Ringed in Steel: Armored Cavalry, Vietnam 1967-68 [Paperback]

Michael D. Mahler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 1998

...Authenticity of living and fighting with an armored calvary unit, plus a keen understanding of the problems and principles of military leadership ar the hall marks of Ringed in Steel....Truly a memoir of universal application.--Broox Sledge, The Book World

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press (July 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891416749
• ISBN-13: 978-0891416746
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,311,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Staff Weenie's Odd Account of Vietnam, January 1, 2001

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ringed in Steel: Armored Cavalry, Vietnam 1967-68 (Paperback)

COL Michael D. Mahler served as the personnel officer (S-1) of the 1st Brigade/1st Infantry Division from August-December 1967 and Executive Officer of 3-5th Cavalry/9th Infantry Division from December 1967 to August 1968. The weirdest thing about this memoir is that Mahler never identifies his own unit or any other, or any individuals; everything and everyone is referred to in generic terms. It is very odd to read an account where no names are mentioned. With all this secrecy, I'm surprised that Mahler didn't conceal that this was a Vietnam memoir and instead call it "Orangeland". Essentially, this is a collection of anecdotes, war stories and observations strung together. Some are interesting, some are not. This work is lacking in humanity, since there are no characters (just generic, faceless, company commanders, platoon leaders, etc.) and there are no great lessons here. It is also odd for a non-green tabber (i.e. a unit commander) to be writing a memoir; the actual trigger-pullers might have done a better job. There is not even any of the drama of supporting a combat unit; Mahler could have gotten much more into the specifics of armor logistics but instead he just glosses over it. Overly generalized to a fault. One suspects Mahler is some kind of weenie by the end. Of note, the squadron intelligence officer (S-2) is never mentioned, so I guess intelligence and what the enemy was up to was not a big concern for Mahler. The maps are few and crude. The only slight value of this book is the paucity of other armored unit memoirs from Vietnam. This book is far inferior to Sergeant Ralph Zumbro's Tank Sergeant.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superlative Account Of Vietnam 1967-8, December 26, 2000

By 

Michael Daly "Monkeesfan" (Wakefield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ringed in Steel: Armored Cavalry, Vietnam 1967-68 (Paperback)

Major Mahler served in an Armored cavalry unit in Vietnam before and during the Tet Offensive, and here he relates his experiences during that time.

One may not associate armor with Vietnam, but armor did play a significant role in the war, as Major Mahler demonstrates here.

The stories within run the gamut, from the Birddog pilot shot down to the discovery of VC grains hidden along a road that the troopers confiscate, only to find that a nearby village gets pillaged by the VC because the grain was hidden along the road for the VC to take; the troopers gather enough grain to give back to the stricken villagers. There is also the tunnel that an APC falls into - and promptly unearths a surprised NVA general. There are the running shootouts during the Tet Offensive, and children accidently hit by .50 caliber machine gun fire and operated on by Army medics. There is the night an enemy company literally walks into an ambush by armor and a delightfully one-sided battle with an NVA batallion holed up in a large village, a battle that somewhat resembles the climax of Invasion USA.

There is also Major Mahler's note on the situation on the ground following Tet - of how farmers who could not use roads the year before could now take their crops to market, "and this was progress that could be seen and felt in a war where progress could not easily be quantified."

Major Mahler takes us to Vietnam through his words and we see what went on.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ringed in Steel: Armored Cavalry in Viet Nam, April 18, 2000

By 

C. Ronald Farver (Muncie, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ringed in Steel: Armored Cavalry, Vietnam 1967-68 (Paperback)

Having served under Major Mahler during a time covered by part of his book, I can say everthing presented in the book is accurate. The book contains a factual account of the actions of the 3rd of the 5th Armored Cavalry in Viet Nam while Major Mahler was Executive Officer. With it lack of blood and guts, or gory details, it is a book which my wife and family can read as a way of getting some insite into what my life was like during those days so long ago. For years I had wondered why our officers had kept bringing us back to the same over-night position. We came back so many times that, as expected, we were attacked in force by a well prepared NVA. Our losses were high, both in terms of men and equipment. Even as a PFC, I had known our repetative use of the same positions, right along the side of Highway 1, was potentially desasterious. Until reading "Ringed in Steel", I had placed the blame opon our officers. Major Mahler exposed the orders, given by the Marines, objected to by our officers, which dictated that our unit return to this position every night. My confidence is now renewed in the decision making capability of the United States Army Officers Corps. For an insite into how our military operates, how decisions are made, what factors enter into those decisions, this book is a must read.