Full Description
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
