The War in South Vietnam: The Years of the Offensive 1965 - 1968

Set in the time of greatest intensity during the Southeast Asia war, The War in South Vietnam: The Years of the Offensive, 1965-1968 describes men and machines living and working in an alien environment. In 1965, when the United States first began to take a full-scale combat role in the war in Southeast Asia, the Air Force was called on to provide direct fire support and airlift to the ground forces. Men and planes adapted admirably, ultimately flying more missions, dropping more bombs, and delivering more men and supplies, with a lower loss rate, than in any previous conflict. The aircraft involved in this war ranged from ancient lumbering propeller planes to sleek supersonic jets. While most aircraft flew traditional missions, others found new roles - huge intercontinental nuclear bombers performed close air support and transport aircraft were used as gunships. Because of this war and the way airmen accomplished their tasks, Air Force thinking was modified, and the realization of the need for a response to all levels of conflict set the tone for future Air Force doctrine. Involved with the conflicts in Southeast Asia throughout his 31-year Air Force career, Col. John Schlight, USAF, Retired, flew aircraft in Indochina in support of the French during the early 1950s, was deputy director of the Air Force Project CHECO (Contemporary Historical Evaluation of Combat Operations) in South Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, and head the Vietnam War Section in the Office of Air Force History from 1977 to 1981. With a PhD in history from Princeton University, he has taught military history at the United States Air Force Academy, the National War College, and at universities in the United States and overseas. He is the author of Monarchs and Mercenaries and Henry II Plantagenet and editor of The Second Indochina War. Colonel Schlight’s last assignment with the Air Force was Deputy Chief, Office of Air Force History. He is currently Chief of the Southeast Asia Branch at the U. S. Army’s Center of Military History in Washington, D. C