Scope and Contents

The collection consists of CDs, film, and photocopies of papers written and presented by James Willbanks for conferences and other academic gatherings documenting various topics related to the Vietnam Conflict. The papers all date from the post-war period, primarily 1999-2001 and include topics such as: the end of the Vietnam Conflict, military forces in Vietnam, the defeat of the South Vietnamese, the Thai Army in Vietnam, the Battle of Hue, and the 1972 Easter Offensive. One CD contains documents dating from 1962 to 2004 and includes: the Analysis of the Khe Sanh Battle (5 April 1968), Helicopter Operations in Counterinsurgency, Combined Action Program (CAP) Histories, and Viet Cong Improvised Mines and Booby Traps. The other disc contains various Vietnamese language documents translated by Merle Pribbenow. The film footage dates from the war era. Also included are booklets pertaining to the history of the 192nd Assault Helicopter Company. These materials are dated 2018-2022.

Biographical / Historical

James Willbanks served with the United States Army in Vietnam, 1971-1972. He served as an officer with the Special Liaison Detachment, Royal Thai Army Volunteer Force in Vietnam. He later served with Advisory Team 87, the Combat Assistance Team assigned to the 18th ARVN Division. At the time of his 2007 donation to the Vietnam Archive, Willbanks was Director of the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.