War Without Fronts

History

Greiner, Bernd

Military

Random House]

A brutal close-up of a strategy of civilian slaughter sanctioned by American leaders, and arguably a final indictment of the American war in Vietnam. Shortly before 8 a.m. on 16 March 1968, C-Company, First Battalion, Twentieth Infantry, Eleventh Brigade, Americal Division, on a search-and-destroy mission in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, entered the small hamlet of My Lai. By noon every living being the troops could find was dead--about 500 women, children and old men had been systematically murdered.
To this day, the My Lai massacre has remained the most shocking episode of the Vietnam War. Yet it is now becoming clear that this infamous incident was not an exception or aberration. Based on extensive research and unprecedented access to U.S. Army archives, War Without Fronts reveals the true extent of war crimes committed by American troops in Vietnam. In a series of case studies, Greiner looks at the killing work of U.S. Army death squads from 1967 to 1971.
Rather than pointing the finger at the “grunts” fighting a dirty war on the ground, Greiner argues that the responsibility for these atrocities extends all the way up to the White House and the Pentagon. The escalation of violence on the ground can be attributed to several factors: a U.S. political leadership afraid for the United States to lose its credibility and unable, against better advice, to stop the war; a military that devised a strategy of attrition based on “body counts” as the only way to defeat an enemy skilled in unconventional warfare; officers who were badly trained, lacking in motivation and interested only in furthering their careers; soldiers who realized they were utterly disposable and sought to empower themselves through random killing. The result was the torture, rape, maiming, and murder of countless Vietnamese civilians.

War Without Fronts: The USA in Vietnam

Yale University Press

Shortly before 8 a.m. on 16 March 1968, C-Company, First Battalion, Twentieth Infantry, Eleventh Brigade, Americal Division, on a search-and-destroy mission in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, entered the small hamlet of My Lai. By noon every living being the troops could find was dead--about 500 women, children and old men had been systematically murdered. To this day, the My Lai massacre has remained the most shocking episode of the Vietnam War. Yet it is now becoming clear that this infamous incident was not an exception or aberration. Based on extensive research and unprecedented access to U.S. Army archives, War Without Fronts reveals the true extent of war crimes committed by American troops in Vietnam. In a series of case studies, Greiner looks at the killing work of U.S. Army death squads from 1967 to 1971. Rather than pointing the finger at the “grunts” fighting a dirty war on the ground, Greiner argues that the responsibility for these atrocities extends all the way up to the White House and the Pentagon. The escalation of violence on the ground can be attributed to several factors: a U.S. political leadership afraid for the United States to lose its credibility and unable, against better advice, to stop the war; a military that devised a strategy of attrition based on “body counts” as the only way to defeat an enemy skilled in unconventional warfare; officers who were badly trained, lacking in motivation and interested only in furthering their careers; soldiers who realized they were utterly disposable and sought to empower themselves through random killing. The result was the torture, rape, maiming, and murder of countless Vietnamese civilians.

Asia

A groundbreaking investigation of the true extent of American war crimes during the American intervention in Vietnam. Based on extensive research in U.S. Army archives not previously utilized by historians, War Without Frontiers reveals the true extent of atrocities and war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Vietnam. Massacres, such as the infamous incident at My Lai, were far from being exceptions or aberrations; on the contrary, as Greiner shows in harrowing detail, they were commonplace. Yet, rather than placing the responsibility for war crimes solely with the “grunts” fighting a dirty war on the ground, he points the finger at the line of command reaching all the way up to the White House and the Pentagon. A political leadership frightened for the superpower USA losing its credibility and unable to stop the war; a military that devised a strategy of attrition based on “body counts” as the only way to defeat an enemy skilled in unconventional warfare; officers who were badly trained, demotivated and interested only in furthering their careers; and finally, soldiers who realized that they were utterly disposable and who sought to empower themselves through random killing. All these factors led to an escalation of violence on the ground: the torture, rape, maiming and murder of countless Vietnamese civilians.

Americas

Bodley Head

A groundbreaking investigation of the true extent of American war crimes during the American intervention in Vietnam.Based on extensive research in U.S. Army archives not previously utilized by historians, War Without Frontiers reveals the true extent of atrocities and war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Vietnam. Massacres, such as the infamous incident at My Lai, were far from being exceptions or aberrations; on the contrary, as Greiner shows in harrowing detail, they were commonplace. Yet, rather than placing the responsibility for war crimes solely with the “grunts” fighting a dirty war on the ground, he points the finger at the line of command reaching all the way up to the White House and the Pentagon.A political leadership frightened for the superpower USA losing its credibility and unable to stop the war; a military that devised a strategy of attrition based on “body counts” as the only way to defeat an enemy skilled in unconventional warfare; officers who were badly trained, demotivated and interested only in furthering their careers; and finally, soldiers who realized that they were utterly disposable and who sought to empower themselves through random killing. All these factors led to an escalation of violence on the ground: the torture, rape, maiming and murder of countless Vietnamese civilians.From the Hardcover edition.

Krieg ohne Fronten: Die USA in Vietnam

Hamburger Edition

Krieg Ohne Fronten Die Usa in Vietnam

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Books by Greiner, Bernd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Greiner, Bernd. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

War Without Fronts

War Without Fronts: The USA in Vietnam

War Without Fronts: The USA in Vietnam

War Without Fronts

War Without Fronts: The USA in Vietnam

Krieg ohne Fronten: Die USA in Vietnam

Krieg Ohne Fronten Die Usa in Vietnam