the british fighting in secret in vietnam

bsm models
This is positively the most exciting book on any operation in Southeast Asia I have read. It was recommnended to me by a friend who explained the book was declared a work of fiction because the publisher refused to publish it as non-fiction because there is no proof the operation exsisted. After reading the book, I have no doubt it has to be true. Gayle Rivers' first peson point of view is detailed and precise. His writing style make accounts of training, living in the jungle, and guerilla tactics used in the field come to life while at the same time give the words a flow that is easy to read. I highly recommend to anyone interested in works concerning the war in Southeast Asia but want something different than the typical line infantry, Ranger, SEAL, or Green Beret accounts to read this book then reread it again. For myself, I ask anyone with more information concerning The Five Fingers (authenticity of the story, other points of view, etc) to e-mail me.This is positively the most exciting book on any operation in Southeast Asia I have read. It was recommnended to me by a friend who explained the book was declared a work of fiction because the publisher refused to publish it as non-fiction because there is no proof the operation exsisted. After reading the book, I have no doubt it has to be true. Gayle Rivers' first peson point of view is detailed and precise. His writing style make accounts of training, living in the jungle, and guerilla tactics used in the field come to life while at the same time give the words a flow that is easy to read. I highly recommend to anyone interested in works concerning the war in Southeast Asia but want something different than the typical line infantry, Ranger, SEAL, or Green Beret accounts to read this book then reread it again. For myself, I ask anyone with more information concerning The Five Fingers (authenticity of the story, other points of view, etc) to e-mail me.A lot of folks in Vietnam bought locally made knives that were the inspiration for the original SOG Bowie model. The were mostly not very faithful copies of the Randalls. A number of American troops carried Randalls. That was the most desirable knife for most people. For a few years in during the war, pretty much all of Bill Moran's knives were going to soldiers. I have a beat up old Airman fighter from that era. A very popular choice was the basic Buck stainless steel bowie/hunter. The Gerber Mk2 also came out in around 1968. I recall that most guys who had the Buck knives had to have them sent from home or trde for them because the PX didnt have any.what was a common fighting knife carried by the british in vietnam? also what was a common fighting knife for the australians? i had some family in that war and they had kabar style knives not sure what brand. Britain sent a very small contingent of Special Forces "Advisers" to Vietnam.I can assure you that the Brits were there, as mentioned, as "advisers", and they did carry their own choice of kit, rifles and edgeware included...
I had a long conversation with one, a sergeant, who has since passed away...
He was there in 1973/4...and he intended to write a book, but Sir Peter's book and the drama caused, prevented him from ever doing that.
He carried a US requested and supplied M16, Browning P35 9mm, and a Randall Model 14 with black micarta scales...

I hope someone does come out and write something for us, as it is a forgotten and rather unknown past of history...
I saw him only once again, and shortly after that, he drowned...  the ausse knife industry was pretty much buggered up by the 1960s.. 
lots of cheap junky english, german and japanese knive simported at very low prices.....
and lost of higher priced german and amriecan hunting knvies, so there was no room for the local makers...... 

some of the australian soliders has issued the saliors rope knvies...... 
also ww2 machetes were issued, 2 types, one longer and thinner and one shorter and fatter, both with bakerlite handles, and canvas sheaths.... with brass throats. 
aslo the lithgow made goloks were also issued, i think the vietnam war ones have bras rivets, ( i think this si one of the best quality cutting tools issued in the modern era to the militery. the smatchets and the very old brass guarded bolos the amriecans got in ww1 were proably better quality, but they mostyl dated from the turn of the centuary.... and the smatchet was far form general issue, and not so well made either)

there goloks had a tapered blade, with a black coating , a full tang, a compressed wood handle and a razor sharpe edge..... not like the thing you britts got,, the sheath was oiled canvas with a sharpening stone. 

now there was no isue as such of knives to the australians, i think some wilkinson sword MOD knives were issued to the airforce..... 
i think soliders took what knvies they could buy with them or got kabars form the yanks when they were there,

now from what i understand the brittish only numbered some 200 or 300 guys , mostly jungle warfare advisors who had some experience in malasia...... 
so i guess they woudl have had what they wanted...... 


now,, the british were in vietnam some 20 years before.... 
and did do quite some figthing. 
........
originaly coming with indian troops to disarm the japanese and vietnamese nationalists. 
and to set up for the french to re establish control over their colony..... 
but later using the japs to helf them fight various independence groups in vietnam trying to throw out the french,........ ( but i understand form the start the french made dicks of them selves and didnt learn a thing

the conflich and intervention of the british was caused partyl because of fear of communist insergents,,, .. although they were rather keak at the time as the japanese have them in check.. but actualy more becuase of the amrican attempts to destabilise the colony for thier own ends, (like giving weaponry and advisors to anti french groups , including the communists.). the amriecan presedent of the tiem even protested the british invasion of the south .. saying it effected thier interests yep, when I was in Singapore with my Father in the late 60's the SAS did a lot of training from R.A.A.F Butterworth, before going out to Vietnam Worked with a bloke in the 70s....he was a colonel in the Aus Army.
Was on exchange to the Brit army. That army sent him to VN as "an observer".
I guess it was because he had fought in Malaya during "the Emergency".
He showed me the private purchase Case Bowie he carried in both theatres. There were apparently 6 bars to the GSM awarded with the legend "South Vietnam". That would suggest at least 6 British soldiers did serve there.

Speculation has been that they were attached to the Aussie or Kiwi SAS in a training role, and ended up "in country".

Not sure how you would find out though.all fiures eureka