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A very good military read

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A very good military read

Old 18th Apr 2008, 10:49
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Books

Any of the Gerry Carroll trilogy:

North SAR
Ghostrider One
No Place To Hide.

Tom Clancy recommends highly. On the subject of Mr Clancy, his somewhat dated "Red Storm Rising" was the first book I could not put down.......37 hours straight reading one weekend. God I must be sad!!
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 10:55
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The Last Valley, French in Dien Bien Phu - nasty stuff
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:00
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"The Bridges at Toko Ri".

Never read it myself but the film was quite good.

Slightly later era than you mentioned but have you read "Flight of the Intruder"? IIRC apparently based on a true story (or am I confusing it with another Intruder book) I enjoyed it in one of those un-put-down-able ways.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:03
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100 Missions North by Brig Gen Ken Bell (Thuds again).

Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson, about Gunny Carlos Hathaway who made 93 confirmed kills.

Warthog by William Smallwood, A-10s in GW1.

BAT-21, can't lay hands on at the moment. All at big river bookshop.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:22
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The Quiet American by Graham Greene is a classic piece of fiction about Vietnam before the direct US involvement.

Available at all good bookstores for a few quid and the streets of HCMC for 20,000 VND.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:25
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The Battle of Coral, Lex McAulay ISBN 00996 59301

It's about an Aussie Firebase NE of saigon in May '68 and it makes We Were Soldiers look like a Disney film. Also worth a read are The Deer Hunter (Much, much better than the film IMHO) and The Walking Dead by a US Marine in Da Nang.Have copies here if you would care to PM to borrow them.

Cheers, DD.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:26
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Stolen Valor by Burkett and Whitley.

A touche right wing and a little repetitive in places but otherwise a very interesting read. Quite amazed at the number of Vietnam frauds and "walts" that there are out there....
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:32
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One day in a long war. Ethel/Price covers the air action on 10th May 1972. And there was a lot of it! Bombing raids on bridges . Air combat with Cunningham /Driscoll etc.

Sits on my shelf and I read it every year or so. Might be my specialist subject on mastermind at this rate.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:39
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A Rumour of War - Philip Caputo - Vietnam War Infantry Officer

The Devils Guard - George Robert Elford - Ex-German SS Foreign Legion in Vietnam

The Big Show - Pierre Closterman DFC & bar - WWII Free-French fighter pilot in the RAF
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:41
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To Hanoi and Back Wayne Thompson

The Elephant and the Tiger Wilbur H Morrison

Both good reads
 
Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:47
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The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966 by Rick Atkinson

An exceptional book showing the awakening of the US Army, from idealistic post-WWII into something they didn't grasp. Following the different characters through their development and experiences is a damned good read.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 11:56
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Vietnam books

Sympathy for the Devil by Kent Anderson is one of the best (along with Chickenhawk of course) Vietnam books I've ever read.

Let a soldier Die (Gary Holland) also very good.

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Old 18th Apr 2008, 12:00
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Crikey, thanks guys, stacks of possibilities.

Have just ordered.

Thud Ridge
Naked in DA Nang: A Forward Controller

I'll have to make a note of all of these for future reading. Thanks again.
 
Old 18th Apr 2008, 12:03
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Don't forget -Fox Two- by Duke Cunningham
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 12:10
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365 Days, by Dr Robert Glasser. Read it a long time ago, ISTR it tells the story of a medics 365 days on Casevac in Vietnam.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 12:52
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''Journal of a plague year'', John Parish, Vietnam Dr's account. pretty grimy, one of the books like Mike Herr's Dispatches that I felt gave a real personal feeling to it

''War year'', Joe Haldeman, combat engineer's account, who survived to become a succesful Science fiction author
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 12:53
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If it's a memoir then you've had some good picks suggested; to them I would add Marretts "Cheating Death" (CSAR Escort Spad driver), "On Yankee Station" (F8s) and, if you're interested in RW try "The Last Battle", an excellent "Black Hawk Down" style account of the Mayguez (sp?) incident at the end of the Vietnam war. Also, IMHO, Hackworth's "Steel my Soldiers Hearts" is better than "We were Soldiers".

For a more scholarly approach, track down "Air Power in 3 Wars" by Momyer, "Strategy for Defeat" by U S Grant Sharp or The limits of Intervention by Clodfelter.

Happy reading!

PS-I bet the "Duke" is watching his "six" a lot in the shower at the moment...
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 12:55
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Steven Coonts, former USN pilot, has written some good flying books based on his experience in V'nam.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 13:01
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`My Secret War`, by Richard Drury..Skyraiders in Vietnam,Laos, Cambodia
`80 knots to Mach 2,` by Richard Linnekin...Stearmans to Crusaders,and all in between..
Wild Blue,,by Chick Childerhose, RCAF Sabres in Canada/Europe in the heyday times ;`quote` .`I need help.I got 40 `Americans cornered over Bitburg`!!`The wrong stuff`,by John Moore USN; Banshees,Cougars, Cutlass ,Furies,etc
`They gave me a Seafire` by Mike Crossley RN
`Journeys Hazardous` by Col Chris Bullock, 2nd KEO Goorkhas. Clandestine ops in Borneo `Op Claret`.Personal signed copy from `when we were young `.
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Old 18th Apr 2008, 13:04
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That'll be flight of the intruder then........ and many more that follow the adventures of Grafton. (for Goudie)

Avoid like VD the works of Dale Brown, unless you like a real laugh at the impossibility of it all......

Non 'nam try Patrick Robinson (early novels) and for pure breathtaking pace Matthew Reilly (but check brain at start of book).


For real old school action try the Conn Iguledon (sp) about the rise of Ghengis Khan.

Last edited by cornish-stormrider; 18th Apr 2008 at 13:04. Reason: coz I iz Blonde
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