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1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam: The 'First Team (Spearhead)

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Once again Ian Allen has produced an excellent short history as part of its SPEARHEAD series. "1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam: The `First Team,'" by Simon Dunstan is a 96-page, full-color (and mostly) photographic treatment of the First Team's tour in Vietnam. Dunstan's study provides a comprehensive introduction to the Air Cavalry. The 1st Cavalry Division traces its linage back to the early 19th Century and fought proudly and well in both World War II and Korea. The unit was re-designated as the Army's first Airmobile Division on July 1, 1965 and ordered to Vietnam. Within a month, the division's16,000 men and more than 400 helicopters were prepared to enter combat. The unit fought its first major engagement in November 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley, a bloody battle fully covered in Lt. General Hal Moore's award-winning book (and subsequent movie) We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young.

The First Team's history in Vietnam mirrors all of the units that fought there. It was also the first unit into Cambodia in 1970 and in nearly continuous combat from 1965-1970. The unit returned to Fort Hood, Texas, in 1970. The 1st Cavalry Division served in Bosnia and elements are in Iraq as of the writing of this review. The well selected and outstanding photos are complimented by a short but well-written text. Several informative sidebars describe a variety of things, including the design of the division's colorful unit crest. Includes nearly 100 color and a few black and white photographs, maps, glossary, timeline. "1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam: The `First Team,'" by Simon Dunstan. ISBN 0-7110-3042-1 (Ian Allen), paper, 96 pages, $19.95. Recommended for Vietnam, air history buffs. Review by Lee Merideth

I was expecting more in depth history of the Cav in Vietnam. I was very disappointed with how thin the book was.