Customer Reviews

Spies and Commandos: How America Lost the Secret War in North Vietnam (Modern War Studies)

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Spies and Commandos is a great book for anyone interested in SOG's exploits in SEA. This book is well researched and goes into great detail about the missions executed throughout N.Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Conboy is a great author and any of his works are well recommended for those who seek an unbiased account of covert operations in SEA. A book of simular content was written by Dr. Schutlz but simply does not compare to this. My personal favorite subject discussed in this book is the developemnt, exploitation, and operations of the "EARTH ANGEL" teams(1969-1971) which were turncoat NVA soldiers who were advised/trained by experienced CIA and US Special Forces personel to gather intell in Cambodia. Truly an educational and exciting piece of work. Another interesting subject is how the ARVN Special Operations units fought in the 1972 and final 1975 NVA offensives. BUY IT. You will not be dissapointed.

This book tells the story of one of the darker chapters in the history of U.S. special operations intelligence during the Vietnam War. Dark, because the `The Vietnam War...only a brushfire at the time...grew into a conflagration that did not burn out for more than a decade...[became] the orphan of defeat...waiting in the ashes.' {p. 276}

However, this book needed to be written. This is also a book that should be read by all strategic intelligence students as well as anyone who wants to understand the relationship and possible benefits between special covert and military operations including, but not limited to, peacekeeping, low intensity conflict, and war.

Spies & Commandos portrays in detail that the administration by our `Best and Brightest' showed `little appreciation for the lessons learned...[and] pinprick attacks had virtually no effect on the North Vietnamese economy or, more important, Hanoi's desire to pursue its war effort in South Vietnam.' {p. 246} How we treated the brave men and women who executed our missions is another dark story in itself.

I am an aviation historian in Taiwan. I wrote a book (in Chinese) about the history of special operations of Republic of China Air Force. The book Spies and Commandos is the most helpful and important reference for me to understand the details of RoCAF's involvement in Vietnam. As an author too, I am amazed that the two authors must have spent lots of time and energy to collect all those information. The major RoCAF unit involved in Vietnam was the 34th Squadron "Black Bats". Before they flew in Vietnam, they had flown night low-level flights into China since early 1950s and suffered heavy casualties. I have assisted noted British author Chris Pocock to write the book The Black Bats: CIA Spy Flights over China from Taiwan 1951-1969. Readers can find it in Amazon too. -Clarence Fu

Most of the stories of the activity into North Vietnam reads like a Keystone Cops comic book. For the most part, a depressing account of the "recruits" the CIA had to work with. Lost patrols, predictable ambushes, North Vietnamese deception techniques, among political foul-ups leads you to wonder why they ever attempted that Secret War.

If you want to know why the U.S. failed in this Secret War; you came to the right place. This book will have your head shaking in disbelief through most of your reading. Good Luck.