By the end of 1971; the hastily raised; poorly trained; and woefully led Cambodian army had suffered a string of defeats and heavy casualties inflicted by North Vietnamese army and Viet Cong units. With many of its best infantry battalions and much of its armor; transport and equipment destroyed; only three of its 15 brigade groups were militarily effective. In South Vietnam; America and its allies were in the process of withdrawing and handing back to the Vietnamese full responsibility for the conduct of the war. A small group of Australians; which never numbered more than 30 officers; warrant officers and non-commissioned officers of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam; helped train 27 light infantry battalions of the Cambodian army in South Vietnam during 1972. This project was; according to one historical study; 'a classic example of using special forces as a force multiplier'; and had been 'recognized as one of the most successful foreign internal defense missions of the Vietnam War'. The story of these few men is told against the background of the war in South Vietnam; and in particular Phuoc Tuy province; as both sides fought to secure villages and hamlets during 1972; before the Peace Accords being negotiated in Paris to end the war were signed. Training the Bodes is an interesting and valuable book that tells a moving story. The excerpts from letters and reports; and the photographs; are fascinating. It fills a small gap in Australia's military history.
#425556 in Books imusti 2014-07-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.20 x .90 x 10.30l; 2.57 #File Name: 1908211164192 pagesCarpet Bombing Culture
Review
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Not quite what it says on the tin...By Richard GollinThis is a disappointing book in two ways. Firstly the written part of the book is art book luvey stuff; often historically inaccurate and not at all detailed in its history of soviet architecture as proletariat art. I know this a stereotype of the writing between the pictures of 'art' books but it would be nice to have something more academic.Still it is the photos that make you buy the book- I think some were featured in the magazine 'The Week' not long ago. And it is the range and choice of buildings that disappoints me the most. Firstly about half of the buildings featured are pre soviet; many 19th century buildings which just happen to have been left empty after Soviet military departure (a common theme of the book). So they are hardly Soviet ghosts at all. As the caption points out at one point some are ghosts of three Reichs before the Russians came in...Among the later buildings some ;indeed; are magnificent Soviet follies; some well worth preserving. I often stay in Bled at Tito's old palace; well preserved as an hotel. I have had the rooms used by Nkrumah; Castro and other tyrants. In the old dining hall there is a soviet style mural of Tito's achievements. And yet the manager points out how Slovene artists had cleverly incorporated Slovene national symbols and emblems..and these were people who had waited 1200 years for independence!However many of the buildings selected as simply military establishments left to decay after the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War. Some of these in the Baltic states involved the photgrapher in long and even dangerous journeys..say to old bases or radar stations. I could have saved her a great deal of trouble. She could have come to Scotland and found exactly the same post Cold War abandonment.Then there is a section on Chernobyl and ;sadly; this has been covered better elsewhere; even though the local town is a genuine Soviet ghost !So; like the curate's egg; this is only good in parts. Maybe the ghosts needed to be combined with the still living like the Moscow underground or the People's Palace in Warsaw ( local joke; Why is the view from the People's Palace so good? Answer; because it is the only place from which you can't see the People's Palace.)5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. We're all in agreement to excellent photographs but could have included more detailsBy T. PetteysSomeday my plan is to visit the former Eastern Bloc for this exact reason; to visit these ruins and others aspects of Soviet influence during their occupation. As others have stated the photos are top rate; but this book could have been even better with a little more information.Specifically more details on the actual locations; and dare I say maps. Many historical books for WWII have been published with detailed information so people could visit the sites and so forth. There is a small section in the back called locations but very general with regard to location. Also I wish the book could have been much more comprehensive. Maybe this was not part of the scope of the book; but nearly all the text is historical in nature and doesn't discuss really at all the photographs and areas in detail; with few exceptions; mainly 4 pages in the back of the book.20 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Stunning; breataking; and captivating!By Ted UlrichI've barely had a chance to do more than leaf through the book so far; but even just doing that sent chills down my spine. This lady is a talented photographer and the images captured in this book are absolutely breathtaking. My wife has already sat down with the book and looked over every page; even though she has little interest in urbex or Soviet history. Truly an amazing collection of work from a superb artist!
