I’m on my second time through “The Hill Fights, The First Battle of Khe Sahn”, Murphy, 2003.
I have read 3 or 4 times, “Night of the Silver Stars, The Battle of Lang Vei”, Phillips, 1997.
I have some questions, since I was only about 4 when Siagon fell.
Where was the “Camp Ashau” located? Was it located relative to a village like Lang Vei, or was it a more remote deal. Any books dedicated to that story?
In “Hill Fights” Walt does not believe there is a regiment in the hills", and IIRC, he wouldn’t commit forces to bail-out the Green Berets in Camp A-101 when the poor fuckers were being overrun by ARMOR, in “Lang Vei” 3 YEARS LATER, (and at this point Westmoreland does not “overrule” him and get involved). WTF?
Why didn’t Westmoreland replace him once they were both in the theatre? Just send him back to Washington or something. He was obviously on a different page than Westmoreland, didn’t want to fight they way Westy did, and didn’t believe in Westy’s plan.
I’m not a Westy-backer. It seems as early as 1966, Westy had plans to invade Laos, like an expansion of a situation that was never in control.
I just think that if someone didn’t believe in Stormin’ Norman’s plan in Desert Storm, they’d have been flown home.
I’m almost completely uninformed about the situation. Hopefully someone who is more informed will step in.
It might have been because Walt was right, at least on an underlying level. One of the underlying issues in Vietnam was whether to free the hands of the military to wage war. The argument in the States was whether to stay in the conflict, and the issues of how to define and politically support our mission seem to have been neglected and left to the generals.
Westmoreland’s overall strategy was one of dominance over a conventional aggressor; Walt wanted to use American forces to “help protect the villages, get to know the people, find the local Communist infrastructure and put it out of business.” (Wikipedia.) Given how the Tet Offensive and the rest of the war played out, he might have had a point.
Who is Walt? Is that a nickname?
Walt is Major General Lewis Walt, III Marine Amphibious Force and 3rd Marine Division, and Chief of Naval Forces, Vietnam. He and Westmorland differed on how to run the war.
My Dad (RIP) was XO of 1/9 at Khe Sahn, and a former tank enlisted man and officer. The guys who heard the radio calls ran to him for advice when the armor hit the Special Forces camp. His term for Westmoreland was “The Big Squad Leader in the Sky”, not sure what period this was referring to.
This tripod link says Camp A Shuawas located 48km southwest of Hue, 2.5 km from the Laos border.