The despatch of troops to assist the U.S.A. in Vietnam divided the country,enraged a generation and forced the government to publicly defend its foreign policy. This detailed study starts with the first Indochina War in the 1950s and covers the story of New Zealands relations with Vietnam up to the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s. It explores the diplomatic history of the engagement, which is not well known or understood, and shows that officialsand politicians in fact entered the war with extreme reluctance.

This landmark publication provides a comprehensive and authoritative account of New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War, and will remain the standard reference work on the subject for decades. Its publication completes the programme of official war histories that began in 1945.Ian McGibbon's primary focus is what New Zealand did in South Vietnam. He traces in detail the operations carried out by New Zealand forces and seeks to illuminate the experience of New Zealand soldiers fighting in a guerrilla war. The command structure, logistic support and operational context of fighting within a primarily Australian framework are all covered. He addresses controversial aspects such as friendly fire incidents, atrocity allegations and veterans' grievances, including over Agent Orange.Maori participation in V Force was substantial and its impact is assessed. Although the book is inevitably weighted towards the military, the efforts of civilians in South Vietnam are also covered in depth. The surgical team operated from 1963 until their evacuation from Qui Nhon just days before North Vietnamese columns entered the city. Not forgotten are the efforts of courageous civilians like Sister Mary Laurence and of Red Cross volunteers to alleviate misery among refugees.The book also describes the dramatic end of New Zealand's involvement in South Vietnam - with the surgical team and the New Zealand Embassy evacuated by RNZAF Bristol Freighters just before the communist victory. Finally, McGibbon surveys the war's troubled aftermath, culminating in the Prime Minister's apology to veterans in 2008.

This landmark publication provides a comprehensive and authoritative account of New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War, and will remain the standard reference work on the subject for decades. Its publication completes the programme of official war histories that began in 1945. Ian McGibbon's primary focus is what New Zealand did in South Vietnam. He traces in detail the operations carried out by New Zealand forces and seeks to illuminate the experience of New Zealand soldiers fighting in a guerrilla war. The command structure, logistic support and operational context of fighting within a primarily Australian framework are all covered. He addresses controversial aspects such as friendly fire incidents, atrocity allegations and veterans' grievances, including over Agent Orange. Maori participation in V Force was substantial and its impact is assessed. Although the book is inevitably weighted towards the military, the efforts of civilians in South Vietnam are also covered in depth. The surgical team operated from 1963 until their evacuation from Qui Nhon just days before North Vietnamese columns entered the city. Not forgotten are the efforts of courageous civilians like Sister Mary Laurence and of Red Cross volunteers to alleviate misery among refugees. The book also describes the dramatic end of New Zealand's involvement in South Vietnam – with the surgical team and the New Zealand Embassy evacuated by RNZAF Bristol Freighters just before the communist victory. Finally, McGibbon surveys the war's troubled aftermath, culminating in the Prime Minister's apology to veterans in 2008.

The Vietnam War was New Zealand's longest and most controversial military engagement of the twentieth century. No Front Lineexplores this war like never before, from the perspective of New Zealanders who were there, in their own words- on operations, on a mission for good, on orders, or simply out for adventure. It relays military, civilian and domestic histories in a narrative that is at once sincere, direct and undeniable - sometimes shocking and always absorbing. These war stories take readers on operations with gunners, infantrymen, pilots and troopers who face fear and heartbreak, and who witness the devastation of a country at war. The book also includes important reflections from non-combatant engineers, medics, aid workers and administrators; it profiles civilian and service personnel treating Vietnamese casualties in provincial hospitals; it places on record the integral role of women in Vietnam- as nurses, doctors, aid workers, journalists and entertainers. Back home in New Zealand, veterans' families recall the war's reach into the suburbs - both then and now. Personal testimonies in No Front Line are drawn from a collectionof 150 oral history interviews recorded over five years. They present a fresh perspective on New Zealand's collective experience of the Vietnam War - an episode in history that cannot be ignored

The United States in the Vietnam War, 1954-1975 is an invaluable reference guide to the costly and controversial war the U.S. waged in Vietnam, over the course of five presidential administrations. Focusing not only on the conflict in Southeast Asia, but also on the tumult the war inspired on the domestic front, Louis Peake provides an authoritative guide to the wide range of media available on the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. From collections of art work and poetry about the soldiering experience, to journalistic accounts of battles, and military training films, the entries consistently provide clear and concise descriptions, allowing the reader to easily identify the value of any particular resource. With revised and updated annotations, and over 150 new entries, this second edition of The United States in the Vietnam War, 1954-1975 is an invaluable reference tool for researchers and students of the Vietnam War. Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies provide concise, annotated bibliographies to the major areas and events in American military history. With the inclusion of brief critical annotations after each entry, the student and researcher can easily assess the utility of each bibliographic source and evaluate the abundance of resources available with ease and efficiency. Comprehensive, concise, and current—Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies are an essential research tool for any historian.