Recently I discussed three possible dissertation topics. In the short time since that post, I have put more thought into exploring the North Vietnam’s 1968 Test Offensive from a multinational perspective. The legacy of Tet ’68 is a controversial topic in Vietnam War historiography, with orthodox scholars viewing the offensive as a significant defeat for US forces in Vietnam. Lately, I have been wondering if Australia saw Tet ’68 as a defeat, or a victory. More importantly, what role did Australian forces play in pushing back North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong troops? Ultimately I want to demonstrate the Vietnam War as conflict with global repercussions and not purely as an American war. Doing so might help place Tet ’68, and perhaps the entire Vietnam War, into a Pacific history perspective. Again, this is just the initial thought process and nothing concrete. I will write a post on Tet ’68 once I have a firmer grasp on the offensive and it’s legacy.
At some point during this semester my dissertation topic must be narrowed down into an original research project. In the most basic sense, my dissertation will deal with the relationship between the United States and Australia during the Vietnam War. Wanting to better understand how the US Army and the Australian forces in Vietnam worked together is not groundbreaking. Ideally, I would like to demonstrate that the Vietnam War was not just a US issue, but rather a conflict that tested America’s relationship with the Commonwealth, particularly Australia. As a result, I need a new angle to examine the military relations between the two Allies.
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Two additional books pertaining to the Vietnam War were recently added to my collection. While not new releases, these works should help me complete a few encyclopedia articles.
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Last year I wrote a brief analysis of the First Battle of the Isonzo. Now nearing the ninety-fifth anniversary of the first Isonzo battle I thought it might be somehow fitting to highlight the connections between this engagement and the Second World War. Recently I read a post over at The Spitfire Site, where an ongoing post-blogging project on the Battle of Britain addressed Italy’s entrance into the war. The similarities between the Italian assaults against Austrian-Hungarian positions during the First World War and the invasion of France in the Second World War are striking.
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Today I have spent some time updating the look of this site. As always, I am trying to improve the readabilty of my posts through improvements in typography. Readers will notice the replacement of darker colors with more grays, easier to read font, and larger heading sizes. In terms of usability, site visitors can now leave comments simply by signing in with their Twitter account. Feel free to voice your opinions regarding the site changes.
Synopsis
The purpose of Thompson Werk is to present the musings of a US War and Society doctoral student. Discussion topics principally center around the World Wars and Vietnam.
The opinions expressed on this site are not be confused with those of my colleagues, employers, friends, family, and/or anyone else associated with me.
Contact me with any comments, complaints, and/or questions.
Responses
- Robert: Everyone needs to see Vietnam,
- Ross Mahoney: Sounds like it is another
- Robert: My original post omitted the
- Robert: Hey Ross, Vietnam is a
- Ross Mahoney: Robert it looks like a
