Whilst there continues to be a huge amount published about the US military's involvement in the Vietnam War, information about the early operations - when the US remained in a primarily advisory capacity - remains scant.

This extensive account, originally written in 1965, provides a thorough examination of US and South Vietnamese aviation operations conducted against the Viet Cong at night, set against the context of the author developing a coherent doctrine for counter-insurgency operations, including mixed ground-air components.

The account includes the personal experiences of the author from 1962, statistical analysis, a discussion of the"tools of the trade" and thoughts about evolving a doctrine for counterinsurgency. Night Air Operations in Vietnam contains a fascinating trove of information, being particularly important as it was written on the cusp of a hugely-increased US military involvement in that country, and represents a real snapshot into the contemporary US view of how to combat the Viet Cong. The text is supported by a number of charts, graphs, maps and a small selection of photographs.