In May 1968, several months after the Tet Offensive, the Vietcong launched a suicidal attack on Saigon. Dubbed Mini-Tet, this offensive was intended to show America and the world that the VC were willing to accept catastrophic losses in their bid to win the war. More
Book Reviews
Why Air Forces Fail: The Anatomy of Defeat, edited by Robin Higham and Stephen J. Harris
The reason why various air forces have suffered collapses is the subject of this collection of eleven essays by twelve notable aviation historians. The debacles they examine include those of the air forces of Germany/Austria-Hungary in WW I, Poland, France, and the individual Axis powers in WWII, the Arabs from the 1967 Arab-Israeli war to the 2003 Gulf War, and Argentina in the Falklands War. More
Rattler One-Seven: A Vietnam Helicopter Pilot’s Story, by Chuck Gross
Chuck Gross was 19 years old when he started his 1970-71 tour of duty as a UH-1 Huey pilot in Vietnam. Among his assignments as a member of the 71st Assault Helicopter Company were operations against the Ho Chi Minh Trail (he was shot down during one such mission) and inserting special operations forces into Laos. More
B-17 at War, by Bill Yenne
B-17 at War is a brief, heavily illustrated history of the Boeing Flying Fortress in WWII. More
Aces of the Reich: The Making of a Luftwaffe Pilot, by Mike Spick
The title of this book is somewhat a misnomer. Actually, this work is much broader in scope, comprising an analytical study of the meteoric rise of the Luftwaffe in WWII and its equally abrupt fall. More
The U.S. Marine Corps in the Vietnam War: III Marine Amphibious Force, 1965-75 (Battle Orders No. 19), by Ed Gilbert
During the Vietnam War, the III Marine Amphibious Force (MAF) was a reinforced corps comprising two divisions, an air wing, and a division-sized logistics command. This book details the origins of III MAF; its component units and complex organizational history; its doctrine, training, and tactics; and its weapons and equipment. More
SLT 56 and SLT 50-3 in Detail (Present Vehicle Line No. 10), by Josef Spurny, Jan Martinec, and Frantisek Koran
The FAUN SLT 50-3 8×8 wheeled tractor and its 8×6 sister vehicle, the SLT-56, teamed with 52- and 56-ton semi-trailers, served the Bundeswehr as heavy tank transporters. These powerful units have proven their worth in peacetime as well as in UN deployments from Africa to the former Yugoslavia. More
USMC, by Russ Bryant and W. David Perks
USMC is a tribute to the Marine Corps, with an emphasis on the current state of the service. It discusses training, organization, doctrine, tactics (especially the recent emphasis on developing Marines as urban warfare specialists), and the future prospects of the Corps. More
Quarter Ton Ford & Willys Jeep, Austin Champ, Land Rover Series I: The Story of the Quarter Ton, 4×4 Utility in British Military Service by Pat Ware
English Jeep authority Pat Ware has assembled a very effective story of the WWII?jeep from a British point of view. As such, it includes a wealth of never-before-seen photos of Willys, Bantams, and Fords including BRC 40s, GPs, GPAs, MAs, and of course, MBs and GPWs. More
Feldbluse: The German Soldier’s Field Tunic, 1933-45, by Laurent Huart and Jean-Philippe Borg, translated from the French by Lawrence Brown
The German Feldbluse (field tunic) of WWII was generally a four-pocket, single-breasted garment with a stand-and-fall collar, provisions for internal suspenders, and four pockets with flaps. This book is an in-depth study of the feldbluse, recounting its constant evolution from its introduction in 1933 to the shortened feldbluse of 1944. More