Rolling Thunder in a Gentle Land

Fifteen renowned authors from widely varied backgrounds examine the Vietnam War, providing a fresh insight into this controversial conflict, even for those who have 'read it all before'.
"This is a superb and compelling reexamination of the major historical, political, and ethical issues that continue to smoulder many decades after the conclusion of the Vietnam War, I highly recommend Rolling Thunder in a Gentle Land. It is among the best books of its kind that I've encountered over the last dozen years." - Tom O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried
First-hand accounts, maps and contemporary photographs, analysis from the soldiers involved and new perspectives from combatants on both sides provide an incisive investigation into a fascinating and terrible war.

Dr Andrew Wiest is University Distinguished Professor of History and the founding director of the Dale Center for the Study of War & History at the University of Southern Mississippi. Specializing in the study of World War I and Vietnam, he has served as a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Warfighting Strategy in the United States Air Force Air War College. Since 1992 Dr Wiest has been active in international education, developing the award-winning Vietnam Study Abroad Program.
Wiest's titles include Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN (New York University), which won the Society for Military History's Distinguished Book Award, Rolling Thunder in a Gentle Land (Osprey), and The Boys of '67 (Osprey), which was the basis for the Emmy nominated National Geographic Channel Documentary Brothers in War. He lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with his wife Jill and their three children Abigail, Luke, and Wyatt.

Acknowledgments
Contributors
Chronology
Chapter 1: Introduction
An American War?
Dr Andrew Wiest
Chapter 2: The French Indochina War
1946-54
Martin Windrow

Chapter 3: Fight for the Long Haul
The War as Seen by a Soldier in the People's Army of Vietnam
Bui Tin
Chapter 4: The Road South
The Ho Chi Minh Trail
Dr John Prados

Chapter 5: The War Outside Vietnam
Cambodia and Laos
Professor Kenton Clymer

Chapter 6: A View from the Other Side of the Story
Reflections of a South Vietnamese Soldier
Lieutenant General Lam Quang Thi
Chapter 7: Caught in the Crossfire
The Civilian Experience
Le Ly Hayslip & Dien Pham
Chapter 8: Diggers and Kiwis
Australian and New Zealand Experience in Vietnam
Professor Jeffrey Grey
Chapter 9: The Conduct of the War
Strategy, Doctrine, Tactics, and Policy
Lewis Sorley

Chapter 10: On the Ground
The US Experience
Bernard Edelman

Chapter 11: "Swatting Flies with a Sledgehammer"
The Air War
Professor Ronald B. Frankum, Jr.
Chapter 12: Battle for the Mekong
The River War in Vietnam
Professor R. Blake Dunnavent
Chapter 13: Tactics in a Different War
Adapting US Doctrine
Gordon L. Rottman

Chapter 14: The "Living-Room War"
Media and Public Opinion in a Limited War
Professor Daniel C. Hallin
Chapter 15: The Final Act - And After
The Legacy of War
Arnold R. Isaacs
Endnotes
Bibliography
Glossary
Index