The Last Boarding Party

When the Vietnam War ended in 1975 America’s involvement in the region did not just suddenly stop, there were plenty of other incidents which kept the military fully involved. This work, one of the latest in Osprey’s gripping ‘Raid’ series, tells of one such episode. The Cambodian Khmer Rouge was one of those communist elements which moved in to take advantage of the power vacuum left behind by the American withdrawal and they seized the crew of the SS Mayaguez. The Americans responded by mounting a rescue mission using the US Marines. This work tells the story of that successful mission and focuses on the final thirteen hours of the operation. People remember the disastrous Operation ‘Eagle Claw’ into Iran in 1980, but five years earlier this mission showed what the US military were capable of achieving. It would seem that America very quickly forgot valuable lessons and would have to go back to basics again. This reminds us that in the 1970s America’s military could be daring.

PUBLISHER: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781849084253.
PRICE: £11.99