Military Model Scene

Title: The Vietnam War 1956-75
Author: Andrew Wiest
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4728-5112-3

This is a small, handy sized book, an Essential Histories title from Osprey Publishing. A 144-page soft-cover book that gives a fine overview of the story of the Vietnam War. Originally published back in 2002, the book has been revised and has new colour maps and a new collection of images.
I think I'm fair to say that most of us think of it in terms of the US involvement, but of course there was much more to it than that. Opening with the background, including the French involvement following WW2, it moves through the Warring Sides, as a superpower, however reluctant at that point, came up against a guerrilla army. Vietnam was split between a communist North and democratic South. In a time when western nations saw themselves in a fight against the spread of communism, so fighting broke out. It quickly involved neighbouring Cambodia and Laos as the North used these as their routes to supply the Viet Cong forces in the South. The fighting is described, which included the growth and use of airmobile operations, airpower, the Tunnel war, Tet Offensive and the eventual attempts at Vietnamization. The war was widened by the exposure to the western media on a daily basis, and amidst the events of the Civil Rights movement in America it became an unpopular war at home for the Americans. It covers all these things, finishing things off with explaining what happened when the US military finally pulled out of Vietnam, leaving the way open for the North to re-unite the two halves of Vietnam into a single nation. It wasn't the end of things of course, and the final chapter tackles the Conclusions and Consequences after 1975, changes which ended up with reconciliation between Vietnam and the USA in more recent years, where Vietnam is now a successful and vibrant nation.
I lived through the period of the Vietnam War, and aside from remembering those daily news reports, I have met many veterans over the years and read a lot on the topic. It takes me a moment to stop and think, as anyone below the age of 47 or so will not have those memories. If someone wants a useful and interesting account of the war in a compact format, I'd suggest this would be a very good book to read.
Thanks to Osprey for the review copy.

Robin