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Seven Firefights in Vietnam
Based on official army records, these eyewitness accounts of seven hellacious battles serve as a brief history of the Vietnam conflict. From a fierce fight on the banks of the Ia Drang River in 1965 to a 1968 gunship mission, this illustrated report conveys the heroism and horror of warfare.
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First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 14, 2020
After action reports of seven firefights in Vietnam. No Sturm und Drang, just the facts.
July 14, 2012
First of these true RVN books I have read in many years. It was better now that I am farther from the events. I could feel myself in a few of those encounters. I knew the territory quite well.
February 11, 2020
A bit dry, but still a very interesting take on combat operations in Vietnam. Statistical and analytical without any politics whatsoever. A welcome change from most of the books written today about one of the worst foreign policy foul-ups and civilian mismanagement of the military in American history.
Perhaps not for the average reader, but definitely a must read for anyone even slightly interested in military history.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
Perhaps not for the average reader, but definitely a must read for anyone even slightly interested in military history.
Find it! Buy it! READ IT!
November 14, 2015
”Seven Firefights in Vietnam” is a collection of seven reports describing specific combat actions in Vietnam that took place between 1965 and 1968. Five of the reports deal with engagements involving forces of battalion size, one describes an ambush by a mere squad, while the final chapter is dedicated to a fire support mission by an element of two Huey helicopters configured as fire-support birds.
The narrative is consistently of ‘after action report’ variety – brief, strictly descriptive, no dialogs or deeper analysis of events nor decisions. Orders are given, units maneuver here or there, engage the enemy, fire is exchanged, casualties taken… rewind and repeat. The narrative manages to give a pretty clear picture of chain of events and character of individual engagements. If that’s what the reader wants from this book, then he will be satisfied. If reader’s expectations go beyond mere report of events, then I’m afraid that this book will turn out to be something of a disappointment.
Selection of after action reports included in this volume is also something of a problem. The first of them, which is also the longest one, deals with battle at Ia Drang, made famous by the “fantasy” movie “We were soldiers once” couple of years ago. It’s inclusion in this volume is perhaps the most logical, since it was a first action involving air-mobile unit of battalion size and something of a test of the concept that has later become synonymous with Vietnam war. The narrative of action at Dak To in 1967 where a battalion size search & destroy mission was hit by a Vietnamese ambush seems also to be quite representative for combat actions of that conflict. The rest of this book is however something of a mystery for me. Remaining chapters describe an ambush against a large vehicle convoy with AVAC squadron acting as escorts, a huge battle between riverine units and extremely well-entrenched opposition, a small scale night ambush by a single squad, an assault against a major firebase which is not only successful but in which the Vietnamese use a company of tanks (!!!) and finally a fire support mission by a couple of ‘Hogs’. This selection surely provides a lot of diversity, but it also makes it very hard for me to understand the purpose of this book.
A reader genuinely interested in and already knowledgeable about Vietnam conflict will find a lot of interesting material in this book. For remaining audience it will probably be a very dry and ultimately unsatisfactory book.
The narrative is consistently of ‘after action report’ variety – brief, strictly descriptive, no dialogs or deeper analysis of events nor decisions. Orders are given, units maneuver here or there, engage the enemy, fire is exchanged, casualties taken… rewind and repeat. The narrative manages to give a pretty clear picture of chain of events and character of individual engagements. If that’s what the reader wants from this book, then he will be satisfied. If reader’s expectations go beyond mere report of events, then I’m afraid that this book will turn out to be something of a disappointment.
Selection of after action reports included in this volume is also something of a problem. The first of them, which is also the longest one, deals with battle at Ia Drang, made famous by the “fantasy” movie “We were soldiers once” couple of years ago. It’s inclusion in this volume is perhaps the most logical, since it was a first action involving air-mobile unit of battalion size and something of a test of the concept that has later become synonymous with Vietnam war. The narrative of action at Dak To in 1967 where a battalion size search & destroy mission was hit by a Vietnamese ambush seems also to be quite representative for combat actions of that conflict. The rest of this book is however something of a mystery for me. Remaining chapters describe an ambush against a large vehicle convoy with AVAC squadron acting as escorts, a huge battle between riverine units and extremely well-entrenched opposition, a small scale night ambush by a single squad, an assault against a major firebase which is not only successful but in which the Vietnamese use a company of tanks (!!!) and finally a fire support mission by a couple of ‘Hogs’. This selection surely provides a lot of diversity, but it also makes it very hard for me to understand the purpose of this book.
A reader genuinely interested in and already knowledgeable about Vietnam conflict will find a lot of interesting material in this book. For remaining audience it will probably be a very dry and ultimately unsatisfactory book.
August 7, 2009
I could read this sort of stuff all day, but only extract so much of value. Sad to say, there wasn't much to the third story, though the gunboat battle in #4 picked up the pace, and the overrun Special Forces camp at Lang Vei in #6 was rather exciting. (Those were some tough men facing the first successful use of Vietnamese armor (163), and it didn't help events that there was a great deal of confusion about who was Viet Cong and who was CIDG.) I admire those who endured a calm and collected death (24-25), expended all their ammo against the enemy (118), and/or kept returning to aid others at the front, however exhausted they might be (167-168).
One must appreciate the different mode of combat, when it was a "rare opportunity" to openly engage "any concentration of forces" (105). Vietnam was more about conducting warfare against "an aggressive, expertly camouflaged, and well-armed enemy force that could shoot well and was not afraid to die" (24). There was considerable difficulty creating landing locations (40, 109) in the jungle.
I rather liked the streamlined soldierly language of precision, which apprises one fully of overall troop movements as well as individual heroic actions, to say nothing of the reports of brave Americans about whom it was said that "piles of enemy dead in front of the positions testified to the enemy's tactical failure" (46).
One must appreciate the different mode of combat, when it was a "rare opportunity" to openly engage "any concentration of forces" (105). Vietnam was more about conducting warfare against "an aggressive, expertly camouflaged, and well-armed enemy force that could shoot well and was not afraid to die" (24). There was considerable difficulty creating landing locations (40, 109) in the jungle.
I rather liked the streamlined soldierly language of precision, which apprises one fully of overall troop movements as well as individual heroic actions, to say nothing of the reports of brave Americans about whom it was said that "piles of enemy dead in front of the positions testified to the enemy's tactical failure" (46).
July 4, 2014
Definitive actions from different perspectives
The author brought together seven different types of warfare in Nam. As any American combat trooper could tell you, there were no front lines, nor completely secure rear areas. Whenever we went on an operation, it seemed the enemy knew about it and in these actions depicted, re-inforces this common knowledge item that we combat troopers came to accept as part of the action. Very well picked fights showed the combat we were all used to. There is also common knowledge from combat soldiers( that fonda and her crew denied because of the peaceful North Vietnamese intentions, we were shot at nearly every day we were in the field. Maybe just sniper fire, or major ambushes, it was another part of the war.
The author brought together seven different types of warfare in Nam. As any American combat trooper could tell you, there were no front lines, nor completely secure rear areas. Whenever we went on an operation, it seemed the enemy knew about it and in these actions depicted, re-inforces this common knowledge item that we combat troopers came to accept as part of the action. Very well picked fights showed the combat we were all used to. There is also common knowledge from combat soldiers( that fonda and her crew denied because of the peaceful North Vietnamese intentions, we were shot at nearly every day we were in the field. Maybe just sniper fire, or major ambushes, it was another part of the war.
July 10, 2014
Veterans of Vietnam wrote a good book
Great book about seven combat encounters
that could have had catastrophic results, were it not for the leadership, the bravery, and the heroism of officers and the men, they led into battle. The details, the minute by minute chaos, that comes from close quarters combat is all here. America's finest doing what they do best, it should be required reading by everyone going into the military.
Great book about seven combat encounters
that could have had catastrophic results, were it not for the leadership, the bravery, and the heroism of officers and the men, they led into battle. The details, the minute by minute chaos, that comes from close quarters combat is all here. America's finest doing what they do best, it should be required reading by everyone going into the military.
April 9, 2013
Not the first place you want to go for information on warfare during this period, but an immensely rewarding read once you have some basic grounding in the way the armies involved worked. The battles are vividly described and thoughtfully analyzed.
February 10, 2011
Careful, detailed analysis of close combat.
November 19, 2014
Good read
Good read.. kinda technical but good feel for the action these poor guys faced. Sad it was all for naught
Good read.. kinda technical but good feel for the action these poor guys faced. Sad it was all for naught
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews