Militærhistorie: konflikter efter anden verdenskrig

This book examines the response of American society to the My Lai massacreand its ambiguous place in American national memory. The author argues thatthe massacre revelations left many Americans untroubled. It was only whenthe soldiers most immediately responsible came to be tried that oppositionto the conflict grew, for these prosecutions were regarded by supporters ofthe war as evidence that the national leaders no longer had the will to dowhat was necessary to win.

At the height of the Vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground tunnels sprawled from Cu Chi Province to the edge of Saigon. In these burrows, the Viet Cong cached their weapons, tended their wounded, and prepared to strike. They had only one enemy: U.S. soldiers small and wiry enough to maneuver through the guerrillas' narrow domain. The brave souls who descended into these hellholes were known as "tunnel rats." Armed with only pistols and K-bar knives, these men inched their way through the steamy darkness where any number of horrors could be awaiting them-bullets, booby traps, a tossed grenade. Using firsthand accounts from men and women on both sides who fought and killed in these underground battles, authors Tom Mangold and John Penycate provide a gripping inside look at this fearsome combat. The Tunnels of Cu Chi is a war classic of unbearable tension and unforgettable heroes.Praise for The Tunnels of Cu Chi"A claustrophobic but fascinating tale."-The Wall Street Journal"Chilling . . . what war really was and how it was fought."-The New York Times"Gripping . . . highly recommended."-The Philadelphia Inquirer "Remarkable."-The Washington Post

The 2003 Iraq war remains among the most mysterious armed conflicts of modernity. In The Iraq War, John Keegan offers a sharp and lucid appraisal of the military campaign, explaining just how the coalition forces defeated an Iraqi army twice its size and addressing such questions as whether Saddam Hussein ever possessed weapons of mass destruction and how it is possible to fight a war that is not, by any conventional measure, a war at all.Drawing on exclusive interviews with Donald Rumsfeld and General Tommy Franks, Keegan retraces the steps that led to the showdown in Iraq, from the highlights of Hussein's murderous rule to the diplomatic crossfire that preceded the invasion. His account of the combat in the desert is unparalleled in its grasp of strategy and tactics. The result is an urgently needed and up-to-date book that adds immeasurably to our understanding of those twenty-one days of war and their long, uncertain aftermath.

Major John L. Plaster recalls his remarkable covert activities in SOG from 1969 to 1971 in Vietnam. Code-named the Studies and Operations Group, SOG was a secret operations force in Vietnam, the forerunner of today's Delta Force and Navy SEALs. Exceptionally skilled Green Berets, they were the most highly decorated unit in the war. Although their chief mission was disrupting the Ho Chi Minh Trail-the main North Vietnamese supply route into South Vietnam-SOG commandos rescued downed helicopter pilots and fellow soldiers, and infiltrated deep into Laos and Cambodia to identify bombing targets, conduct ambushes, mine roads, and capture North Vietnamese soldiers for intelligence purposes. Always outnumbered-often by as much as 100 to 1-SOG commandos matched wits in the most dangerous environments with an unrelenting foe that hunted them with trackers and dogs. Ten entire teams disappeared and another fourteen were annihilated. In Secret Commandos, John L. Plaster vividly describes these unique warriors who gave everything fighting for their country-and for each other.

The memoir of a young American soldier who became the most powerful man in a remote rural district of Vietnam In the spring of 1969, First Lieutenant David Donovan arrived in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam to work as military advisor with village chiefs and local militia to win the war. But as he was the highest-ranking person in the entire district, his life there was far more complex than anyone could have imagined. This is Donovan's gripping account of combat missions and night ambushes in the swamps and jungles of the Delta; his heartrending tale of personal involvement with the culture and families in his charge; his humane introspection on his awesome responsibility as both warrior and king; and his stark reflections on the changes he saw in himself and his country upon his return to the United States."Donovan's memoir . . . provides valuable documentation on a relatively obscure part of the American military effort-it describes how the war really worked on the front line of 'Vietnamization,' the training of local militia. His reflections on his own use of power raise serious and important questions about the American expierence in Vietnam."-The New York Times Book Review

When the Marines were sent to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm, Anthony Swofford was there, with a hundred-pound pack on his shoulders and a sniper's rifle in his hands. This is his scorching memoir of life on and off the battlefield.

Edmund Cosgrove tells of the exploits and adventures of Canadas outstanding pilots and aircrews in the First and Second World Wars.

General George S. Patton Jr, an inspirational leader and outstanding tactician, has intrigued and confounded his biographers. Utilising untapped archival materials in both the USA and UK, government documents, family papers, and oral histories, Hirshson creates the most balanced portrait of Patton ever written. It reveals Patton as a complex soldier capable of brilliant military manoeuvres but also of inspiring his troops with fiery speeches that resulted in horrendous acts, such as the massacres of Italian civilians. It explains Patton′s belief in a soldier′s Valhalla, connects the family′s wealth to one of America′s bitterest labour strikes, and disputes the usual interpretation of Patton′s relief from command of the Third Army. In investigating this complex man, Hirshson has uncovered surprising material about a series of civilian massacres in Sicily, about the two slapping incidents, about attempts to exploit Patton′s diary after his death, and about Patton′s relations with top Allied generals. Patton emerges as a soldier of great imagination and courage, and his military campaigns make for edge-of-the-seat reading. All the drama of Patton′s life comes alive in this meticulously documented volume.

The explosive true story of Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, a legendary Marine sniper in the Vietnam War.There have been many Marines. There have been many marksmen. But there has only been one Sergeant Carlos Hathcock.He stalked the Viet Cong behind enemy lines-on their own ground. And each time, he emerged from the jungle having done his duty. His record is one of the finest in military history, with ninety-three confirmed kills.This is the story of a simple man who endured incredible dangers and hardships for his country and his Corps. These are the missions that have made Carlos Hathcock a legend in the brotherhood of Marines. They are exciting, powerful, chilling-and all true.INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS

In May 1965, the entire 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment--lock, stock, and barrel--embarked for Vietnam. Captain Alex Lee was there. . . .Now combat-veteran Marine captain Alex Lee brings to gritty life the full tour of 2/7. From the search-and-destroy missions to the sudden violent ambushes in the hills and valleys west of Qui Nhon, Lee describes how Marines battled monsoons, malaria, and the enemy as they crept through terrain infested with Viet Cong caves and hideouts.After paving the way in Qui Nhon for the arrival of more American military, 2/7 was assigned to Chu Lai, where the battalion fought its most bitter, deadly battles. With the scalding ring of truth, Lee captures the conditions of the bone-weary 2/7 Marines as they slogged through jungles and spent night after night in dreary, rain-filled foxholes.Although they faced a life of constant danger and occasional mindless confusion, in their seemingly endless marathon of effort, agony, and sacrifice, the Marines of 2/7 never faltered, never stopped giving their best.

This book of Nick Ut's pictures and Hal Buell's wonderfully spare prose about Nick's life is so much more than a long-deserved tribute to Ut. It is a recognition of the courage, bravery and professionalism of all the photographers whose work in Vietnam helped us to understand the awful cost of war. -- Bob Schieffer, CBS News"From Hell to Hollywood" is the story of two journeys.One journey is the lifelong adventure of AP photographer Nick Ut, a teenager from Vietnam's Mekong Delta whose camera took him worldwide from the cruel reality of Asian battlefields to the dazzling glitz of La La Land. The second is about his Pulitzer prize-winning photograph, which came to be known as the "Napalm Girl photo," an international icon representing innocents caught in the crossfire of war's horror.Ut and his photograph traveled together, sometimes apart, often intersecting with Kim Phuc, the "girl in the picture" and the focal point of his famous image. Since the day it was taken, the dynamic between photographer and subject grew into a relationship of genuine friendship. And in 2015, when Ms. Phuc had undergone a groundbreaking skin treatment to address the scars from her wounds of June 8, 1972, "Uncle Nick" (as she fondly refers to him) was there to capture the moment.After the Vietnam War, Ut eventually made his way to the streets of Hollywood and found himself photographing a new cast of characters, including such personalities as Marlon Brando, Paris Hilton, Jane Fonda, Bette Davis and many more. Never one to shy away from injecting himself into challenging or even dangerous events, Ut also photographed the LA riots and many of the major wildfires that devastated the California landscape.Featuring a Foreword by legendary broadcaster Bob Schieffer and an Afterword by Pulitzer prize-winning war correspondent Peter Arnett, "From Hell to Hollywood" is a compelling portrait of the human spirit and the desire of a photojournalist to immortalize the world around us one frame at a time.

Winner of the 2013 Silver Medal in History from the Military Writer's Society of AmericaFinalist, 2013 Colby AwardWinner of the 2012 USA Best Book Award for Military HistoryPhilip Keith's Blackhorse Riders is the incredible true story of a brave military unit in Vietnam that risked everything to rescue an outnumbered troop under heavy fire-and the thirty-nine-year odyssey to recognize their bravery.Deep in the jungles of Vietnam, Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry, the famed Blackhorse Regiment, was a specialized cavalry outfit equipped with tanks and armored assault vehicles. On the morning of March 26, 1970, they began hearing radio calls from an infantry unit four kilometers away that had stumbled into a hidden North Vietnamese Army stronghold. Outnumbered at least six to one, the ninety-man American company was quickly surrounded, pinned down, and fighting for its existence. Helicopters could not penetrate the dense jungle, and artillery and air support could not be targeted effectively. The company was fated to be worn down and eventually all killed or captured.Overhearing the calls for help on his radio, Captain John Poindexter, Alpha Troop's twenty-five-year-old commander, realized that his outfit was the only hope for the trapped company. It just might be possible that they could "bust" enough jungle by nightfall to reach them. Not making the attempt was deemed unacceptable, so he ordered his men to "saddle up." With the courage and determination that makes legends out of ordinary men, they effected a daring rescue and fought a pitched battle-at considerable cost. Many brave deeds were done that day and Captain Poindexter tried to make sure his men were recognized for their actions.Thirty years later Poindexter was made aware that his award recommendations and even the records of the battle had somehow gone missing. Thus began the second phase of this remarkable story: a "battle" to ensure that his brave men's accomplishments would never be forgotten again.The full circle was completed when President Obama stepped to the podium on October 20, 2009, to award the Alpha Troop with the Presidential Unit Citation: the highest combat award that can be given to a military unit.