The Military Art of the People's War; Selected Writings of General Vo Nguyen Giap

New York, N.Y.: Monthly Review Press, 1971. First Modern Reader Paper Back Edition [stated]. Second printing [stated]. Trade paperback. Good. 332, [4] pages. Some cover wear and page discoloration. Illustrations. Occasional footnotes. Edited and with an Introduction by Russell Stetler. Includes Map of Vietnam on pages 44-45. Topics covered include The War Against the French; The War in the South; and The War of Escalation. Name of previous owner of this book appears on the half title page and on the title page. This book includes the major writings of General Giap, who, on the evidence of his record as well as his theoretical work, has long been recognized as one of the military geniuses of modern times. The book includes writings from the 1940's to the end of the 1960's, and thus constitutes the most complete selection yet published. Much of the material has never before been available in English. This collection includes the major writings of General Giap, who, on the evidence of his record as well as his theoretical work, has long been recognized as one of the military geniuses of modern times. The book is presented here with a valuable historical introduction by Russell Stetler. Giap's story is the epic story of how a small backward peasant people fought to a standstill, within less than one generation, three of the most powerful military machines of the twentieth century--those of Japan, of colonial France, and of the United States. Gi�p had no direct military training and was a history teacher at a French-speaking academy, influenced by historical military leaders and personally citing T. E. Lawrence and Napoleon as his two greatest influences. Highly recommended for readers who seek a holistic understanding behind the conflict. V� Nguy�n Gi�p (25 August 1911 - 4 October 2013) was an army general in the Vietnam People's Army and a politician. V� Nguy�n Gi�p has been called one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century. He first rose to prominence during World War II, where he served as the military leader of the Viet Minh resistance against the Japanese occupation of Vietnam and also as Defence Minister & Deputy Prime Minister for nearly 44 years. Gi�p was a crucial military commander in two wars: the First Indochina War of 1946-1954, and the Vietnam War of 1955-1975, participating in several historically significant battles: Cao B ng in 1950, H�a B�nh in 1951-1952, i n Bi�n Ph in 1954, the T t Offensive in 1968, the Easter Offensive in 1972, and the final Ho Chi Minh Campaign of 1975. Gi�p was a mastermind military builder; during the First Indochina War, he had transformed a rag-tag band of rebels to a 'fine light-infantry army' fielding cryptography, artillery and advanced logistics[5] and capable of challenging a larger, modernized French Far East Expeditionary Corps and the Vietnamese National Army. He was also a very effective logistician, laying the foundation of the Ho Chi Minh trail, recognized as one of the great feats of military engineering of the 20th century. V� Nguy�n Gi�p served as Military Minister and Chief of Staff, and is often credited with North Vietnam's military victory over South Vietnam and the US during the Vietnam War. Recent scholarship indicates other leaders had played more prominent roles, with former subordinates and now rivals V n Ti n D ng and Ho�ng V n Th�i assuming a more direct military responsibility than Gi�p. Nevertheless, he played a pivotal role in the second transformation of the PAVN into "one of the largest, most formidable" mechanized and combined-arms fighting force capable of delivering a knockout blow to an increasingly more powerful rival Army of the Republic of Vietnam in conventional warfare.