Incursion: From America's Chokehold on the Nva Lifelines to the Sacking of the Cambodian Sanctuaries [Mass Market Paperback]

J. D. Coleman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Incursion | Publication Date: June 15, 1992

An eyewitness account of the invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War describes the operation, the strategy behind the campaign, and the results of the invasion from the perspective of a participant. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Military Book Club main selection in cloth, this is a vivid and well-balanced account of the military and diplomatic aspects of the incursion into Cambodia in May and June 1970. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The 1st Cavalry Division was arguably the most famous American unit of the Vietnam War. Its revolutionary helicopter air assault doctrine was first covered by the author in Pleiku ( LJ 9/1/88). He now analyzes the Air Cav versus the North Vietnamese in the area stretching west of Saigon to the Cambodian border from late 1968 to the offensive into Cambodia in April 1970. The 1st Cavalry was charged with disrupting enemy supply lines, and the North Vietnamese reacted by attacking isolated U.S. firebases. The fighting for these outposts is vividly described by the veteran author. The book would have been better without constant asides on the political homefront--Coleman criticizes every Washington military decision--but as a good unit history this is recommended for Vietnam collections. (Maps not seen.)-- John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (June 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312927762
• ISBN-13: 978-0312927769
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,558,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good information!, September 30, 2000

By 

G. Burks (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Incursion: From America's Chokehold on the Nva Lifelines to the Sacking of the Cambodian Sanctuaries (Mass Market Paperback)

I was at Fire Support Base Illingsworth on 1 April 1970, April Fools Day, that the author describes in his book. His account is so accurate it was hard for me to read it. I thought back on my experience for days!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True account of 1st Cav Ops in 1969-70, October 5, 1999

By 

Kenneth R. Woodward ([e-mail]) (Saudi Arabia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Incursion: From America's Chokehold on the Nva Lifelines to the Sacking of the Cambodian Sanctuaries (Mass Market Paperback)

Having served as an infantryman in the 2nd of the 8th Cav during 1970, I can attest to the true to life account of 1st Air Cav operations in III Corps as described by the author.

4.0 out of 5 stars Snapshot of Vietnam Air Mobile War, November 19, 2010

By 

cpt matt (tanktown, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Incursion: From America's Chokehold on the Nva Lifelines to the Sacking of the Cambodian Sanctuaries (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a snapshot of what happened in Vietnam with the 1st Air Cav Division from 1968 to the invasion of Cambodia in 1970. Author J.D. Coleman served in the Army in Korea and Vietnam, giving him a soldier's view of the history of that unit. To be sure, he covers the politics of Nixon, North Vietnam - you have to in order to understand Vietnam. Coleman's focus is on telling how the First Cav (airmobile) deployed and used tactics to defeat North Vietnam from sending supplies into South Vietnam.

In this, Coleman is very successful. He gives a brief bio on the top leaders, explaining in clear terms all of the battles fought. There are good maps to show the unit maneuvers and battles, the photos here help show some of the terrain and conditions our soldiers fought in. Incursion moves well from high level to the boots on the ground level and back. There is a good flow of what was happening in Vietnam and the world at the time. As a soldier, Coleman paints the Army in a very positive light. This is refreshing and balances out some of the armchair generals who second guess everything that went on during the war.

If there is any weakness to this book, it may be that there is little criticism of the Army. Things always go wrong, but you don't see much of that here. That's why I rated it 4 stars vs 5. The politicians, CIA, media are not so lucky - this is not to say that Coleman is incorrect in what he writes, there is plenty of blame to go around. By keeping the story of the book on just one division, a good one at that, you do not always see what other units were doing that lessened the effectiveness of US actions.

One thing that should be agreed on, and this book really helps to drive that point - the average soldier did his job, did it well, fought bravely and the Army gave better than it got. I recommend this book for all serious historians, those who wish to see stories of how US tactics and strategies could and did work in a war that is still so very controversial. The Vietnam War was many things at many different times. A lot depends on which sector you review at which time. This book adds one more piece to that puzzle.