It seems as if Osprey has been getting in some great books on the Vietnam War and this one fits right in with the Airmobile and Viet Cong editions.

In many ways, the Firebase was somewhat unique to the Vietnam experience. These were positions that were generally in strategic locations, generally non-permanent (at least, that is how they looked) and were the home for anywhere from one to several battalions of field pieces. These were laid out in a five pointed star with one gun in the middle. As they could be expected to fire on enemy forces in any direction, the guns were on mounts that allowed them to fire a full 360 degrees.

The theory was that no part of an area would be outside the range of guns from these bases, but reality meant that there were quite a few gaps. These bases could be quite temporary as well, lasting only as long as an operation required, which meant that considerable time and effort was put into not only setting them up with sufficient protection against the enemy, but also being able to remove every bit of material from them when they were abandon. This was so that the enemy would be denied any material from which they could make bombs and traps.

Though not one who spent any time in the country, the author has done a superlative job of telling the story of firebases, starting with a definition of one, how they were built, and the operational use of these bases. For the latter, several actual combat operations are discussed including several where the enemy nearly overran these positions.

The book then goes into a look at the design and development of these bases, for not all were the same and some lasted for the entire war. There is also a section on what it was like to live in these bases. As they were generally off the beaten track, there were no civilians to interact with so these men were basically isolated and living in what we would all consider very primitive conditions.

Though these books like to look at what the fortresses are today, in the case of firebases, little aside from some earthworks are left for all the materials used to build the base were taken and anything buried has since been dug up and sold for scrap by the local populace over the last 30 years since the US left.

However, there are superb period photos to show us what these places were like. Add to it the outstanding illustrations of Peter Dennis and you get an excellent insight into these positions.

It all makes for a book that is both interesting and informative. Like all of Osprey's titles, it is one that you can buy with confidence in knowing you are getting the best.

May 2007

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