The Easter Offensive: The Last American Advisors, Vietnam, 1972

The Easter Offensive was a military campaign conducted by the People’s Army of Vietnam against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and the United States military between 30 March and 22 October 1972, during the Vietnam War. This conventional invasion was a radical departure from previous North Vietnamese offensives. The offensive was not designed to win the war outright, but North Vietnam aimed to gain as much territory and destroy as many units of South Vietnam as possible, to improve the North’s negotiating position as the Paris Peace Accords drew toward a conclusion.

This thoroughly documented chronology serves both as a historical lesson and a remarkable war memoir. On the Marine Corps Commandant’s professional list for years, it is told with authority and compassion by a crucial player, an American Marine who was a senior advisor to the Vietnamese Marines.

When first published in hardcover in 1984, it was a selection of the Military Book Club.

About the Author

Col. Gerald H. Turley, USMC (Ret.), an accomplished author, was a career officer who served two tours in Vietnam and later was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence. Now a defence consultant, he lives in Bluffton, SC.