The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam

Unparalleled and Unequaled

Ira A. Hunt, Jr.

Narrated by Chadrick McNeal

Available from Audible

Book published by The University Press of Kentucky

Of all the military assignments in Vietnam, perhaps none was more challenging than the defense of the Mekong River Delta region. Operating deep within the Viet Cong–controlled Delta, the 9th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army was charged with protecting the area and its population against Communist insurgents and ensuring the success of the South Vietnamese government’s pacification program. Faced with unrelenting physical hardships, a tenacious enemy, and the region’s rugged terrain, the 9th Division established strategies and quantifiable goals for completing their mission, effectively writing a blueprint for combating guerilla warfare that influenced army tacticians for decades to come.

In The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam: Unparalleled and Unequaled, Ira A. Hunt Jr. details the innovative strategies of the 9th Division in their fight to overcome the Viet Cong. Based on Hunt’s experience as colonel and division chief of staff, the volume documents how the 9th Division’s combat effectiveness peaked in 1969. A wealth of illustrative material, including photos, maps, charts, and tables, deepens understanding of the region’s hazardous environment and clarifies the circumstances of the division’s failures and successes.

A welcome addition to scholarship on the Vietnam War, The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam will find an audience with enthusiasts and scholars of military history.

Ira A. Hunt, Jr. is a retired major general and the author of The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam: Unparalleled and Unequaled.

REVIEWS:

“The 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam is exceptionally significant because it addresses the very controversial topic of the large-scale operations of the 9th Division in the Mekong Delta.”

—Maj. Gen. (ret) David T. Zabecki, 9th Infantry Division Vietnam veteran and author of The German 1918 Offensives: A Case Study in the Operational Level of War

“General Hunt set about proving that the claims of the 9th Infantry Division’s brilliant performance in Vietnam were founded on fact. He succeeded and far more. The book provides fascinating insight into the counterinsurgency war that characterized the Vietnam conflict. While analytical and data driven, his story is enlivened by well-placed anecdotal evidence of brilliance and courage. The adaptability of leaders and soldiers alike leads one to understand the successes of the U.S. Army that many thought impossible in this sort of conflict. A valuable contribution to the history of this controversial war.”

—Jack N. Merritt, General, U.S. Army, Retired

“When Ewell and Hunt... arrived at the 9th Division in mid-1968, they knew the previous eighteen months of the division's efforts had produced few headline victories and were certain that a new methodology was needed for success. They chose detailed statistical analysis of every part of the division's efforts... This book details this analysis system, replete with tables of figures and narrative accounts of the methodology used to test and implement new tactics and schemes of maneuver support.”

—On Point

“This outstanding book is a must read for those trying to understand the Vietnam War and its guerrilla warfare tactics.”

—Post Library