In the spring of 1972, Hanoi launched a full-scale invasion of South Vietnam, one of the largest offensives of the Vietnam War. For three tense months it was close confrontation, and many observers predicted the end for the Saigon government. But the South Vietnamese held. Their victory came in large measure due to American air power and the presence of U.S. Army and Marine Corps advisors on the ground. Yet their heroic story is not well known. The War That Would Not End paints a vivid picture of the battle for northern I Corps, concentrating on the Marines and their fight to stem the North Vietnamese tide.
During the Cold War, Vietnam illustrated the limitations of a major power in a peripheral conflict, yet the military forces involved—North Vietnamese, South Vietnamese, American, and Allied—showed commendable battlefield consistency. By early 1972, Nixon's "Vietnamization" policy was in full effect, with South Vietnamese forces taking on more military responsibility while US troop numbers dwindled to around 25,000. In late March 1972, North Vietnam launched a significant Easter Offensive, marking its first major invasion since the Tet Offensive of 1968. The scale of this assault caught US high command off guard, as inexperienced South Vietnamese soldiers, along with US advisors, faced a formidable conventional invasion across three fronts: Quang Tri, Kontum, and An Loc. In I Corps Tactical Zone, PAVN tanks and infantry swiftly captured Quang Tri City and overran the province, but ARVN forces regrouped along the My Chanh River. With the support of US airpower, they managed to halt the North's advance and eventually retook the city in a fierce counteroffensive. This analysis, grounded in primary sources and firsthand accounts, delves into this pivotal moment in the Vietnam conflict, highlighting the South's resilience while acknowledging the North's territorial gains and enhanced bargaining position at the Paris peace negotiations.
