Hell in an Loc

In 1972 a North Vietnamese offensive of more than 30,000 men and 100 tanks smashed into South Vietnam and raced to capture Saigon. All that stood in their way was a small band of 6,800 South Vietnamese (ARVN) soldiers and militiamen, and a handful of American advisors with U.S. air support, guarding An Loc, a town sixty miles north of Saigon and on the main highway to it. This depleted army, outnumbered and outgunned, stood its ground and fought to the end and succeeded. Thi believes that it is time to set the record straight. Without denying the tremendous contribution of the U.S. advisors and pilots, this book is written primarily to tell the South Vietnamese side of the story. "Thi's book is a unique work, written by a participant in the war, from a fresh historical vantage point, utilizing new evidence. Hell in An Loc will be a powerful addition to the historiography of the Vietnam conflict."-Andrew Wiest, author of Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN "General Thi has brought his unique perspective as a Vietnamese citizen and as a South Vietnamese officer to an important battle of the Vietnam War. The value of this book is its operational detail about the South Vietnamese, which surpasses any of the accounts in print up to this point."-Dale Andrade, author of America's Last Vietnam Battle "General Lam Quang Thi's long overdue second book provides crucial missing perspectives from America's longest allies on the battlefield, those from South Vietnam. Perhaps more importantly, his work documents the South Vietnamese military's valiant efforts in the largest battle of the Vietnam War, which have been omitted by the American media, military, and in the movies."-Quang X. Pham, author of A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey "A meticulous account created specifically to set the historical record straight, Hell in An Loc is highly recommended."-Midwest Book Review LAM QUANG THI was a general in the ARVN. He is the author of The Twenty-five Year Century: A South Vietnamese General Remembers the Indochina War to the Fall of Saigon (UNT Press). He lives in Fremont, California. ANDREW WIEST (foreword) is the author of Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN.