In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in what
became known as the Easter Offensive. Almost all of the American forces
had already withdrawn from Vietnam except for a small group of American
advisers to the South Vietnamese armed forces. The 23rd ARVN Infantry
Division and its American advisers were sent to defend the provincial
capital of Kontum in the Central Highlands. They were surrounded and
attacked by three enemy divisions with heavy artillery and tanks but,
with the help of air power, managed to successfully defend Kontum and
prevent South Vietnam from being cut in half and defeated.
Although much has been written about the Vietnam War, little of it
addresses either the Easter Offensive or the Battle of Kontum. In
Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam, Thomas P. McKenna fills this
gap, offering the only in-depth account available of this violent
engagement. McKenna, a U.S. infantry lieutenant colonel assigned as a
military adviser to the 23rd Division, participated in the battle of
Kontum and combines his personal experiences with years of interviews
and research from primary sources to describe the events leading up to
the invasion and the battle itself.
Kontum sheds new light on the actions of U.S. advisers in combat
during the Vietnam War. McKenna's book is not only an essential
historical resource for America's most controversial war but a personal
story of valor and survival.
