Book Review of
Target Saigon 1973-75
Vol. 2: The Fall of South Vietnam:
The Beginning of the End, January 1974-March 1975
Asia @ War Series No, 16
Author: Albert Grandolini
Helion & Co. Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-911512-92-9
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-911512-92-9
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
HISTORY:
A year after the Paris peace accord had been signed on 12 January 1973, peace had still not been achieved in Vietnam. During that period the North Vietnamese continued their attacks now that the United States had completely withdrawn their force, with the definitive conquest of South Vietnam as the goal.
The South Vietnamese forces erosion in the field increased in the face of a series of concerted North Vietnamese offensives and as drastic American aid reduction began to impact heavily on their ability to wage war.
Whilst Hanoi had been bolstered by massive deliveries of equipment from Peking and Moscow, both the Chinese and the Soviets withheld the delivery of sufficient ammunition for the artillery and the tanks to deter the North Vietnamese from attempting a new widespread offensive against the South.
It was with these constraints that the North Vietnamese leadership planned their new campaign, initially expecting it to take 2 to 3 years. A last test had to be conducted in order to assess the American intentions in case of and all-out North Vietnamese offensive against the South.
If a South Vietnamese provincial capital was taken without American reaction, then Hanoi would begin the last campaign of the war.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. Is based in England.
This book is soft-cover of 87 pages in 8” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of a field full of knocked out South Vietnamese trucks, over a color side view illustration of a South Vietnamese F-5A jet fighter.
The book contains 80 black and white photos, that show aircraft, tanks, troops, officers, artillery, vehicles and small arms of both North and South Vietnam. There are 14 maps.
Color profiles include:
For North Vietnam:
Two of the T-34/85, one T-34/85 converted to anti-aircraft, a Su-100, two of the T-34A, one of the Type 59, one of the T-54B, one of the PT-76B, a ZSU-57-2 converted to anti-aircraft, a K-63, a ATS-59G Light Artillery Tractor towing a D-74 122mm gun, a AT-L Light Artillery Tractor towing a S-60 57mm anti-aircraft gun.
For South Vietnam:
Two of a M-41, a M42 anti-aircraft tank, two of a M43A3, a M-113.
For South Vietnamese aircraft:
Two of a UH-1H helicopter, a CH-47H helicopter with squadron badge, a EC-47D with squadron badge, a C-130A with squadron badge, a O-2A with squadron badge, 7 of a A-37B with squadron badge, 4 of a F-5A with squadron badge, a F-5A-FY with squadron badge, a F-5E with squadron badge and a RF-5A.
For North Vietnam, just a Shenyang J-61 (that looks like a Mig-16).
For figures there are 2 color illustrations of North and South Vietnamese ones.
There is a 2 page bibliography at the end of the book and a list of abbreviations used in the beginning.
This is neat book about this period in Vietnam.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample.
All Helion & Co. Ltd. Books can be seen listed on Casemate’s website at:
A year after the Paris peace accord had been signed on 12 January 1973, peace had still not been achieved in Vietnam. During that period the North Vietnamese continued their attacks now that the United States had completely withdrawn their force, with the definitive conquest of South Vietnam as the goal.
The South Vietnamese forces erosion in the field increased in the face of a series of concerted North Vietnamese offensives and as drastic American aid reduction began to impact heavily on their ability to wage war.
Whilst Hanoi had been bolstered by massive deliveries of equipment from Peking and Moscow, both the Chinese and the Soviets withheld the delivery of sufficient ammunition for the artillery and the tanks to deter the North Vietnamese from attempting a new widespread offensive against the South.
It was with these constraints that the North Vietnamese leadership planned their new campaign, initially expecting it to take 2 to 3 years. A last test had to be conducted in order to assess the American intentions in case of and all-out North Vietnamese offensive against the South.
If a South Vietnamese provincial capital was taken without American reaction, then Hanoi would begin the last campaign of the war.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. Is based in England.
This book is soft-cover of 87 pages in 8” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of a field full of knocked out South Vietnamese trucks, over a color side view illustration of a South Vietnamese F-5A jet fighter.
The book contains 80 black and white photos, that show aircraft, tanks, troops, officers, artillery, vehicles and small arms of both North and South Vietnam. There are 14 maps.
Color profiles include:
For North Vietnam:
Two of the T-34/85, one T-34/85 converted to anti-aircraft, a Su-100, two of the T-34A, one of the Type 59, one of the T-54B, one of the PT-76B, a ZSU-57-2 converted to anti-aircraft, a K-63, a ATS-59G Light Artillery Tractor towing a D-74 122mm gun, a AT-L Light Artillery Tractor towing a S-60 57mm anti-aircraft gun.
For South Vietnam:
Two of a M-41, a M42 anti-aircraft tank, two of a M43A3, a M-113.
For South Vietnamese aircraft:
Two of a UH-1H helicopter, a CH-47H helicopter with squadron badge, a EC-47D with squadron badge, a C-130A with squadron badge, a O-2A with squadron badge, 7 of a A-37B with squadron badge, 4 of a F-5A with squadron badge, a F-5A-FY with squadron badge, a F-5E with squadron badge and a RF-5A.
For North Vietnam, just a Shenyang J-61 (that looks like a Mig-16).
For figures there are 2 color illustrations of North and South Vietnamese ones.
There is a 2 page bibliography at the end of the book and a list of abbreviations used in the beginning.
This is neat book about this period in Vietnam.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample.
All Helion & Co. Ltd. Books can be seen listed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.