This period also saw Soviet and Chinese aid to North Vietnam transform the NVA from a largely light infantry army to a mechanized tank- and artillery-heavy combined arms force that so greatly outgunned the ARVN. It was the abrupt end of American economic and material support in 1974 that doomed their efforts and brought about their eventual defeat. This history of the South Vietnamese armed forces operations between 19 reveals that during 1973 they had the upper hand in conflicts with the North Vietnamese. This does a great disservice to the fighting men of South Vietnam, especially the infantry, Rangers, airborne troops and Marines who fought long, bravely and under great handicaps and hardships in defense of their country. Very often, they are little more than a footnote in histories of the Vietnam War. The years between the signature of the Paris 'peace accords' in 1972 and the final collapse of South Vietnam in 1975 are usually neglected.

McKenna’s book is not only an essential historical resource for America’s most controversial war but a personal story of valor and survival. advisers in combat during the Vietnam War. Kontum sheds new light on the actions of 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. McKenna fills this gap, offering the only in-depth account available of this violent engagement.

In Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam, Thomas P. Although much has been written about the Vietnam War, little of it addresses either the Easter Offensive or the Battle of Kontum. 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. The 23rd ARVN Infantry Division and its American advisers were sent to defend the provincial capital of Kontum in the Central Highlands.

Almost all of the American forces had already withdrawn from Vietnam except for a small group of American advisers to the South Vietnamese armed forces. In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive.

Kontum by Thomas McKenna