Nestled in Vietnam’s Thua Thien Province, west of the city of Hue, and bordering Laos, the narrow 40-kilometer long A Shau Valley, situated between densely forested mountain ranges, witnessed prolonged campaigning throughout the Vietnam War and served as a hub of the Communist supply network as well as a key point of access to South Vietnam.

Drawing upon an impressive array of archival materials, this deeply researched book offers the first comprehensive account of operations and battles that transpired there during the war, coupled with a trenchant analysis of the American failure to wrest control of the Valley despite years of commitment of troops and resources, and how that failure contributed to the final outcome of the war. In so doing, it not only sheds light on where military tactics and strategy devised by American leaders went awry, but also traces the extraordinary acts of heroism on the part of American soldiers, many of whom lost their lives fighting the North Vietnamese in this hostile, forbidding terrain.

This book, which fills a gap in the historiography of the Vietnam War, will appeal to scholars seeking to enhance their understanding of major events and turning points in the war, as well as to students of military history and strategy.