Son Tay 1970: The Operation Ivory Coast POW rescue mission

by Justin Williamson, Edouard A. Groult (Illustrator), Irene Cano Rodríguez (Illustrator)

Overview

A superbly illustrated account of one of the key milestones in the development of modern US Special Operations Forces, the hugely complex POW rescue at Son Tay.

On November 21, 1970, a meticulously prepared force of US Special Forces in HH-53 helicopters, supported by more than a hundred combat aircraft, raided the POW camp at Son Tay, North Vietnam, just 23 miles west of Hanoi, seeking 61 American prisoners. Having trained for months in secret, and utilizing the best troops and air crews possible, the raiders executed the mission flawlessly. No Americans were killed and only two aircraft were downed, with the raiders killing several dozen North Vietnamese. It was the epitome of joint commando operations and regarded as an unheralded success. Except, the prisoners were missing. The raiders had come up empty handed.

Illustrated with original artwork and maps, and drawing on both declassified documents and new interviews with participants, in this book diplomat and historian Justin Williamson explains the significance of this highly complex commando mission, deep inside enemy territory. A joint Army-Air Force assault, with the Navy flying diversionary missions, the Son Tay raid was the first operation to be conducted under the direct command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and ranks among the most important moments in the development of modern US Special Operations Forces.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472863010
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	11/19/2024
Series:	Raid , #60
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	7.24(w) x 9.76(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Justin Williamson is a career US diplomat who has served in Iraq, Mexico, Spain, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but calls Texas home. He has degrees from Texas Tech University and The University of Texas at El Paso, and graduated from the US Army Command and Staff College with a Master of Military Arts and Sciences. He is the author of Operation Eagle Claw 1980 for Osprey.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Efforts to Find the Prisoners of War

ORIGINS

Polar Circle and the Planning Phase

The Legendary Arthur “Bull” Simons Assembles His Men

INITIAL STRATEGY

Operation Ivory Coast: Training and Preparation for the Rescue

Intelligence on the POWs and Son Tay

Bureaucracy, Support, and Logistics

POW Needs After the Rescue

Training for the Ground Forces

The Air Component Training

When to Go

THE PLAN

Operation Kingpin–Son Tay Camp

The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club Joins the Mission

Last-Minute Intelligence Puzzles Everyone

Waiting in Thailand to Launch

We Are Going to Rescue American Prisoners

THE RAID

Operation Kingpin Launches

The Assault on Son Tay

The Secondary School Battle

Negative Items, I Repeat, Negative Items!

The Air Battle

The US Navy Launches Their Mission

Firebird 5 Goes Down

Extraction and Rescue

THE AFTERMATH

Shock Among the Raiders and the Political Fallout Back Home

What Happened to the POWs?

Mystery of the Secondary School

ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX