Historian and collector Michael Green shows in this fascinating and graphically illustrated book that the two wars that engulfed Indochina and North and South Vietnam over 30 years were far more armored in nature than typically thought of. By skillful use of imagery and descriptive text he describes the many variants deployed and their contribution.
The ill-fated French Expeditionary Force was largely US equipped with WW2 M3 and M5 Stuart, M4 Sherman and M24 light tanks as well as armored cars and half-tracks. Most of these eventually went to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam but were outdated and ineffective due to lack of logistics and training.
The US Army and Marine Corps buildup in the 1960s saw vast quantities of M48 Pattons, M113 APCs and many specialist variants and improvised armored vehicles arrive in theater. The Australians brought their British Centurion tanks.
But it was the Russians, Chinese and North Vietnamese who won the day and their T-38-85 tanks, ZSU antiaircraft platforms and BTR-40 and -50 swept the Communists to victory.
This fine book brings details and images of all these diverse weaponry to the reader in one volume.
