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The Mayaguez Crisis, Mission Command, and Civil-Military Relations

Reviewed by LCDR Joseph L. Ilk, SC, USNR (Ret.) “On May 12, 1975 – only two weeks after the fall of Saigon and the collapse of South Vietnam – Cambodian Khmer Rouge forces boarded and seized the U.S. merchant vessel SS Mayaguez in international waters and took its crew hostage.” Thus begins Dr. Christopher J.

Into the Iron Triangle: Operation Attleboro and the Battle of North Saigon, 1966

Reviewed by LTC Stephen A. Tribble, Ph.D., USA Common perceptions of the Vietnam War include visions of guerrilla warfare, airmobile infantry, strategic bombing, tactical air support, and unprepared American draftee replacements heading off to a foreign land to fight an enduring war against an unrelenting enemy. In Into the Iron Triangle: Operation Attleboro and the

The Ten Thousand-Day War at Sea: The U.S. Navy in Vietnam (1950-1975)

Reviewed by Major Chris Ketcherside, USMC (Ret.) The Ten Thousand-Day War at Sea is a companion book to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum’s exhibit of the same name, though it does hold up well enough on its own as a short summation of all U.S. Naval operations during the conflict in Vietnam. The book is

Brown Water Bluejackets, Vietnam: The Navy in the Mekong Delta – SECOND SATURDAY WEBINAR

The Naval Historical Foundation is dedicating this “Second Saturday” to the heroic actions of American Sailors who fought a rather unconventional naval war on the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta during our involvement in the Vietnam War. Join with historians John Sherwood and Tom Cutler as they provide historical overviews of the U.S.

Crusader: General Don Starry and the Army of his Times

Reviewed by LTC Daniel P. Sukman, USA Establishing himself as a military historian and biographer, author Mike Guardia has published well-known books in military circles, chronicling the leadership of General Hal Moore, the battle of 73 Easting, and the history of combat platforms such as the Mig-25 and the F-15. In his latest book, Crusader:

Why America Loses Wars: Limited War and US Strategy from the Korean War to the Present

Reviewed by Jon Middaugh, Ph.D.  Donald Stoker, a Professor of Strategy and Policy for the U.S. Naval War College’s Monterey Program at the Naval Postgraduate School from 1999-2017, has written a tightly argued case for improving the approach American leaders use for fighting wars. The recommendations and insights in Why America Loses Wars deserve widespread

The Battleships of the Iowa Class – A Design and Operational History

Reviewed by Mr. Charles Bogart Philippe Caresse is a former French naval officer and author of two books on French warships of the World War I, both of which were published by the Naval Institute Press. The book under review, Battleships of the Iowa Class, can be enjoyed both as a coffee table book and

Combat at Close Quarters: An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War

This well-written and superbly illustrated collection of four essays provides an easy to read and understand explanation of the U.S. Navy’s role in the Vietnam War. Four chapters focusing on the Rolling Thunder campaign, warfare on the rivers and canals, naval power in Southeast Asia, and naval intelligence in Southeast Asia provide readers with an

The Greene Papers

In his influential 1997 book Dereliction of Duty, H.R. McMaster described the Joint Chiefs of Staff as “Five Silent Men” who acquiesced to a gradual escalation of the conflict in Vietnam without a clear vision of how military action would secure American policy aims. The Greene Papers, Nicholas Schlosser’s carefully curated selection of General Wallace

BOOK REVIEW – MiG-21 Aces of the Vietnam War

By Istvan Toperczer, Osprey Publishing, Ltd. UK (2017) Reviewed by Cdr. Peter Mersky USNR (Ret.) When the Soviet Union’s MiG-21 appeared in the early 1960s, very little was known about it, which was typical of most new designs from the USSR. Grainy, out-of-focus photos taken at parades and aerial displays did little to add to

BOOK REVIEW – A-6 Intruder Units, 1974-96

By Rick Morgan, Osprey Publishing, Ltd. Oxford, UK (2017) Reviewed by Cdr. Peter Mersky, USNR (Ret.) A sequel to the author’s earlier Combat Aircraft No. 93 covering the Intruder’s Vietnam service, this new book describes the A-6’s new, often little-known history after Southeast Asia with insider knowledge and style. His introduction is one of the

BOOK REVIEW – A-6 Intruder Units of the Vietnam War

Rick Morgan Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK (2012) Reviewed by Cdr. Peter Mersky, USNR (Ret.) Grumman’s big, ugly carrier-based bomber has generated only a few books, including one done by this author and his brother Mark for Schiffer in 2004, a good book in a much larger format. A couple of wartime memoirs have also appeared

BOOK REVIEW – The Path to War – U.S. Marine Corps Operations in Southeast Asia 1961 to 1965

By Col. George R. Hofmann Jr. USMC (Ret.), Marine Corps History Division, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC (2014) Reviewed by Charles Bogart The title of this publication is somewhat misleading, as the author actually covers the period 1954 to 1965 within the pages of this book. It covers both political and military matters of that

Life on a Naval Vessel During the Vietnam War in the 1960s

By Captain George Stewart, USN (Ret.) This episode starts when I was a student at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. I was due to graduate in September, 1967. Our Detailer from BUPERS was due to visit with us to discuss orders. When I went in to see him, I was pleasantly surprised when