Download or read book SOG written by John L. Plaster and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-01-01 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Plaster’s riveting account of his covert activities as a member of a special operations team during the Vietnam War is “a true insider’s account, this eye-opening report will leave readers feeling as if they’ve been given a hot scoop on a highly classified project” (Publishers Weekly). Code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG was the most secret elite US military unit to serve in the Vietnam War—so secret its very existence was denied by the government. Composed entirely of volunteers from such ace fighting units as the Army Green Berets, Air Force Air Commandos, and Navy SEALs, SOG took on the most dangerous covert assignments, in the deadliest and most forbidding theaters of operation. In SOG, Major John L. Plaster, a three-tour SOG veteran, shares the gripping exploits of these true American warriors in a minute-by-minute, heartbeat-by-heartbeat account of the group’s stunning operations behind enemy lines—penetrating heavily defended North Vietnamese military facilities, holding off mass enemy attacks, launching daring missions to rescue downed US pilots. Some of the most extraordinary true stories of honor and heroism in the history of the US military, from sabotage to espionage to hand-to-hand combat, Plaster’s account is “a detailed history of this little-known aspect of the Vietnam War…a worthy act of historical rescue from an unjustified, willed oblivion” (The New York Times).

Download or read book America s Commandos written by Leroy Thompson and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2001-02-11 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A photographic history of elite units in WWII and Korea, including uniforms, equipment, and more. America deployed a diverse group of special operations forces (SOF) throughout World War II and in Korea. These elite units quickly earned a redoubtable reputation and proved themselves adept at hit-and-run raids, gathering intelligence in long range patrols, rescuing POWs, and living and fighting in hostile environments. This valuable study includes more than 100 rare and unusual photographs of the men, uniforms, special equipment, and insignia of these elite troops, accompanied by informative captions. Units covered include the Marine Raider regiments and Paramarines, Ranger battalions, “Merrill’s Marauders,” the Special Service Force, OSS teams, Naval CDUs, and ski and mountain troops. America’s Commandos is a key addition to the G.I. Series and examines some of America’s most feared and capable elite forces.

Download or read book Secret Commandos written by John L. Plaster and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-10-16 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Major John L. Plaster recalls his remarkable covert activities as a member of a special operations team during the Vietnam War in a “comprehensive, informative, and often exciting…account of an important part of the overall Vietnam tragedy” (The New York Times). Before there were Navy SEALs, there was SOG. Short for “Studies and Operations Group,” it was a secret operations force in Vietnam, the most highly decorated unit in the war. Although their chief mission was disrupting the main North Vietnamese supply route into South Vietnam, SOG commandos also rescued downed helicopter pilots and fellow soldiers, and infiltrated deep into Laos and Cambodia to identify bombing targets, conduct ambushes, mine roads, and capture North Vietnamese soldiers for intelligence purposes. Always outnumbered, they matched wits in the most dangerous environments with an unrelenting foe that hunted them with trackers and dogs. Ten entire teams disappeared and another fourteen were annihilated. This is the dramatic, page-turning true story of that team’s dedication, sacrifice, and constant fight for survival. In the “gripping” (Publishers Weekly) Secret Commandos, John Plaster vividly describes these unique warriors who gave everything fighting for their country—and for each other.

Download or read book Spies and Commandos written by Kenneth Conboy and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2000-03-16 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Vietnam war, the United States sought to undermine Hanoi's subversion of the Saigon regime by sending Vietnamese operatives behind enemy lines. A secret to most Americans, this covert operation was far from secret in Hanoi: all of the commandos were killed or captured, and many were turned by the Communists to report false information. Spies and Commandos traces the rise and demise of this secret operation-started by the CIA in 1960 and expanded by the Pentagon beginning in1964-in the first book to examine the program from both sides of the war. Kenneth Conboy and Dale Andrade interviewed CIA and military personnel and traveled in Vietnam to locate former commandos who had been captured by Hanoi, enabling them to tell the complete story of these covert activities from high-level decision making to the actual experiences of the agents. The book vividly describes scores of dangerous missions-including raids against North Vietnamese coastal installations and the air-dropping of dozens of agents into enemy territory-as well as psychological warfare designed to make Hanoi believe the "resistance movement" was larger than it actually was. It offers a more complete operational account of the program than has ever been made available-particularly its early years-and ties known events in the war to covert operations, such as details of the "34-A Operations" that led to the Tonkin Gulf incidents in 1964. It also explains in no uncertain terms why the whole plan was doomed to failure from the start. One of the remarkable features of the operation, claim the authors, is that its failures were so glaring. They argue that the CIA, and later the Pentagon, was unaware for years that Hanoi had compromised the commandos, even though some agents missed radio deadlines or filed suspicious reports. Operational errors were not attributable to conspiracy or counterintelligence, they contend, but simply to poor planning and lack of imagination. Although it flourished for ten years under cover of the wider war, covert activity in Vietnam is now recognized as a disaster. Conboy and Andrade's account of that episode is a sobering tale that lends a new perspective on the war as it reclaims the lost lives of these unsung spies and commandos.

Download or read book America s Special Forces written by David Bohrer and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An action-packed adventure that will take the reader into the bush with all of the U.S. military's Special Forces--SEALs, Green Berets, Army Rangers, Marine Force Recon, and USAF Special Ops. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Bohret traveled with each team as they trained in remote corners of the globe. Each Special Force has chapters devoted to their history, weapons and special equipment, and training procedures. Full-color action photos illustrate the team members and their weapons, while sidebars detail events and operations. 200 photos, 175 in color.

Download or read book America s Commandos written by Leroy Thompson and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2001-02-11 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America deployed a diverse group of special operations forces (SOF) throught World War II and in Korea. These elite units quickly earned a redoubtable reputation and proved themselves adept at hit-and-run raids, gathering intelligence in long range patrols, rescuing PoWs and living and fighting in hostile environments. This valuable study includes more than 100 rare and unusual photographs of the men, uniforms, special equipment and insignia of these elite troops. Units covered include the Marine Raider regiments and Paramarines; Ranger battalions; 'Merill's Marauders'; the Special Service Force, OSS teams; Naval CDUs; and ski and mountain troops. America's Commandos is a key addition to the G.I. Series and examines some of America's most feared and capable elite forces.

Download or read book American Commando written by John F. Wukovits and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides an account of how Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson helped lay the foundation for Special Forces in the modern military through his leadership of the 2nd Raider Battalion in the jungles of Guadalcanal during World War II where he and his troops employed guerilla tactics against an entrenched Japanese force to disrupt their supply chain, inflict combat defeats, and gather valuable intelligence.

Download or read book SOG written by John L. Plaster and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2022-05-19 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new edition of this classic illustrated history of the operations and operatives of MACV-SOG in the Vietnam War. In 1972 the U.S. military destroyed all known photos of the top-secret Studies and Observations Group, with the intention that details could never be made public. But unknown to those in charge, SOG veterans had brought back with them hundreds of photographs of SOG in action and would keep them secret for more than three decades. In this new edition of SOG: A Photo History, more than 700 irreplaceable photos bring to life the stories of SOG legends Larry Thorne, Bob Howard, Dick Meadows, George Sisler, "Q" and others, and document what really happened deep inside enemy territory: Operation Tailwind, the Son Tay raid, SOG's defense of Khe Sanh, Hatchet Force operations, Bright Light rescues, HALO insertions, string extractions, SOG's darkest programs and much more.

Download or read book Killer Elite written by Michael Smith and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2008-03-04 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A British journalist specializing in defense topics offers a readable, useful addition to the literature on American special operations forces.

Download or read book Commandos written by Douglas Waller and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2020-02-18 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover what it takes to fight alongside the very best of America’s armed forces in this heart-pounding precursor to American Sniper and SEAL Team Six. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the most secret and elite of clandestine warriors, including the Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and Delta Force. Offering inside details of the US special operations forces, former Newsweek and Time correspondent Douglas Waller reveals the excruciating training and dangerous missions behind America’s elite fighting forces. Following them closely into battle in Operation Desert Storm, Waller shares never-before-revealed scenes and details from the US Special Forces–waged Scud-busting night raids, firefights, and some of the most unconventional and dangerous war missions in history. In this vivid account, Waller’s singular experience not only shines a light on the obstacles these soldiers face but gives an intimate portrait of the individual men and women serving our country. His inside reporting highlights the humanity of these soldiers by sharing their struggles, perseverance, and triumphs.

Download or read book Sog written by John L. Plaster and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 1998-07-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The most comprehensive examination of widespread covert American actions during the Vietnam War.”—Kirkus Reviews Code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG was the most secret elite U.S. military unit to serve in the Vietnam War—so secret its very existence was denied by the government. Composed entirely of volunteers from such ace fighting units as the Army Green Berets, Air Force Air Commandos, and Navy SEALs, SOG took on the most dangerous covert assignments, in the deadliest and most forbidding theaters of operation. Major John L. Plaster, three-tour SOG veteran, shares the gripping exploits of these true American warriors. Here is a minute-by-minute, heartbeat-by-heartbeat account of SOG’s stunning operations behind enemy lines—penetrating heavily defended North Vietnamese military facilities, holding off mass enemy attacks, launching daring missions to rescue downed U.S. pilots. From sabotage to espionage to hand-to-hand combat, these are some of the most extraordinary true stories of honor and heroism in the history of the U.S. military.

Download or read book John Plaster A Retired American Army Major written by Rena Spradley and published by . This book was released on 2021-04-27 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam--Special Operations Group (later renamed Studies and Observations Group)--was the elite military unit of the Vietnam War, so secret that its existence was denied by the U.S. government. The group reported directly to the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and much of its history and exploits were concealed for years from the general public by a veil of secrecy and confidentiality. John L. Plaster served three one-year tours with MACV-SOG, and this book is a true insider's account, revealing much about this top-secret commando unit and its covert missions in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. John Plaster (aka the plastic man) is a retired American army major, sniping expert, and author who is most renowned for being one of the greatest snipers in history. He is a Vietnam vet who was a member of the covert studies and observation group/special operations group (SOG). The group was integral to any success the united states recorded in the Vietnam war but yet so secret that the American government denied their existence at the time. John was one of their leading marksmen and most honorable members.

Download or read book Secret Commandos written by John L. Plaster and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2005-04-05 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Major John L. Plaster recalls his remarkable covert activities in SOG from 1969 to 1971 in Vietnam. Code-named the Studies and Operations Group, SOG was a secret operations force in Vietnam, the forerunner of today’s Delta Force and Navy SEALs. Exceptionally skilled Green Berets, they were the most highly decorated unit in the war. Although their chief mission was disrupting the Ho Chi Minh Trail—the main North Vietnamese supply route into South Vietnam—SOG commandos rescued downed helicopter pilots and fellow soldiers, and infiltrated deep into Laos and Cambodia to identify bombing targets, conduct ambushes, mine roads, and capture North Vietnamese soldiers for intelligence purposes. Always outnumbered—often by as much as 100 to 1—SOG commandos matched wits in the most dangerous environments with an unrelenting foe that hunted them with trackers and dogs. Ten entire teams disappeared and another fourteen were annihilated. In Secret Commandos, John L. Plaster vividly describes these unique warriors who gave everything fighting for their country—and for each other.

Download or read book A Story Of American s Commandos In Vietnam written by Tonya Vecellio and published by . This book was released on 2021-04-27 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam--Special Operations Group (later renamed Studies and Observations Group)--was the elite military unit of the Vietnam War, so secret that its existence was denied by the U.S. government. The group reported directly to the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and much of its history and exploits were concealed for years from the general public by a veil of secrecy and confidentiality. John L. Plaster served three one-year tours with MACV-SOG, and this book is a true insider's account, revealing much about this top-secret commando unit and its covert missions in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. John Plaster (aka the plastic man) is a retired American army major, sniping expert, and author who is most renowned for being one of the greatest snipers in history. He is a Vietnam vet who was a member of the covert studies and observation group/special operations group (SOG). The group was integral to any success the united states recorded in the Vietnam war but yet so secret that the American government denied their existence at the time. John was one of their leading marksmen and most honorable members.

Download or read book Air Commando Chronicles written by Robert L. Gleason and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book We Few written by Nick Brokhausen and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Green Beret’s gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1970, on his second tour to Vietnam, Nick Brokhausen served in Recon Team Habu, CCN. Officially, it was known as the Studies and Observations group. In fact, this Special Forces squad, which Brokhausen calls “an unwashed, profane, ribald, joyously alive fraternity,” undertook some of the most dangerous and suicidal reconnaissance missions ever in the enemy-controlled territory of Cambodia and Laos. But they didn’t infiltrate the jungles alone. They fought alongside the Montagnards—oppressed minorities from the mountain highlands, trained by the US military in guerilla tactics, armed, accustomed to the wild, and fully engaged in a war against the North Vietnamese. Together this small unit formed the backbone of ground reconnaissance in the Republic of Vietnam, racking up medals for valor—but at a terrible cost. “In colorful, military-jargon-laced prose leavened by gallows humor, Brokhausen pulls few punches describing what it was like to navigate remote jungle terrain under the constant threat of enemy fire. A smartly written, insider’s view of one rarely seen Vietnam War battleground.” —Booklist “[An] exceptionally raw look at the Vietnam War just at the apex of its unpopularity. . . . This battle-scarred memoir is an excellent tribute to the generation that fought, laughed, and died in Southeast Asia.” —New York Journal of Books

Download or read book X Troop written by Leah Garrett and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WALL STREET JOURNAL BOOK OF THE MONTH "This is the incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now." —Wall Street Journal “Brilliantly researched, utterly gripping history: the first full account of a remarkable group of Jewish refugees—a top-secret band of brothers—who waged war on Hitler.”—Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of The Longest Winter and The Liberator The incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now June 1942. The shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The resulting volunteers are a motley group of intellectuals, artists, and athletes, most from Germany and Austria. Many have been interned as enemy aliens, and have lost their families, their homes—their whole worlds. They will stop at nothing to defeat the Nazis. Trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat, this top secret unit becomes known as X Troop. Some simply call them a suicide squad. Drawing on extensive original research, including interviews with the last surviving members, Leah Garrett follows this unique band of brothers from Germany to England and back again, with stops at British internment camps, the beaches of Normandy, the battlefields of Italy and Holland, and the hellscape of Terezin concentration camp—the scene of one of the most dramatic, untold rescues of the war. For the first time, X Troop tells the astonishing story of these secret shock troops and their devastating blows against the Nazis. “Garrett’s detective work is stunning, and her storytelling is masterful. This is an original account of Jewish rescue, resistance, and revenge.”—Wendy Lower, author of The Ravine and National Book Award finalist Hitler’s Furies