1st Marine Division in Vietnam (Spearhead)

Like other volumes in the Spearhead series, this book takes readers to the cutting edge of warfare--for a close look at the make-up, operations, and performance of a military unit operating independently and forcefully at the forefront of battle.

With a focus on aspects of war that most narrative histories omit--logistics and supply lines, communications, battlefield terrain, and command and control--this book offers an unparalleled view of the experience of the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam.

Simon Dunstan provides a brief history of the unit, the theater, and the situation. He moves with the Marines from home base to the battlefield, where readers get a clear picture of the units organization and the order of battle from the beginning of Americas involvement in the Vietnam War to the divisions departure from Vietnam in 1972.

Copiously illustrated with photographs, organizational diagrams, tables, and unit markings (both tactical and individual), the book covers every aspect of this units role in the war, from training and strategic planning to engineering and execution. It is an unusually detailed account of the true nuts and bolts behind the drama of the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam.