Overview

The story of how the 11th Armored Cavalry overcame the perception that Vietnam was an infantry war, and demonstrated what armor could do in an insurgency. When the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment came ashore at Vung Tau, South Vietnam, in September 1966, it faced a number of challenges. The enemy - Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) - was, of course, the most critical challenge. But the terrain and weather were also factors that could adversely affect the employment ofboth armored vehicles and helicopters alike. The dearth of doctrine and tactics for the employment of armored cavalry in a counterinsurgency was equally challenging - especially during the pre-deployment training and initial combat operations. But just as importantly, there was an institutional bias within the Army that an insurgency was an infantryman's war. Despite the thick jungle and monsoonal rains, despite the lack of doctrinal guidance, Blackhorse leaders found a way to overcome the obstacles and accomplish the mission. Within a year of their arrival in Vietnam, Blackhorse troopers overcame ambushes that featured volleys of anti-tank weapons, multitudes of mines, and coordinated assaults by reinforced enemy regiments against troop-sized positions. They defeated an entire enemy division twice their size. Most importantly, the 11th Cavalry successfully demonstrated the ability to operate on and off the roads, in the jungle, and during both the wet and dry seasons. By the spring of 1967, Army leaders were beginning to realize the value of armored forces in Vietnam. With the Blackhorse Regiment leading the way, armor was considered an essential part of the combat team. This is a history of the Blackhorse Regiment in the Vietnam War, and the stories of some of the 20,000 young Americans who served in its ranks during the war. AUTHOR: Don served in the Blackhorse Regiment in Vietnam and as a troop commander post-Vietnam. He was in active military service until 1992. For the past 20 years Don has served as the historian for the 11th Armored Cavalry Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia. 40 photographs and maps

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9781612008462

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Reviews

The subject is meticulously researched and will be of interest to historians and to anyone who served with the Blackhorse. --The VVA Veteran

...a well written account of the 11th ACR 's tour in Southeast Asia. It will appeal to an audience interested in enhancing their appreciation for the effect of battlefield firepower and maneuver, but also understanding the tactical accomplishments of a superbly led unit. -- On Point: The Journal of Army History ...this is one of the better books on the Vietnam War to come out in many years. Its penetrating insights and revelations make it a must-have on any military history or national security bookshelf. -- DODReads ...a well-researched work that draws on historical sources, unit after-action reports and first-person accounts. -- ARMOR Magazine The subject is meticulously researched and will be of interest to historians and to anyone who served with the Blackhorse. -- The VVA Veteran This is a well-written, extensively documented unit history of a regiment with an enviable combat record that will interest both military historians and Vietnam veterans, particularly those who served in the Blackhorse during the war and after. -- ARMY Magazine Snedeker's excellent book bears witness to the courage, determination, and accomplishments of a great combat outfit in a war that nobody fully understood. That lack of understanding does not subtract from the valor displayed over six years of fighting. The regiment's arrival in Vietnam doubled the number of armored vehicles in country with many of the 'old timers' in the military command questioning the ability of the new forces to operate in the jungle and rice paddies. Not only did the leaders and soldiers of the Blackhorse have to learn the tough lessons of real combat operations, they also had to educate fellow leaders and soldiers of infantry units of their quick reactions and lethal capabilities. But the heart of the story is the combat operations and the day-to-day valor displayed by the cavalry troopers. Snedeker tells this history through interviews and soldiers' letters as well as memoirs, histories and official records. His use of intelligence reports and enemy writings is particularly helpful in understanding what was going on 'on the other side of the hill' or, in this case, the other part of the jungle. The soldier's viewpoint brings the story alive, exciting and, at times, sorrowful. Thanks to Don Snedeker, the reader will understand the uniqueness of being a 'cavalry trooper.' --William L. Nash, Major General, U.S. Army, Retired, 1st

Author Information

Don Snedeker is a second-generation Blackhorse trooper. He was commissioned in Armor Branch and arrived in Vietnam in late 1969. He was briefly assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, then served with the 2nd Squadron, 1st Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhawks), serving as an armored cavalry platoon leader and the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol platoon leader. Don returned to the 11th Cavalry in Germany, serving from 1976 to 1978 as the commander of Bravo Troop. Don retired from active military service in 1992. For the past 30 years, Don has served as the historian for the 11th Armored Cavalry Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia. He is the author of The Blackhorse in Vietnam: The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam and Cambodia, 1966–1972. Don and his wife Victoria live in Falls Church, Virginia.

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