Son Tay 1970

RAID Series, book No 60: Son Tay 1970 - The Operation Ivory Coast POW rescue mission

A superbly illustrated account of one of the key milestones in the development of modern US Special Operations Forces, the hugely complex POW rescue at Son Tay.

On November 21, 1970, a meticulously prepared force of US Special Forces in HH-53 helicopters, supported by more than a hundred combat aircraft, raided the POW camp at Son Tay, North Vietnam, just 23 miles west of Hanoi, seeking 61 American prisoners. Having trained for months in secret, and utilizing the best troops and air crews possible, the raiders executed the mission flawlessly. No Americans were killed and only two aircraft were downed, with the raiders killing several dozen North Vietnamese. It was the epitome of joint commando operations and regarded as an unheralded success. Except, the prisoners were missing. The raiders had come up empty handed.

Illustrated with original artwork and maps, and drawing on both declassified documents and new interviews with participants, in this book diplomat and historian Justin Williamson explains the significance of this highly complex commando mission, deep inside enemy territory. A joint Army-Air Force assault, with the Navy flying diversionary missions, the Son Tay raid was the first operation to be conducted under the direct command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and ranks among the most important moments in the development of modern US Special Operations Forces.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION

• Efforts to Find the Prisoners of War

ORIGINS

• Polar Circle and the Planning Phase
• The Legendary Arthur “Bull” Simons Assembles His Men

INITIAL STRATEGY

• Operation Ivory Coast: Training and Preparation for the Rescue
• Intelligence on the POWs and Son Tay
• Bureaucracy, Support, and Logistics
• POW Needs After the Rescue
• Training for the Ground Forces
• The Air Component Training
• When to Go

THE PLAN

• Operation Kingpin–Son Tay Camp
• The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club Joins the Mission
• Last-Minute Intelligence Puzzles Everyone
• Waiting in Thailand to Launch
• We Are Going to Rescue American Prisoners

THE RAID

• Operation Kingpin Launches
• The Assault on Son Tay
• The Secondary School Battle
• Negative Items, I Repeat, Negative Items!
• The Air Battle
• The US Navy Launches Their Mission
• Firebird 5 Goes Down
• Extraction and Rescue

THE AFTERMATH

• Shock Among the Raiders and the Political Fallout Back Home
• What Happened to the POWs?
• Mystery of the Secondary School

ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Author: Justin W. Williamson

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Description: 80 pages, Paperback, 247 X 184 mm.

Condition: NEW COPY

Shipping weight: 0.42 Kg.