Book Review of
Target Saigon 1973-75. Vol. 4
Author: Albert Grandolini
Helion & Co. Ltd. Asia@War Series no. 36
ISBN: 978-1-804512-49-4
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
ISBN: 978-1-804512-49-4
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
HISTORY:
After two protracted years of fighting that wore down the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the North Vietnamese decided to launch their final offensives in January 1975. The president of South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thieu, decided upon a wide range of strategic withdrawals to consolidate his forces that saw the northern half of the country abandoned to the enemy.
The scheme turned into a disaster, and by March 1975 the whole North Vietnamese regular battle corps , some 550,000 troops and 700 tanks, was massed at the gates of South Vietnam’s capital and subsequent events led to some of the fiercest fighting of the Vietnam War.
Volume 4 of Target Saigon examines the final campaigns of the conflict in Vietnam, in which the Communist forces engaged in a highly mechanized war of manoeuvre. Despite being heavily outnumbered, many of the ARVN’s units put up a fierce resistance , inflicting heavy casualties upon the advancing Northern forces, in a series of battles that were far from the rout often described.
Target Saigon Vol. 4 is illustrated with 8 maps: a line drawing of the Middle East, 4 line drawing battle maps belonging to the South Vietnam army, 2 colorized maps of Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos and 2 colorized battle maps of Vietnam.
There are 120 black and white photos (none in color) of leaders, officers, infantrymen, tank crews etc. These photos are of poor focus mostly. Also over 30 original color artworks illustrating the men, vehicles and aircraft of the campaign.
After two protracted years of fighting that wore down the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the North Vietnamese decided to launch their final offensives in January 1975. The president of South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thieu, decided upon a wide range of strategic withdrawals to consolidate his forces that saw the northern half of the country abandoned to the enemy.
The scheme turned into a disaster, and by March 1975 the whole North Vietnamese regular battle corps , some 550,000 troops and 700 tanks, was massed at the gates of South Vietnam’s capital and subsequent events led to some of the fiercest fighting of the Vietnam War.
Volume 4 of Target Saigon examines the final campaigns of the conflict in Vietnam, in which the Communist forces engaged in a highly mechanized war of manoeuvre. Despite being heavily outnumbered, many of the ARVN’s units put up a fierce resistance , inflicting heavy casualties upon the advancing Northern forces, in a series of battles that were far from the rout often described.
Target Saigon Vol. 4 is illustrated with 8 maps: a line drawing of the Middle East, 4 line drawing battle maps belonging to the South Vietnam army, 2 colorized maps of Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos and 2 colorized battle maps of Vietnam.
There are 120 black and white photos (none in color) of leaders, officers, infantrymen, tank crews etc. These photos are of poor focus mostly. Also over 30 original color artworks illustrating the men, vehicles and aircraft of the campaign.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. Books is located in the UK.
This book is of 72 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
It begins with CONTENTS, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, ABBREVIATIONS and ends with the BIBLIOGRAPHY and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
Helion & Co. Ltd. Books is located in the UK.
This book is of 72 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
It begins with CONTENTS, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, ABBREVIATIONS and ends with the BIBLIOGRAPHY and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
The cover art shows as black and white photo of a N. Vietnamese PAVN T-54 tank that is passing through an iron gate. It has a driver looking out of the turret hatch and there are 3 infantrymen riding it. It has a white no. 6 on the sides of the turret. Below it there is a color illustration of a A-37B fighter that was captured by the N. Vietnamese from the S. Vietnamese.
The back cover of the book has the history, over a color side view illustration of a U.S. Marine Corps Ch-46E helicopter.
The back cover of the book has the history, over a color side view illustration of a U.S. Marine Corps Ch-46E helicopter.
The black and white photos show: a N. Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) T-54 tank, a S. Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) PI-76 tank, a M-41 of the ARVN, a M-113 of the ARVN, M-41’s & M-48’s of the ARVN, a helicopter of the ARVN, a M-107 175mm howitzer of the ARVN, river patrol boats of the ARVN, a K-63 of the PAVN, a Type 63 tank of the PAVN, a photo of Phan Rang Air Base, a BTR-60 APC of the PAVN, a BTR-40 APC of the PAVN, a BTR-50 APC of the PAVN, a M-46 130mm howitzer of the PAVN, a 122mm howitzer of the PAVN, a DKB MRL rocket-launcher of the PAVN, a M101 105mm howitzer of the PAVN, a D-74 130mm with tractor of the PAVN, a M-46 130mm howitzer of the PAVN, a raft, a KS-19 100 mm howitzer of the PAVN, a MAZ-537 trailer that is towing a ChMZAP-524 trailer with a T-54 tank on it of the PAVN, a ZSU-23-4 of the PAVN, an AN-24 transport aircraft of the Vietnamese Air Force VPAF, a Mil-MI-6 helicopter of the VPAF, a M-113 of the ARVN, a PMP pontoon bridge truck of the PAVN, a V-100 armoured reconnaissance car of the ARVN and the U.S.S. Midway aircraft carrier.
The color side-view profiles section shows 16 illustrations of vehicles and tanks:
A Chinese built Jiefang CA-10 (4X4) 4,000 KG stake-sided truck. It is overall olive-drab with a white CET 1754 over 8.57.512FI over T.S.I. on the cab-doors, of the PAVN.
A Chinese built Jiefang CA-30 “Liberation” (6x6) 4,500 KG stake-sided truck of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with no markings and has a N. Vietnamese flag flying from its nose.
A Soviet-built ZIL-157 (6X6) 4,500 KG stake-sided truck of the PAVN. It is unmarked.
A Soviet-built GAZ-53 (4X2) 2,500 KG stake-sided truck of the PAVN, It is in a spotted camouflage of tan with dark green spots and no markings.
A Mazur D-350 tracked artillery tractor of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with no markings.
A BTR-152 APC of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with no markings and has a pile of brush atop it.
A Soviet-built BAV-485 amphibious truck of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with white serial no. XLN-O1 on its sides and a canvas roof.
A ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft tank of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with a yellow star in a circle on its sides, followed by white no. Z003.
A BM-21 Grad rocket-launcher truck of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab and has no markings.
A captured from the ARVN M-132 flamethrower tank and a PAVN M-113 anti-airraft tank. Both are overall olive-drab. The M-132 is unmarked but carrying a flag atop it. The M-113 has white serial no. RO38 on its sides.
A Chinese-built K-63 APC of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with a yellow star in a circle on the side of its nose, followed by large white R 141 THAN TOC.
A BTR-50 APC of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with white no. 607 on the sides of the turret.
A T-34/85 of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with a yellow star in a circle, followed by a white-outlines no. 137 on the sides of its turret.
A T-54B of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with large white stenciled no. 843 on the sides of its turret and carries a N. Vietnamese flag atop its turret.
A Type 53 light tank of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with a large white serial no. T787 stenciled on the rear end of its sides.
Next are 6 color illustrations of infantrymen:
A U.S. Marine, a ARVN Ranger, a U.S. Army infantryman, a female member of the Vietcong, a tank crewman of the PAVN and an officer of the PAVN.
There are 12 color illustrations of side-views of aircraft:
A Vietnamese Air Force VNAF A-1h, two A-37B’s (one in captured PAVN markings), three F-5A’s “Tiger 2’s” of the VNAF, an Air America Bell UH-1H helicopter, a U.S. Marines CH-46f helicopter, a Grumman F-14A Tomcat of the U.S. Navy, an An-24 with the PAVN, and a Mil MI-6 helicopter of the PAVN.
This book will be of interest to modelers and historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample.
All Helion & Co. Ltd. Books can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The color side-view profiles section shows 16 illustrations of vehicles and tanks:
A Chinese built Jiefang CA-10 (4X4) 4,000 KG stake-sided truck. It is overall olive-drab with a white CET 1754 over 8.57.512FI over T.S.I. on the cab-doors, of the PAVN.
A Chinese built Jiefang CA-30 “Liberation” (6x6) 4,500 KG stake-sided truck of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with no markings and has a N. Vietnamese flag flying from its nose.
A Soviet-built ZIL-157 (6X6) 4,500 KG stake-sided truck of the PAVN. It is unmarked.
A Soviet-built GAZ-53 (4X2) 2,500 KG stake-sided truck of the PAVN, It is in a spotted camouflage of tan with dark green spots and no markings.
A Mazur D-350 tracked artillery tractor of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with no markings.
A BTR-152 APC of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with no markings and has a pile of brush atop it.
A Soviet-built BAV-485 amphibious truck of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with white serial no. XLN-O1 on its sides and a canvas roof.
A ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft tank of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with a yellow star in a circle on its sides, followed by white no. Z003.
A BM-21 Grad rocket-launcher truck of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab and has no markings.
A captured from the ARVN M-132 flamethrower tank and a PAVN M-113 anti-airraft tank. Both are overall olive-drab. The M-132 is unmarked but carrying a flag atop it. The M-113 has white serial no. RO38 on its sides.
A Chinese-built K-63 APC of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with a yellow star in a circle on the side of its nose, followed by large white R 141 THAN TOC.
A BTR-50 APC of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with white no. 607 on the sides of the turret.
A T-34/85 of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with a yellow star in a circle, followed by a white-outlines no. 137 on the sides of its turret.
A T-54B of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab with large white stenciled no. 843 on the sides of its turret and carries a N. Vietnamese flag atop its turret.
A Type 53 light tank of the PAVN. It is overall olive-drab, with a large white serial no. T787 stenciled on the rear end of its sides.
Next are 6 color illustrations of infantrymen:
A U.S. Marine, a ARVN Ranger, a U.S. Army infantryman, a female member of the Vietcong, a tank crewman of the PAVN and an officer of the PAVN.
There are 12 color illustrations of side-views of aircraft:
A Vietnamese Air Force VNAF A-1h, two A-37B’s (one in captured PAVN markings), three F-5A’s “Tiger 2’s” of the VNAF, an Air America Bell UH-1H helicopter, a U.S. Marines CH-46f helicopter, a Grumman F-14A Tomcat of the U.S. Navy, an An-24 with the PAVN, and a Mil MI-6 helicopter of the PAVN.
This book will be of interest to modelers and historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample.
All Helion & Co. Ltd. Books can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.