SOG - A Photo History of the Secret Wars

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. Table of Contents PART ONE: THE SECRET WAR BEGINS Chapter 1: Colby’s Covert War Chapter 2: Switching Back—SOG Is Born Chapter 3: Shining Brass PART TWO: THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL Chapter 4: Unfolding the Mysteries of the Trail PART THREE: SOG’s AIR ARM Chapter 5: Blackbirds and Night Skies Chapter 6: Special Helicopters and Special Crews Chapter 7: FACs and Fighters PART FOUR: RECON WEAPONS, MISSIONS, AND TACTICS Chapter 8: Recon Equipment and Weapons Chapter 9: Recon Missions Chapter 10: NVA Counterrecon Forces and Tactics Chapter 11: Recon Tactics and Techniques PART FIVE: RECON OPERATIONS Chapter 12: Getting Teams In and Out Chapter 13: HALO: The Ultimate Infiltration Technique Chapter 14: The Recon Ethic Chapter 15: Into Cambodia PART SIX: SOG’S HATCHET FORCES Chapter 16: Hatchet Force Operations Chapter 17: Operation Tailwind PART SEVEN: OTHER FRONTS IN THE SECRET WARS Chapter 18: Bright Light Rescues Chapter 19: The Greatest Raid of All Chapter 20: SOG in the Defense Chapter 21: SOG’s Darkest Programs Afterword Glossary Cover Book Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction PART ONE: THE SECRET WAR BEGINS Chapter 1: Colby’s Covert War Chapter 2: Switching Back—SOG Is Born Chapter 3: Shining Brass PART TWO: THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL Chapter 4: Unfolding the Mysteries of the Trail PART THREE: SOG’S AIR ARM Chapter 5: Blackbirds and Night Skies Chapter 6: Special Helicopters and Special Crews Chapter 7: FACs and Fighters PART FOUR: RECON WEAPONS, MISSIONS, AND TACTICS Chapter 8: Recon Equipment and Weapons Chapter 9: Recon Missions Chapter 10: NVA Counterrecon Forces and Tactics Chapter 11: Recon Tactics and Techniques PART FIVE: RECON OPERATIONS Chapter 12: Getting Teams In and Out Chapter 13: HALO: The Ultimate Infi ltration Technique Chapter 14: The Recon Ethic Chapter 15: Into Cambodia PART SIX: SOG’S HATCHET FORCES Chapter 16: Hatchet Force Operations Chapter 17: Operation Tailwind PART SEVEN: OTHER FRONTS IN THE SECRET WARS Chapter 18: Bright Light Rescues Chapter 19: Th e Greatest Raid of All Chapter 20: SOG in the Defense Chapter 21: SOG’s Darkest Programs Afterword Glossary Index Back cover