Armies of the Vietnam War (2) 1962-1975 (Men at Arms Series, 143) [Paperback]

Lee Russell (Author), Mike Chappell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: July 28, 1983

On March 8th, 1965, some 3,500 US Marines, the first US combat troops to arrive in Vietnam, landed in Da Nang to defend the US air base there. On June 8th, following further reinforcements, General Westmoreland authorized his troops to begin "offensive patrolling." Lee Russell's follow-up to Men-at-Arms 104 focuses in finer detail on the uniforms and insignia of the US Army and Marines, the ARVN and the NVA. The book is packed with superbly detailed black and white photographs of the forces active in the Vietnam War, and Mike Chappell's excellent illustrations provide key reference material for the contemporary uniforms and battledress.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Lee E. Russell was born in 1947. He served in the US Army from 1966 to 1968, including a year in Vietnam's Northern and Central provinces, with the 14th Engineer Bn (Combat). He has had a lifelong interest in all aspects of military history, but now specialises in 20th century uniforms and equipment. A member of the Company of Military Historians and the Association of American Military Uniform Collectors, he lives and works in New York City. He has written several titles for Osprey over the years, and has also worked as a consultant on military dress for motion pictures, television and the stage.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 28, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850455146
• ISBN-13: 978-0850455144
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Superseded by More Detailed Works, December 22, 2001

By 

El Cutachero (MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Armies of the Vietnam War (2) 1962-1975 (Men at Arms Series, 143) (Paperback)

Though I have had this book for a long time, I seldom look at it. As a specialist in this period and a veteran of the Cold War Army I have studied this period in real time.
In any case, the book is now obsolescent except for the color illustrations. At the age of 20 it has long been superseded by the detailed works of Shelby Stanton (c.f.) and others.
Since US forces were there for eight years, as often stated, due to the replacement system, we fought eight different one year wars, not one eight year war.
Those who were there in 1965 and earlier looked like those who served in the 1950s, by the end of the war, the soldiers' clothing and equipment was totally revised and had gone through two cycles of development and entering on a third which began during the last years of US participation and remained in use till the late eighties.
So you cannot generalize about VM, you need to know where someone was, and most important, when.
This book is simply not comprehensive enough nor is its earlier companion in this series (#104). This one was an attempt to fill in the gaps left by that one.
Every major national contingent who served in VM could well support its own study, the Australians and the South Koreans come readily to mind. Nor have the US Marines, the US Air Force and US Naval personnel. The enemy NVA and VC have been covered by Osprey.