SOG - A Photo History of the Secret Wars

A new edition of this classic illustrated history of the operations and operatives of MACV-SOG in the Vietnam War.

In 1972 the U.S. military destroyed all known photos of the top-secret Studies and Observations Group, with the intention that details could never be made public. But unknown to those in charge, SOG veterans had brought back with them hundreds of photographs of SOG in action and would keep them secret for more than three decades.

In this new edition of SOG: A Photo History, more than 700 irreplaceable photos bring to life the stories of SOG legends Larry Thorne, Bob Howard, Dick Meadows, George Sisler, "Q" and others, and document what really happened deep inside enemy territory: Operation Tailwind, the Son Tay raid, SOG's defense of Khe Sanh, Hatchet Force operations, Bright Light rescues, HALO insertions, string extractions, SOG's darkest programs and much more.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: THE SECRET WAR BEGINS
Chapter 1: Colby’s Covert War
Chapter 2: Switching Back—SOG Is Born
Chapter 3: Shining Brass

PART TWO: THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL
Chapter 4: Unfolding the Mysteries of the Trail

PART THREE: SOG’s AIR ARM
Chapter 5: Blackbirds and Night Skies
Chapter 6: Special Helicopters and Special Crews
Chapter 7: FACs and Fighters

PART FOUR: RECON WEAPONS, MISSIONS, AND TACTICS
Chapter 8: Recon Equipment and Weapons
Chapter 9: Recon Missions
Chapter 10: NVA Counterrecon Forces and Tactics
Chapter 11: Recon Tactics and Techniques

PART FIVE: RECON OPERATIONS
Chapter 12: Getting Teams In and Out
Chapter 13: HALO: The Ultimate Infiltration Technique
Chapter 14: The Recon Ethic
Chapter 15: Into Cambodia

PART SIX: SOG’S HATCHET FORCES
Chapter 16: Hatchet Force Operations
Chapter 17: Operation Tailwind

PART SEVEN: OTHER FRONTS IN THE SECRET WARS
Chapter 18: Bright Light Rescues
Chapter 19: The Greatest Raid of All
Chapter 20: SOG in the Defense
Chapter 21: SOG’s Darkest Programs

Afterword
Glossary