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101st Airborne in Vietnam

$24.95

Spearhead- Book 19
Authors - Michael Sharpe & Simon Dunstan
Published in 2005 by Ian Allen Publishing, UK
Softcover, 96 Pages
Size - 25cm * 19cm

After World War II the first real action the 101st saw was in July 1965 when the 1st Brigade of the 'Screaming Eagles' was blooded in the Song Con Valley, Vietnam. It acted as a rapid reaction force, reinforcing American and South Vietnamese forces when necessary, becoming expert in rapid helicopter assaults.

The 2nd and 3rd Brigades arrived in December 1967 in time to take part in the reaction to the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive. The 101st and the 1st Cavalry were sent in to recapture Hue in a battle that raged for three weeks and was the only extended urban combat of the war. Following Tet the 101st saw continuous combat including fighting on Hill 937 - 'Hamburger Hill' - which was some of the most brutal of the war. The last Army division to leave South Vietnam, the 101st spent almost seven years in combat.

Spearhead looks at the cutting edge of war, units capable of operating completely independently in the forefront of battle. The series examines the unit's:

* Origins and history
* Organisation, order of battle and how this changed
* Battle history, theatre by theatre
* Insignia and Markings
* Top people biographies of commanders and personalities

Each book ends with an assessment of unit effectiveness – as seen by itself, its opponents and the wider viewpoint of history – and a full reterence section including:

* Critical bibliography
* Relevant museums or exhibits
* Website links
* Re-enactment groups
* Memorials
About the authors

Michael Sharpe's main area of interest has been German World War II units and he has contributed to Spearhead series titles on Grossdeutschland, Leibstandarte and Das Reich. Simon Dunstan, who provided the photos and captions to this book, is well known as an expert on armoured warfare and also the Vietnam War.

Fully Illustrated with B&W photos, Colour photos and maps.