The US Army in the Vietnam War 1965–73

Osprey Battle Orders #33

by Gordon L. Rottman

This title provides detailed information about how US Army units were organised and operated in America's longest war. Vietnam Special Forces veteran Gordon Rottman examines the different types of infantry battalions and the units that supported them, their training and organisation down to platoon level.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, War, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2008

About the author

Gordon L Rottman served for 26 years in the US Army in Special Forces, airborne infantry, long-range reconnaissance patrol, and military intelligence assignments in the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. He has worked as a Special Operations Forces scenario writer for 14 years at the Army' s Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk , Louisiana where he developed training exercises for Special Forces.
Gordon began writing military history books in 1984 and is currently a full-time author. He has written 50 books for Osprey.He is married with four children and lives in Cypress, Texas.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy these concise Osprey books because they are incredibly accurate, usually written by those with a specific expertise on a small niche of military history, and usually (for modern series) have inside knowledge of how an organization works.

There’s not much to really “review” here. This book is split into a few sections that focus on a) the organizational structure of the U.S. Army in Vietnam, including specific diagrams that breakdown the authorized strength and organization (TO&E) for divisions, brigades, battalions, companies, and platoons in the infantry, cavalry, and artillery, as well as, support units / b) tactics / c) command and control, intelligence, and communications / d) a brief synopsis and chronology of the units sent to Vietnam between 1965 and 1966.

This is definitely a reference book first and foremost, but had useful sections worth reading closely on tactics, weapons, and aspects of force organization. I will probably be returning to this book at times for specific facts and figures. Throughout the book are amazingly detailed organization charts that lay out in a clear way the organization of various units.

5/5 because of the utility, but definitely not a “good read” and is specifically geared for those with an abiding research interest in the Vietnam War.