Combat at Close Quarters: An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War

Combat at Close Quarters presents the work of five renowned historians who describe and interpret the U.S. Navy's major combat operations in Southeast Asia, including the Rolling Thunder and Linebacker strikes against North Vietnam, the river war in South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, and the intelligence campaign. Over 200 images drawn from Navy archives and private collections, detailed maps, and a select list of the most authoritative works on the subject complement the concise, readable text. The chapters describe not only the actions of the warships, aircraft, and river vessels involved in one of America's longest wars but the professional skill, dedication, and courage of the Navy men and women who journeyed into harm's way in Vietnam. Covering both the air war and riverine combat in Vietnam, Combat at Close Quarters provides a lavishly-illustrated history of the U.S. Navy's role in the entire conflict. Special focus is paid in this volume to the leadership of Vice Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., the Navy's role in Linebacker, the bombing and mining campaign that helped compel Hanoi to end the war and release American POWs, as well as the Navy's intelligence efforts in Southeast Asia, from the controversial Tonkin Gulf Incident to the end of the conflict. The work fully explains both the operations of communications and electronics analysts at the theater level and the aerial reconnaissance, SEAL, and NILO intelligence-gathers at the tactical level, whether over North Vietnam and Laos or on the ground in South Vietnam. In short, Combat at Close Quarters describes in depth the Navy's major and essential role in a conflict that marked a milestone in modern American history.