Matrix Games Forums

Hello all.
Whenever I start a new Wargame I like to immerse myself in that conflict by reading books and watching movies, documentaries, etc.
I started reading Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes last night and during the first few chapters, you get a great feel for the conditions that US troops faced when setting up a new firebase. Everything from jungle rot to air units being unable to resupply them due to weather conditions and also in this case the height of the firebase causing problems for the Huey,s especially.
I am now looking for novel recommendations to add to my future reading list.
I am very keen on anything that features a young green officer and his experiences as he matures and becomes more experienced.
Any recommendations are most welcome

Also, I would love to know what reference material the devs consumed while creating the game

Section 9.2 of the manual will show you some of the sources used, it isn't a complete list, but fairly comprehensive.

"We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam" by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (ret.) and Joseph Galloway. Book and movie are among my favourites.

"The things they carried " by Tim O'Brien

Jason Petho wrote: Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:48 pm Section 9.2 of the manual will show you some of the sources used, it isn't a complete list, but fairly comprehensive.

Most excellent, I will enjoy the research

TomBombadil711 wrote: Sun Jan 22, 2023 9:29 pm "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam" by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (ret.) and Joseph Galloway. Book and movie are among my favourites.

"The things they carried " by Tim O'Brien

Very much obliged, sir.
I shall add them to my reading list

TomBombadil711 wrote: Sun Jan 22, 2023 9:29 pm
"The things they carried " by Tim O'Brien

I finished this last week. A very good book, most definitely worth a read, but ... rather strange. What is "real", what is not?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B76FFG0?ps ... asin_image

This memoir is at the moment free for kindle on amazon. I'm reading it now - it's nice. Very interesting.

UPDATE: no sooner said than the price changed, sorry. Now it's about $3, I think (for the kindle version). Still cheap.

Guns Up!
Great Vietnam war novel

Not a place for novels but if you are interested in the USMC and the wars the Marines fought in, one may have a look at the USMC History Division:

https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Publishi ... -by-topic/

TomBombadil711 wrote: Fri Jun 16, 2023 5:24 pm Not a place for novels but if you are interested in the USMC and the wars the Marines fought in, one may have a look at the USMC History Division:

https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Publishi ... -by-topic/

Great resource! In similar vein, here's the Army CMH's Vietnam studies:

https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelv ... usavn.html

Both of those are excellent resources with hours of reading.

Highly recommended!!

Short Timers the book Full Metal Jacket is based on and its sequel Phantom Bloopers.

Joe Haldeman the dude who wrote Forever War got some decent biographies.

Nick Brockhausen write some hilarious special forces books. " We Few" He makes war like it one giant frat party.

The epic novel of the Vietnam War, "Matterhorn", by Karl Marlantes, published by El Leon Literary Arts / Atlantic Monthly Press, 2009 (first edition).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matterhorn_(novel)

https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel ... 0802145310

Marlantes is featured in Ken Burns' and Lynn Novick's 10-part documentary series, The Vietnam War (2017), where he reflects on his experiences during the war.

Thirty years in the making, "Matterhorn" was said by the New York Times Sebastian Junger to be "...one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of Vietnam—or any war."

A heavy read with dozens of characters to keep track of (I urge printing out or bookmarking the organization chart near the beginning of the book), "Matterhorn" depicts Vietnam War combat operations out in the field up close as the grunts suffered, fought, and died. Unequaled in depth of detail. Fantastic. Highly recommended.

13th Valley
Rumour of War
Fields of Fire

Non fiction

Steel my soldiers hearts
We were young once