In the spring of 1972, the army of North Vietnam (NVA) invaded South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive. Almost all of the American ground forces had already withdrawn from Vietnam except for a small group of American advisers to the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). The 23rd ARVN Infantry Division and its American advisers were sent to defend the provincial capital of Kontum in the Central Highlands. 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. "Kontum: the battle to save South Vietnam" is the first in-depth account of this violent engagement, shedding light on the events that led to the invasion and the battle itself. Although much has been written about the Vietnam War, little of it addresses either the Easter Offensive or the Battle of Kontum, due in part to the fact that most of the soldiers fighting on the ground were South Vietnamese rather than U.S. soldiers. Although the United States provided crucial air and naval support, it was the 23rd ARVN Division that stood, fought, and held the city, preventing a North Vietnameses Army victory. "Kontum" is an invaluable record of not only the battle but the American and Vietnamese forces that fought and were killed or wounded during the campaign. Thomas P. McKenna illuminates the actions and influence of the U.S. advisers and offers a fascinating look inside the organization and training of the ARVN. McKenna, a 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. "Kontum" sheds new light on the actions of U.S. advisers in combat during the Vietnam War. McKenna's book is not only an historical resource for America's most controversial war but a personal story of valor and survival.

Preface -- Prologue: Kontum, now and then -- Autumn in the highlands, 1971 -- Fighting in Phu Nhon -- A hundred tons of bombs -- The looming threat -- The year of the rat -- The North Vietnamese invasion -- Attacking in An Khe Pass -- Our firebases fall -- The collapse at Tan Canh -- A debacle at Dak To -- A New team for the defense -- Closing in on Kontum -- Cut off and surrounded -- Tanks attacking! -- Struggling to hold it together -- "Brother, this is going to be it!" -- "You are going to be overrun" -- The dirty job of killing -- All over but the shooting? -- Finishing the job -- Epilogue: the end of the fight -- Glossary: abbreviations and military jargon.