James F Dunnigan

An up-to-date, comprehensive survey of modern warfare furnishes a detailed explanation of virtually every facet of modern war, examining the world's armed forces, cutting-edge weapons, tactics, logistics, intelligence, the increasing use of terrorist techniques, and more. Original.

James F. Dunnigan and Albert A Nofi's Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War allows us to see what really happened to American forces in Southeast Asia, separating popular myth from explosive reality in a clear, concise manner. Containing more than two hundred examinations of different aspects of the war, the book questions why the American military ignored the lessons taught by previous encounters with insurgency forces; probes the use of group think and mind control by the North Vietnamese; and explores the role technology played in shaping the way the war was fought. Of course, the book also reveals the "dirty little secrets," the truth behind such aspects of the conflict as the rise of the Montagnard mercenaries-the most feared group of soldiers participating in the secret war in Laos-and the details of the hidden struggle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail. With its unique and perceptive examination of the conflict, Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War offers a critical addition to the library of Vietnam War history.

The popular author of Dirty Little Secrets, Dirty Little Secrets of World War II, and Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War offers a comprehensive look at what really happened in our century, exposing the real stories behind what we've always assumed as fact. In a concise, easy-to-read format, Dunnigan divulges 150 of the biggest misconceptions about the twentieth century, organizing them under a broad range of such categories as the military, entertainment, technology, and politics.In the same thoughtful but slightly irreverent style that has characterized the Dirty Little Secrets series, Dunnigan explains why nongovernment organizations are actually more powerful than many governments and how the use of droids or combat robots has gone largely unnoticed. He reports the real reason the human life span is so much longer now, and reveals that this century has been as plagued as the Middle Ages by religious wars. And while we might think that wars or epidemics have been the primary cause of death in the twentieth century, Dunnigan reveals that more people have been killed by their own governments than any other means.Perfectly timed for the approach of a new millennium, Dirty Little Secrets of the Twentieth Century reveals the shape of the past and direction of our future through the best-kept secrets and surprises of the century