impact of the first 'media' war, charting not only the course of the war in Vietnam, but also seeking to place American involvement in Vietnam in historical perspective. The book also includes first-hand testimony on the highly charged issue of American personnel who went missing in action. It offers original, authoratative and thought-provoking arguments from a highly regarded author.

From the Inside Flap:

How did the USA, a staunchly anti-colonial nation, become involved in the most protracted war in its history, and how did arguably the world’s most powerful military machine, together with its Australian and New Zealand allies, allow itself to become bogged down in a jungle war thousands of miles from home?
This comprehensive and balanced account analyses the ultimate failure of the war, and the psychological impact of the war on the American people, and its effect on future US foreign policy. This book charts the course of the war in Vietnam, but more than this, it seeks to place American involvement in Vietnam in historical perspective, and to offer answers to the vital questions above.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0572031440
• ISBN 13: 9780572031442
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240