"This monograph focuses on the battles of Quang Tri City and Hue that took place during the 1968 Tet Offensive. The offensive itself, an all-out effort by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces to overrun the major cities of South Vietnam, marked the turning point of the Vietnam War. Although the attacks were costly failures in military terms, they set the United States on a path of disengagement from the war that ultimately led to the fall of Saigon some seven years later."

"This monograph is an extract from a larger work in progress."

Part One: Opening Battles -- A question of momentum. Westmoreland's strategy for 1968 ; The chain of command ; The U.S. Army in Vietnam ; The South Vietnamese Armed Forces ; The enemy ; Hanoi's decision to launch a general offensive-general uprising -- Opening moves: Battles north and west of Saigon. Planning the dry season offensive ; The other side of the hill ; The Battle for Loc Ninh ; Second wave at Song Be and Bo Duc ; Thunder Road ; Screaming Eagles ; Assessing the campaign north of Saigon ; Tropic Lightning strikes at War Zone C ; The situation at the beginning of the new year -- Protecting the Heartland. Binh Duong and Hau Nghia provinces ; Gia Dinh: a province in transition ; East of Saigon ; Opening Highway 1 ; Long An province ; Taking stock -- Operations in the Mekong Delta. Taking the offensive ; Firebase CUDGEL ; CORONADO IX ; Supporting the South Vietnamese government ; The Delta at year's end -- Across the Central Highlands. New threats in the highlands ; The battle begins, 2-6 November ; The Allied counteroffensive, 7-15 November ; Into the Dak Klong Valley ; The pursuit continues: 15-18 November ; Hill 875: 18-24 November ; Results and interpretations ; Good neighbors in the highlands -- Defending the Central Coast. Pacification support in Binh Dinh ; Battling the Yellow Star Division ; Fighting for Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces ; Defending Southern II Corps ; The balance sheet -- Reinforcing I Corps. The struggle for the Que Son Basin ; The 2d Division attacks ; The Battle for Quang Tin and Quang Ngai provinces ; The balance sheet in I Corps -- The gathering storm. Enemy preparations for Tet ; Warning signs ; Khe Sanh besieged ; Allied expectations. Part Two: The General Offensive Begins -- Tet unleashed. First strikes on the Central Coast ; Clashes in Binh Dinh ; Hard fighting in the highlands ; Initial fighting in Southern I Corps ; The thrust at Da Nang ; Conclusion -- Saigon embattled. The capital military region on alert ; Attacks downtown ; The Battle for Tan Son Nhut Air Base ; The Joint General Staff compound ; Cholon and the Phu Tho Racetrack ; Battles on the periphery of Saigon ; Battles outside of Saigon ; Assessing the cost -- Mekong firestorm. The Delta in flames ; The Mobile Riverine Force to the rescue ; Firebase JAEGER ; CORONADO XI ; The post-Tet situation in IV Corps -- Fighting in the Northern Provinces. The assault on Quang Tri City ; Target: Hue ; A city besieged: 31 January-1 February ; Enter the cavalry: 2-10 February ; Going on the attack in the Triangle and the Citadel: 2-10 February ; West of Hue: 11-20 February ; Stalemate in the Citadel: 11-20 February ; The final push: 20-25 February ; Aftermath. Part Three: Thrust and Parry -- Reverberations. The communist perspective ; The view from Saigon ; America reacts ; Whither from here? The reinforcement debate -- The allies strike back. Restoring security in Central III Corps ; Regaining the initiative in the Northern Mekong ; Operations on the Central Coast ; Patrolling the highlands ; The American Division in Southern I Corps ; The My Lai Massacre ; A sense of urgency -- To Khe Sanh and the A Shau. Operation CARENTAN ; Operation PEGASUS ; Into the A Shau Valley -- The general offensive renewed. Fighting on the demilitarized zone ; Safeguarding Hue ; The Fall of Kham Duc ; Ambush in Binh Dinh province ; Renewed pressure at Ben Het and Dak Pek -- Mini-Tet in Saigon. Opening clashes to the east and north of Saigon ; The fight on the western outskirts, 5-12 May ; The Battle for South Saigon, 7-12 May ; Saigon: interlude and the second phase, 13 May-7 June ; Assessing the May offensive -- A summer of attrition. Continuity and change in I Corps ; Operations in II Corps ; II Field Force and the approaches to Saigon -- Thwarting the third wave. Allied preparations ; The Battle for Tay Ninh begins ; The offensive widens ; Fighting continues in Tay Ninh province ; The September phase ; Conclusion -- An evolving war.