The Blood Road The Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Vietnam War

by Prados, John

• ISBN13: 9780471379454
• ISBN10: 047137945X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-03-20
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

"Enormously illuminating. . . . John Prados can lead a reader, from the battle buff to the expert, through the series of campaigns near the DMZ and along Route 9 better than any other author I have read. . . . His understanding of the decision-making process in Hanoi is nuanced and sophisticated. . . . A first-rate book from a first-rate scholar."Robert K. Brigham, Vassar College"The most comprehensive treatment yet of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and its place in the war."Washington Post"An excellent book about one of the most important facets of the Vietnam War. . . . From now on it will be irresponsible for any Vietnam War scholar to deal with the strategy for this still controversial conflict without referring to The Blood Road, a thoughtful, painstakingly researched book."The Quarterly Journal of Military History"A valuable work of interest to all scholars of the Vietnam War."Journal of Military HistoryCould the United States have won the Vietnam War if it had been able to cut off the Viet Cong from their North Vietnamese support by severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail? Acclaimed historian John Prados tackles this crucial question in this elegant, unprecedented, and exciting work of historical scholarship. Aided by recently declassified government documents and previously unavailable oral histories, memoirs, and interviews, Prados explores all sides of the conflict, providing details of the action in Hanoi and North Vietnam and avoiding the narrowly focused battle histories, atomized individual accounts, and overly generalized visions dominating previous histories.A History Book Club Selection

Author Biography

JOHN PRADOS, Ph.D., is the author of nine other books on military history, including Combined Fleet Decoded, Hidden History of the Vietnam War, Valley of Decision, Keeper of the Keys, and Presidents Secret Wars.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	xi
Introduction	xiii
``Plainly a Gateway to Southeast Asia'': 1954--1960	1	(20)
Ants and Elephants: 1961--1962	21	(22)
The Watershed: 1962--1963	43	(18)
The Battle Joined: 1963--1964	61	(30)
Dark Road AheaD: 1964--1965	91	(32)
The World and The `Nam	123	(16)
Squeezing Hanoi: 1965--1966	139	(42)
Indian Country: 1966--1967	181	(24)
Forks in the Road: 1967	205	(36)
Fire in the Night: 1968	241	(26)
Pinball Wizards: 1968--1969	267	(20)
A Strategy of Force: 1969--1970	287	(24)
No Plug in the Funnel: 1971	311	(40)
The Road Turns South: 1971--1975	351	(30)
Afterword	381	(2)
Notes	383	(27)
Index	410