Sog: A Photo History of the Secret Wars Paperback – January 1, 2009

SOG does not stand for Special Operations Group, rather Studies and Observation Group and for a long time after the Vietnam war the activities of this group were not known to the public despite the high number of bravery awards issued to its members. The authorities were determined to keep its activities secret and all its records and official photographs were ordered to be destroyed.The author was a member of this group and has set out to detail its history despite the best efforts of the authorities. Many photographs were kept privately contrary to orders and they form the backbone of this book. The author provides the meat through his own knowledge and interviews with other surviving members. The group was comprised mainly of Green Berets Special Forces and their Montangyard allies. Their primary role was surveillance on the Ho Chi Minh trail. Once they had located North Vietnamese supplies moving southwards they called in air strikes.However a consequence of this role was that small groups of them were in enemy territory surrounded by large groups of Vietnamese regular troops whose orders were to find and eradicate them. The casualty rates were high with a large number of them still listed as Missing in Action. Apart from surveillance the SOG were also responsible for retrieving downed airmen and the attempted PoW rescue at Son Tay. The author also strongly maintains that many of the groups missions were betrayed by a Vietnamese official in the groups command centre. This, the author maintains, was the reason behind the large casualty lists.The book is published through Paladin Press and this is the source of its biggest problem. Paladin Press publishes manuscripts without much prior editing and editing is what is required. This would have helped the layout of the book and to better present its contents which is somewhat haphazard. Another fault is that the author is obviously, and rightly, proud of the group's achievements but the book would have benefited from a more critical appraisal and a more detailed review of their effectiveness.Despite these shortcomings the book is a worth addition to the library on the Vietnam war and highlights the incredible bravery of the group whose actions deserve a wider audience.

I read both of Major Plaster's other books. I'm part way thru this one. I very much enjoy his writing. I'm a Nam Vet, Class of 66. The only negative thing I can remark about this book that disappoints me is the binding. In leafing thru it, several of the pages have separated from the binding. For the price of the book, I'd think it would hold up a bit better.The writing is superb. This is not an "All about Me" book.

I read another book by John Plaster called Secret Commandos, and this was an outstanding book that led me to this one. SOG: A Photo History of the Secret Wars is a nice collection of photos accompanied with small stories to back them up. And there are a number of stories and photos of legendary and brave men/heroes for whom you may never heard of, whom deserve to have their stories told... I could only wish for more. This is a great book, it belongs in my small library, I will read and look through it, time and time again.

great addition to SOG library as with all John Plaster books its not only informational but entertaining in the fact that the more you readfit the more you want to read

Excellent book for those veterans of that era and those who actually participated in these cross-boarder raids and agent insertions.Less a book of stories that a chapter by chapter discussion of equipment used, aircraft involved, specialized helicopter units. Expensive book but excellent photographs and the author's extensive knowledge of the SOG era. For those who like this, I highly recommend Plaster's book 'SOG'.

As one who was in MAC-V SOG. The book is 100% accurate and is well written.I should say that I served with the author in MAC-V SOG.

The pictures say more than any words can. The captions explain the history of how and why the picture was taken. The secret war of the Vietnam War is well documented. The author is a veteran of the Vietnam War. His comments are first hand observations. The lies of the politicians are uncovered.

If you want one book that describes MACV-SOG operations in Vietnam, this is The Book. Well written, comprehensive, great photos. Major Plaster is an excellent author.

Very detailed story

Ce livre sur le MACV SOG est le complément visuel, en plus de 400 pages, de l'excellent "Sog: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam" du même auteur, le Major John Plaster. Ancien sous-officier de cette unité ayant effectué trois 'tours' au Vietnam dans les Forces Spéciales US en général et au MACV SOG en particulier, Plaster possède parfaitement son sujet.Autant le dire tout de suite, ce livre est exceptionnel. En effet, sur ordre, le MACV SOG brula ses archives en 1972 et l'auteur n'a pu reconstituer cette histoire qu'en se basant sur les souvenirs, photos et récits de plus d'une centaine d'anciens du MACV SOG. Ce livre datant de 2000, il a fait à l'époque une œuvre très utile car les vétérans de cette unité disparaissent désormais rapidement et il n'aurait pas été possible de faire le même ouvrage dix ans plus tard. Il est donc fort possible que sans John Plaster, nous n'en saurions aujourd'hui pas beaucoup plus sur les activités du MACV SOG qu'il y a 50 ans.On trouve dans ce livre les illustrations correspondant à la plupart des chapitres du livre "Sog: The Secret Wars"; cela permet donc de mettre des visages sur les noms, de se faire une meilleure idée de la topographie de la région (même si des cartes topographiques auraient été appréciées), de visualiser l'armement spécifique et les matériels propres au Recon Teams du MACV SOG, de faire connaissance avec les unités ayant appuyé ces unités clandestines (les 'Green Hornets' du 20°SOS, les 'King Bees' sud-vietnamiens, les 'Nasty' avec leurs équipages norvégiens….), bref de comprendre un peu mieux l'environnement dans lequel ces combattants d'exception évoluaient avec leurs alliés de recrutement local issus de divers groupes ethniques opposés aux Vietnamiens.Le seul regret, qui m'incite à ne mettre que 4 étoile, est que ce livre, édité par Paladin Press, est assez bas de gamme dans sa conception, ce qui est regrettable pour un ouvrage de ce prix. Il est doté d'une couverture souple, sa reliure ne semble pas très solide et la qualité d'impression des photos, souvent prises sur le vif et pas toujours techniquement excellentes, est malheureusement médiocre. En outre, le texte 'bave' sur un certain nombre de ligne ce qui n'est pas admissible pour un livre à plus de 70 euros.Malgré tout, cet ouvrage demeure un achat obligé pour tout étudiant des opérations spéciales ou des conflits dans la péninsule indochinoise.

Pour tous collectionneurs des Sog au Vietnam , attention en anglais !Très intéressant , belles photos rares , un must pour ceux qui débutent. ..