The Colonels / The Berets / The Generals


W.E.B. Griffin
    Unbound) ISBN-10: 0515098914

The War Before The War


David Lee Corley - 2020
    After several victories, the French Army is dealt its first major defeat by Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh rebels. China and Russia wait in the wings, watching America’s resolve.With the French desperately short on troops, weapons, and aircraft, America must wrestle with the decision on how deeply to become involved in the growing conflict in Indochina. Newly elected congressman and war hero, John F. Kennedy, is joined by his siblings, Robert and Patricia, on a fact-finding mission throughout Southeast Asia. His goal – find the truth to prevent America from making a terrible mistake that could have irreparable consequences.Will the Kennedys find the truth and save America from a terrible fate?Rene Granier, former OSS Deer Team member and now CIA officer, is asked to accompany the Kennedys as their advisor and bodyguard. He is the only man alive that fought alongside the Viet Minh and the French. Now both want his head on a platter as he goes back into the lion’s den – Vietnam.Will Granier protect the Kennedys? Will he even survive?Will America make the right decision or become entangled in a faraway war with no end in sight?Read The War Before The War to find out.

Edge of Eternity: by Ken Follett (The Century Trilogy Book 3) Snapshot Summary Companion Book


Snapshot Books - 2015
    The guide should be used with the novel, not instead of it, so please pick up a copy before buying this book if you haven’t already done so. Snapshot Books is meant to enhance the experience of fans as a refresher, and for use by book clubs. Inside you will discover: A book summary and analysis with commentary Character list A look at symbols, themes and motifs Commentary on the book as well as details on plot, settings and final thoughts Great for book club questions and discussion topics Snapshot Books introduces a companion to Edge of Eternity, by Ken Follett for fans and book clubs to enhance your reading experience.

The Alchemist's Revenge: The real game of thrones (Company of Archers)


Martin Archer - 2019
    This is another exciting story in Martin Archer’s continuing and action-packed saga about the men of a company of English archers in the medieval world’s very real game of thrones. It is by far the longest and one of the most action-packed and wittiest. Flashman would be proud, Tom Brown appalled, and the men of the Marines and the SAS would have felt right at home. The year is 1219 in Constantinople and the recently widowed English-born Empress of the great Latin Empire has donated enough coins to the Pope to have been chosen by God to be her young son’s regent. She, in turn, has hired George Courtenay’s Cornwall-based Company of Archers to help her defend her throne against the many kings and princes who are trying to replace her. This is the story of a real life game of thrones set in the early years when the first of the great heavily armed merchant companies were being formed and Britain was just beginning to grow into a naval and commercial powerhouse that would punch far above its weight in the centuries that followed. It is a good read.

The Protector (Brotherhood Series Book 3)


Vivian Rose Lee - 2017
    She lived to create and enjoy her carefree bohemian lifestyle. Life was good, until her father died leaving her to continue his legacy of Thornton Industries. She was an engineer, not some corporate shark. Therefore, she didn’t know where to begin, especially managing the day-to-day operations of retaining TI's successful multi-million dollar status. Before she could regroup to handle the inherited responsibilities, she started receiving personal threats against her life. When they escalated into life-threatening attacks, she had to accept around-the-clock protection from a man whose nearness was dangerous to her self-imposed celibacy. Olen Davidson was assigned to protect Zulayka. From the beginning, he made it known he was not happy with what he called "a babysitting assignment," but he went along "taking one for the team." He was even more disappointed when he met the woman in person. She was a twenty-first century hippie, with a high IQ, a smart mouth, and an eccentric personality. The easy assignment soon turned into international espionage with Zulayka’s company as the targeted prize. Olen’s cavalier attitude in protecting Zulayka almost caused her serious injuries. Now Olen is determined to put his life on the line to protect her. What he hadn’t asked for were the feelings he was starting to have for the unconventional nerd who wasn't his type. Hadn't watching her prevented him from a reunion with the woman who held his heart?

Ghosts and Shadows: A Marine in Vietnam, 1968-1969


Phil Ball - 1998
    At the time, he would have done anything to escape; only upon reflection years later did he realize that the self-confidence instilled in him by his drill instructors had probably saved his life in Vietnam. A few months after boot camp, Private Ball was shipped out to Vietnam, joining F Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, near Khe Sanh. As a grunt, in the vernacular of the Corps, Ball, like the other youths of F Company, did a difficult and deadly job in such places as the A Shau Valley, Leatherneck Square, the DMZ and other obscure but critical I Corps locales. His--their--fear of death mingled with homesickness. Little did they realize that the horrors of the Vietnam War--horrors that while in-country they often claimed did not even exist--would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Legacy of Lies: Over the Fence in Laos


Henry G. Gole - 2019
    Operating from camps in places like Kontum and Dak To, Special Forces recon men risked their lives behind enemy lines on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and Cambodia, conducting missions whose detection often meant death or something worse. Officially, they did not exist. Their government denied that they were operating in “neutral” countries; Hanoi denied the very existence of the Trail. If killed or captured in Laos or Cambodia, the Green Berets would be reported MIA or KIA—in Vietnam. They fought for each other and for their honor as soldiers. It is 1970. The United States Government is seeking a way out of the war “with honor” via a face-saving program called “Vietnamization.” This is the story of the fate of the recon men and the missions they conducted while highly skilled and motivated NVA hunter-killer teams pursued them on the enemy’s home turf. A recon team discovers a choke point on the enemy’s line of communication. For every day the Trail is blocked, enemy support of forces in the south is set back a month, giving South Vietnam a leg up. The special operators in Kontum are given the mission to do just that. There is a rub; the American president and his government must have “plausible deniability.” Therein lies the legacy of lies. “Very few authors have captured the action, intrigue and backstory of the secret missions as well as Colonel Gole does in ‘Legacy of Lies.’ A must read for those seeking the precursor to today’s military support to sensitive activities.” —Michael S. Repass, Major General, US Army (Retired) Special Forces “Gole’s novel is Fantastic! The best part, the top to bottom approach—from the White House, JCS, CINCPAC, MACV, down through SOG, right to the One-Zero firing tracers to mark his position for Covey.” —Colonel, USAF, (Ret) Tom Yarborough, author and decorated Covey pilot for SOG

Jump Wings And Secrets


Raymond Hunter Pyle - 2015
    For some it was a war with loneliness, boredom, and endless fatigue. For others it was a war with unyielding jungle, mountains, and disease. For still others it was a war with terror and death and all of the above. And then there was the secret war fought mostly by Army Special Forces and Navy Seals. For these secret warriors, the war was seldom boring and always dangerous. The mountains and jungles of Laos and Cambodia were their playground, and disease, terror, and death stalked them on every mission. Sergeant First Class Ed Potter, returning for his third tour in-country with the 101st Airborne, was on a short tour, just six months this time. While in the states, he had passed the Special Forces selection battery and did well in all phases of the SF assessment course. He expected orders to the SF Q course in six months. In the meantime he expected to be placed in a platoon sergeant’s job with the 101st at Camp Eagle or Camp Evans. His first surprise came when the replacement battalion sent him for an interview with a Special Forces Major who asked him if he would be interested in working for MACV-SOG and training and leading an airmobile quick reaction force to support Special Forces recon teams operating out of FOB1 at Phu Bai. His second surprise came when the major wouldn’t tell him what MACV-SOG, or the FOB was, did, or where they operated until after he volunteered and signed a confidentiality agreement. Ed jumped at the chance to work with the Special Forces instead of waiting out his time in a regular airborne infantry unit. He wouldn’t be Special Forces, but he would be working for them with the potential to share in part of their missions and training. What could be better for an NCO waiting to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg? An hour after the interview, Ed found himself on a helicopter heading for headquarters 5th Special Forces at Nha Trang and the beginning of a short tour that would seem longer and more dangerous than anything he had ever experienced.

Chimera


Vivek Ahuja - 2012
    A violent uprising has been instigated all across Tibet as Beijing moves to establish control while the Dalai Lama’s health deteriorates further and questions on the future of the Tibetan leadership are raised. As Beijing pursues the rebels and their benefactors within India, both nations are plunged into a spiraling descent to war. Now each side must navigate their widely different paths to victory as vast armies on both sides wage all-out war in their bid to become the dominant power in Asia… Book Edition: II

REPORTS OF THEIR DEMISE


William Peter Grasso - 2021
    

Into the Crucible: Making Marines for the 21st Century


James B. Woulfe - 1998
    Woulfe compares this training exercise with other schemes in other branches of service.

The D-Day Deception (Kindle Single)


Alex Gerlis - 2014
    Although it is usually seen as an unqualified success, the Battle for Normandy was actually a much more closely fought affair. In The D-Day Deception the author and journalist Alex Gerlis explores whether it would have been won at all without the Allied deception operation. It was not until the 1970s that details began to emerge the Allies’ top secret and audacious deception plan. Operation Fortitude succeeded in confusing the Germans about where the Allies were going to land: would it be Normandy, or the Pas de Calais? The D-Day Deception looks at the part the deception played in the eventual Allied victory and asks to what extent it may have been helped by those in the German High Command and intelligence organizations who by 1944 wanted to see a swift end to the war. Alex Gerlis was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire and now lives with his family in West London. He was a BBC journalist for over 25 years, leaving in 2011 to concentrate on his writing. He is the author of The Best of Our Spies, a highly acclaimed espionage thriller based on D-Day and especially the deception operation that played a big part in its success. The Best of Our Spies was published in December 2012, since when it has featured prominently in the Amazon Kindle Spy best-selling lists and has over 180 Amazon reviews.

Chasing Charlie: A Force Recon Marine in Vietnam


Richard Fleming - 2018
    Marine 1st Force Reconnaissance Company during the bloodiest years of the Vietnam War. Dropped deep into enemy territory, Recon relied on stealth and surprise to complete their mission--providing intelligence on enemy positions and conducting raids, prisoner snatches, and ambushes. Fleming's absorbing memoir recounts his transformation from idealistic recruit to cynical veteran as the war claimed the lives of his friends and the missions became ever more dangerous.

Rangers Betrayed (Sgt. Dunn Novels Book 6)


Ronn Munsterman - 2016
    Army Ranger Sergeant Tom Dunn’s newest squad member has a dark secret. And a plan. Nazi Germany’s V2 rockets are streaking down on London, indiscriminately killing civilians. The Allies are desperate to find out how the weapons work. Dunn and his British counterpart, Commando Sergeant Malcolm Saunders, are assigned separate, but related missions. Albert Speer, the Nazi Minister of Armaments, is transporting ten completed V2 rocket engines to another manufacturing facility for installation into the deadly rockets. Thanks to Bletchley Park’s Ultra intelligence, the Allies know all about it. Dunn and his squad earn the assignment to intercept the rocket engines in western Germany. Meanwhile, Saunders and his men parachute into Poland, south of Warsaw, to retrieve a captured V2 rocket gyroscope as well as schematics for the rocket obtained by the Polish Resistance. His wedding day is a week away and he promised Sadie he’ll be there on time, but something goes wrong. Separated from his squad, he scrambles to reunite with his men in time to catch the only way home, but meets one obstacle after another. From their first moment in Germany, as Dunn’s men execute their mission, things go inexplicably wrong. Betrayed by one of his own, Dunn must rely on his quick thinking to get his men out of an impossible situation so they can complete their mission and capture the extremely valuable Nazi V2 rocket engines. In the sixth book of the Sgt. Dunn series, Munsterman continues to masterfully blend history with action-packed plots in another of his fast-paced WWII Action Thrillers.

Torpedo 8: The Story of Swede Larsen’s Bomber Squadron


Ira Wolfert - 1943
    VT-8 rose from the ashes of the Battle of Midway to become an indispensable air arm in the series of engagements for the Solomon Islands and beyond. In three months, the crack squadron carried out thirty-nine attack missions, sixteen against ships, twenty-three against ground targets. Their motto following the tragedy at Midway was "Attack and Revenge." Herman Wouk paid homage to the squadron in his 1971 novel War and Remembrance, referring to the pilots as, "The soul of America in action." *Includes annotations and images.