Reviews
"James Willbanks, a veteran of the Vietnam War and of the American advisory effort, reminds us of the importance of southeastern Laos to the Vietnam War in this carefully researched and clearly argued study. A Raid Too Far is richly rewarding for anyone interested in Operation Lam Son 719 and the later stages of the Vietnam War. Willbanks reveals the flaws in US and South Vietnamese strategy, the complexity of command, planning, and combat operations in an unequal coalition, and the heavy pressure of domestic politics on war fighting. A successful attack on the Ho Chi Minh Trail could have severely hurt the North Vietnamese war effort. But in the context of Vietnamization, the Nixon administration and the Pentagon pushed for an operation that was limited in nature yet still exceeded the capacity of the South Vietnamese army. Willbanks shows that by forcing ARVN units to operate without their US advisors, critical functions such as fire support could not be met adequately. Add to that difficult terrain, fissures within South Vietnamese command, and an enemy determined to fight and able to reinforce at critical points and the defeat of the South Vietnamese offensive appears predetermined. Remarkably, after the withdrawal from Laos, Nixon and Thieu publicly claimed success. In reality, Lam Son 719 deepened doubts among South Vietnamese leaders about the reliability of the US, and the campaign destroyed the confidence and morale of South Vietnam's soldiers."--Ingo Trauschweizer, author, The Cold War U.S. Army, "A Raid Too Far is a gripping tale of bravery, courage, and arguably failed military and civilian leadership during one of the most heavily fought campaigns of the Vietnam War. No one can describe the heroism of both American and Vietnamese combatants better than Jim Willbanks, a former advisor to ARVN forces."-Ron Milam, author of Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War, "There is no serious full-length account of Operation Lam Son 719. There are a couple of 'pop' accounts of the battle, but no scholar has taken notice of this crucial moment in the Vietnam War. As Willbanks rightly points out, Lam Son 719 was the crucial test of America's Vietnamization program. Thus it was the test of Nixon's war. This book is badly needed. In short Lam Son 719 fills a huge gap in our historiographical understanding of the Vietnam War. It is a stand out work, one that will be of great importance in the world of professional academic historians and will be of great interest to a broader military history readership."--Andrew A. Wiest, Distinguished Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of War and Society, University of Southern Mississippi; author , Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN and The Boys of '67: Charlie Company's War in Vietnam Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONE, "A Raid Too Far is a gripping tale of bravery, courage, and arguably failed military and civilian leadership during one of the most heavily fought campaigns of the Vietnam War. No one can describe the heroism of both American and Vietnamese combatants better than Jim Willbanks, a former advisor to ARVN forces."-Ron Milam, author of Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War, "This is a well-written and informative book. A good read for those interested in the Vietnam War." -- Military, "James Willbanks, a veteran of the Vietnam War and of the American advisory effort, reminds us of the importance of southeastern Laos to the Vietnam War in this carefully researched and clearly argued study. A Raid Too Far is richly rewarding for anyone interested in Operation Lam Son 719 and the later stages of the Vietnam War. Willbanks reveals the flaws in US and South Vietnamese strategy, the complexity of command, planning, and combat operations in an unequal coalition, and the heavy pressure of domestic politics on war fighting. A successful attack on the Ho Chi Minh Trail could have severely hurt the North Vietnamese war effort. But in the context of Vietnamization, the Nixon administration and the Pentagon pushed for an operation that was limited in nature yet still exceeded the capacity of the South Vietnamese army. Willbanks shows that by forcing ARVN units to operate without their US advisors, critical functions such as fire support could not be met adequately. Add to that difficult terrain, fissures within South Vietnamese command, and an enemy determined to fight and able to reinforce at critical points and the defeat of the South Vietnamese offensive appears predetermined. Remarkably, after the withdrawal from Laos, Nixon and Thieu publicly claimed success. In reality, Lam Son 719 deepened doubts among South Vietnamese leaders about the reliability of the US, and the campaign destroyed the confidence and morale of South Vietnam's soldiers."--Ingo Trauschweizer, author, The Cold War U.S. Army, "This clearly written volume successfully combines policy and operational history in a comprehensive and definitive account of a controversial military campaign. A Raid Too Far is a worthy addition to the literature on the Vietnam War."--The Journal of American History, "Nobody today writes about the Vietnam War more lucidly or authoritatively than Jim Willbanks. A highly decorated veteran of that war himself, his exacting scholarship and precise writing style make A Raid Too Far a "must read" for all serious students of military history."- Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki, PhD, Army of the United Stares, Retired Editor Emeritus, Vietnam Magazine, "A truly outstanding operational-level military history detailing one of the most significant, and still highly contested, campaigns fought during the latter stages of the Vietnam War. Jim Willbanks expertly conveys a story that explains both the aspirations and limitations of President Nixon's policy of Vietnamization. This is essential reading for anyone seeking clarity on Lam Son 719 and the larger U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam."-Gregory A. Daddis, Department of History, United States Military Academy, West Point, "A truly outstanding operational-level military history detailing one of the most significant, and still highly contested, campaigns fought during the latter stages of the Vietnam War. Jim Willbanks expertly conveys a story that explains both the aspirations and limitations of President Nixon's policy of Vietnamization. This is essential reading for anyone seeking clarity on Lam Son 719 and the larger U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam."-Gregory A. Daddis, Department of History, United States Military Academy, West Point
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