Vietnam War US & Allied Combat Equipments

by Gordon L. Rottman, Adam Hook (Illustrator)

Overview

During the years of the Vietnam War, U.S. forces used three major types of equipment sets, with numerous modifications for particular circumstances. Different equipment was also used by Special Forces, the South Vietnamese, and other allied ground troops.

Vietnam War US & Allied Combat Equipments offers a comprehensive examination of the gear that U.S. and allied soldiers carried strapped around their bodies, what the gear contained, and what those items were used for. Fully illustrated with photographs and artwork detailing how each piece of equipment was used, and written by a Special Forces veteran of the conflict, this book will fascinate enthusiasts of military equipment and will be an ideal reference guide for reenactors, modelers, and collectors of Vietnam War memorabilia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472819055
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/24/2017
Series:	Elite
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	962,961
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Gordon L. Rottman joined the Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the Fifth Special Forces Group in Vietnam. He was a Special Operations Forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for twelve years and is now a freelance writer in Texas.

Adam Hook studied graphic design and began his work as an illustrator in 1983. He specializes in detailed historical reconstructions, and has previously illustrated Osprey titles.

Table of Contents

Introduction: the Vietnamese environment, as it affected personal LBE – listing of 'Free World' (allied) forces which used US equipment in Vietnam. /Development: background and development of the US Army M1956 LBE. /M1956 Load Bearing Equipment – description and use of this most widely seen pattern. /M1967 Modernized Load Bearing Equipment, developed specifically in response to experience in Vietnam. /US Marine M1961 Load Carrying Equipment. /ANZAC web equipment - description of British and M1956 LBE copies used by Australian and New Zealand forces. /Special reconnaissance equipment – description and use of specialized equipment by MACV-SOG, Special Forces, and Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol units. /World War II & Korean War vintage equipment – as used mostly by South Vietnamese forces, but in some use by US forces. /Indigenous equipment – description and use of low-cost equipment for Vietnamese forces, provided by the CIA's Counterintelligence Support Office. /Life in the Boonies - use of the equipments in the field, as shaped by differing terrain, climate, evolving weapons and procedures, and personal preferences (covering, e.g., procedures for movement, bivouacking, preparing food, perimeter defense and security, outposts, ambushes, etc.) /Conclusion. /Select Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

This book does a great job of providing the details of individual combat equipment used during the Viet Nam War.” —Mike Petty, Armor Modeling & Preservation Society

“Former Special Forces member Gor­don L. Rottman sorts out these variations [in gear] in Vietnam War US and Allied Combat Equipments. No. 216 in Os­prey's "Elite" series, with photographs and color illustrations by Adam Hook.” —Vietnam Magazine

From the Publisher