-
Misfire
- The Tragic Failure of the M16 in Vietnam
- Narrated by: Jim Seybert
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $23.36
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
The M16 rifle is one of the world’s most famous firearms, iconic as the American weapon of the Vietnam War and, indeed, as the US military’s standard service rifle until only a few years ago. But the story of the M16 in Vietnam is anything but a success story. In the early years of the war, the US military had a problem: Its primary infantry rifle, the M14, couldn’t stand up to the enemy’s AK-47s. The search was on for a replacement that was lighter in weight, more durable, and more lethal than the M14. After tests (some of which the new rifle had failed) and debates (more than a few, rooted in the army brass’s resistance to change), secretary of defense Robert McNamara ordered the adoption of the M16 which was rushed through production and rushed to Vietnam, reaching troops’ hands in early 1965.
Problems appeared immediately. Soldiers were often not adequately trained to maintain the new rifle (in fact, some were told the new rifle was “self-cleaning”), nor were they always given cleaning supplies or instructions. The harsh jungle climate corroded the rifle’s chamber, exacerbated by the manufacturer’s decision against chrome-plating the chamber. The ammunition that accompanied the rifles sent to Vietnam was incompatible with the M16 and was the principal cause of the failure to extract malfunctions.
The result was that the M16 often jammed, making the rifle “about as effective as a muzzleloader” in the words of one officer. Men were killed in combat because they couldn’t return fire until the malfunction was cleared. Congress investigated, and the rifle and its ammunition were incrementally modified, greatly improving its reliability over the next few years. Troop training was also improved. But the damage to the M16’s reputation could not be undone, and many soldiers remained deeply skeptical of their rifle through the war’s end.
Misfire combines insider knowledge of US army weapons development with firsthand combat experience in Vietnam to tell the story of the M16 in Vietnam. Even as it details the behind-the-scenes development, tests, and debates that brought this rifle into service, the audiobook also describes men and M16s in action on the battlefield, never losing sight of the soldiers who carried M16s in the jungles of Vietnam and all too often suffered the consequences of decisions they had nothing to do with.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Guns of John Moses Browning
- The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
- By: Nathan Gorenstein
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few people are aware that John Moses Browning - a tall, humble, cerebral man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the American West - was the mind behind many of the world-changing firearms that dominated more than a century of conflict. He invented the design used in virtually all modern pistols, created the most popular hunting rifles and shotguns, and conceived the machine guns that proved decisive not just in World Wars I and II but nearly every major military action since. Yet few in America knew his name until he was into his 60s.
-
-
Fascinating Story
- By tb on 07-02-21
-
Glock
- The Rise of America's Gun
- By: Paul M. Barrett
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike. Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time.
-
-
Interesting story. Could have done w/o anti gun rhetoric
- By jcgeesling on 02-24-19
By: Paul M. Barrett
-
The Gun
- By: C. J. Chivers
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the world's most widely recognized weapon, the most profuse tool for killing ever made. More than fifty national armies carry the automatic Kalashnikov, as do an array of police, intelligence, and security agencies all over the world. In this tour de force, prizewinning New York Times reporter C. J. Chivers traces the invention of the assault rifle.
-
-
A compelling book about much more than guns!
- By Edward on 10-26-10
By: C. J. Chivers
-
American Rifle
- A Biography
- By: Alexander Rose
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Washington insisted that his portrait be painted with one. Daniel Boone created a legend with one. Abraham Lincoln shot them on the White House lawn. And Teddy Roosevelt had his specially customized. Now, in this first-of-its-kind audiobook, historian Alexander Rose delivers a colorful, engrossing biography of an American icon: the rifle.
-
-
A Nation of Riflemen
- By T. Patterson on 12-17-13
By: Alexander Rose
-
Firepower
- How Weapons Shaped Warfare
- By: Paul Lockhart
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The history of warfare cannot be fully understood without considering the technology of killing. In Firepower, acclaimed historian Paul Lockhart tells the story of the evolution of weaponry and how it transformed not only the conduct of warfare, but also the very structure of power in the West, from the Renaissance to the dawn of the atomic era.
-
-
Needs More Guns Less Political Opinion
- By Jeb on 10-20-22
By: Paul Lockhart
-
American Gun
- The True Story of the AR-15 Rifle
- By: Cameron McWhirter, Zusha Elinson
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 1950s, an obsessive firearms designer named Eugene Stoner invented the AR-15 rifle in a California garage. High-minded and patriotic, Stoner sought to devise a lightweight, easy-to-use weapon that could replace the M1s touted by soldiers in World War II. What he did create was a lethal handheld icon of the American century.
-
-
Don't Look Away
- By Mike on 10-31-23
By: Cameron McWhirter, and others
-
The Guns of John Moses Browning
- The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
- By: Nathan Gorenstein
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few people are aware that John Moses Browning - a tall, humble, cerebral man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the American West - was the mind behind many of the world-changing firearms that dominated more than a century of conflict. He invented the design used in virtually all modern pistols, created the most popular hunting rifles and shotguns, and conceived the machine guns that proved decisive not just in World Wars I and II but nearly every major military action since. Yet few in America knew his name until he was into his 60s.
-
-
Fascinating Story
- By tb on 07-02-21
-
Glock
- The Rise of America's Gun
- By: Paul M. Barrett
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike. Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time.
-
-
Interesting story. Could have done w/o anti gun rhetoric
- By jcgeesling on 02-24-19
By: Paul M. Barrett
-
The Gun
- By: C. J. Chivers
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the world's most widely recognized weapon, the most profuse tool for killing ever made. More than fifty national armies carry the automatic Kalashnikov, as do an array of police, intelligence, and security agencies all over the world. In this tour de force, prizewinning New York Times reporter C. J. Chivers traces the invention of the assault rifle.
-
-
A compelling book about much more than guns!
- By Edward on 10-26-10
By: C. J. Chivers
-
American Rifle
- A Biography
- By: Alexander Rose
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Washington insisted that his portrait be painted with one. Daniel Boone created a legend with one. Abraham Lincoln shot them on the White House lawn. And Teddy Roosevelt had his specially customized. Now, in this first-of-its-kind audiobook, historian Alexander Rose delivers a colorful, engrossing biography of an American icon: the rifle.
-
-
A Nation of Riflemen
- By T. Patterson on 12-17-13
By: Alexander Rose
-
Firepower
- How Weapons Shaped Warfare
- By: Paul Lockhart
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The history of warfare cannot be fully understood without considering the technology of killing. In Firepower, acclaimed historian Paul Lockhart tells the story of the evolution of weaponry and how it transformed not only the conduct of warfare, but also the very structure of power in the West, from the Renaissance to the dawn of the atomic era.
-
-
Needs More Guns Less Political Opinion
- By Jeb on 10-20-22
By: Paul Lockhart
-
American Gun
- The True Story of the AR-15 Rifle
- By: Cameron McWhirter, Zusha Elinson
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 1950s, an obsessive firearms designer named Eugene Stoner invented the AR-15 rifle in a California garage. High-minded and patriotic, Stoner sought to devise a lightweight, easy-to-use weapon that could replace the M1s touted by soldiers in World War II. What he did create was a lethal handheld icon of the American century.
-
-
Don't Look Away
- By Mike on 10-31-23
By: Cameron McWhirter, and others
-
Deadly Force
- Understanding Your Right to Self-Defense, 2nd Edition
- By: Massad Ayoob
- Narrated by: Massad Ayoob
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deadly Force, 2nd Edition is a continuation of Ayoob’s mission to educate gun owners on all aspects of lethal force laws. Drawing on more than four decades of experience as an expert witness for the courts in weapons and shooting cases and serving as a fully sworn and empowered part-time police officer for 43 years, Ayoob also educates through his Massad Ayoob Group classes such as the Armed Citizen’s Rules of Engagement.
-
-
Important update of a classic
- By Tim on 05-09-23
By: Massad Ayoob
-
Revolver
- Sam Colt and the Six-Shooter That Changed America
- By: Jim Rasenberger
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 16 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brilliantly told, Revolver brings the brazenly ambitious and profoundly innovative industrialist and leader Samuel Colt to vivid life. In the space of his 47 years, he seemingly lived five lives: He traveled, womanized, drank prodigiously, smuggled guns to Russia, bribed politicians, and supplied the Union Army with the guns they needed to win the Civil War. Colt lived during an age of promise and progress, but also of slavery, corruption, and unbridled greed, and he not only helped to create this America, he completely embodied it.
-
-
Sam Colt, but not the Revolver
- By Eggleston on 08-01-20
By: Jim Rasenberger
-
Born Twice
- Memoir of a Special Forces SOG Warrior
- By: Dale Hanson
- Narrated by: Dale Hanson
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dale Hanson takes us from a northern Minnesota boyhood to the incredible stresses of US special operations during the Vietnam War, the deadly world of MAC-V-SOG, the top-secret Special Forces project that conducted America’s secret war against the Communist forces on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Shrouded in mystery and equipped with exotic weaponry, SOG operators suffered casualty rates in excess of 100 percent for three successive years.
-
-
Politics
- By Anonymous User on 11-30-23
By: Dale Hanson
-
Gun Barons
- The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them
- By: John Bainbridge Jr.
- Narrated by: Lee Goettl
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Love them or hate them, guns are woven deeply into the American soul. Names like Colt, Smith & Wesson, Winchester, and Remington are legendary. Yet few people are aware of the roles these men played at a crucial time in United States history, from westward expansion in the 1840s, through the Civil War, and into the dawn of the Gilded Age. Through personal drive and fueled by bloodshed, they helped propel the young country into the forefront of the world's industrial powers. Their creations helped save a nation divided, while planting seeds that would divide the country again later.
-
-
Condescending and Biased at best
- By Harry W King III on 01-24-24
-
Red Platoon
- A True Story of American Valor
- By: Clinton Romesha
- Narrated by: Will Damron, Clinton Romesha
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2009 Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after Keating's construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known immediately: It was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend.
-
-
Must Read for Comfortable, Non-combatant Americans
- By Rum Runner on 11-21-18
By: Clinton Romesha
-
American Gun
- A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms
- By: Chris Kyle, William Doyle
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the time of his tragic death in February 2013, former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most accomplished sniper in U.S. military history, was finishing a remarkable book that retold American history through the lens of a hand-selected list of firearms. Kyle masterfully argues that guns have played a fascinating, indispensable, and often under-appreciated role in our national story. He carefully chose ten guns to help tell his story, ranging from the American long rifle to the modern M-16, and uses these guns as a platform for exploring American history.
-
-
An Important Look at US History
- By harry on 06-24-13
By: Chris Kyle, and others
-
When Race Trumps Merit
- How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives
- By: Heather Mac Donald
- Narrated by: Olivia Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Does your workplace have too few Black people in top jobs? It’s racist. Does the advanced math and science high school in your city have too many Asians? It’s racist. Does your local museum employ too many White women? It’s racist, too. After the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, prestigious American institutions, from the medical profession to the fine arts, pleaded guilty to “systemic racism”.
-
-
People need to read/listen to this book
- By Casey on 04-20-23
-
Relentless Strike
- The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command
- By: Sean Naylor
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Relentless Strike tells the inside story of Joint Special Operations Command, the secret military organization that, during the past decade, has revolutionized counterterrorism, seamlessly fusing intelligence and operational skills to conduct missions that hit the headlines and those that have remained in the shadows - until now. Because JSOC includes the military's most storied special operations units - Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, the 75th Ranger Regiment - as well as America's most secret aviation and intelligence units, this is their story, too.
-
-
Horrible narrator
- By Michael on 08-19-19
By: Sean Naylor
-
Black Hawk Down
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ninety-nine elite American soldiers are trapped in the middle of a hostile city. As night falls, they are surrounded by thousands of enemy gunmen. Their wounded are bleeding to death. Their ammunition and supplies are dwindling. This is the story of how they got there - and how they fought their way out. Black Hawk Down drops you into a crowded marketplace in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia with the U.S. Special Forces and puts you in the middle of the most intense firelight American soldiers have fought since the Vietnam war.
-
-
A Classic Of Military Writing...
- By Joshua on 11-06-16
By: Mark Bowden
-
Case Closed
- Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK
- By: Gerald Posner
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 20 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, continues to inspire interest ranging from well-meaning speculation to bizarre conspiracy theories and controversial filmmaking. But in this landmark audiobook, reissued with a new afterword for the 40th anniversary of the assassination, Gerald Posner examines all of the available evidence and reaches the only possible conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
-
-
Giving the truth - with some attitude
- By Amazon Customer on 06-13-15
By: Gerald Posner
-
On Full Automatic
- Surviving 13 Months in Vietnam
- By: William V. Taylor Jr.
- Narrated by: Michael Curtis
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eighteen-year-old Marine recruit William V. Taylor, Jr. and his brother Marines are assembled into a new reaction force that is immediately tested in the fire of a bloody conflict known as Operation Beaver Cage. After a traumatic first fight, they push through back-to-back operations with little time to rest or reflect. Those who survive will return home ensnared by everlasting memories of a real but entirely surreal nightmare. Now, after more than 50 years of holding everything in, Taylor shares his experience in explicit—and often horrific—detail.
-
-
Great story telling!
- By Josh on 03-28-23
-
Call Sign Chaos
- Learning to Lead
- By: Jim Mattis, Bing West
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’ storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas - and short-sighted thinking - now facing our nation.
-
-
A pleasant surprise
- By Fountain of Chris on 09-06-19
By: Jim Mattis, and others
Related to this topic
-
American Rifle
- A Biography
- By: Alexander Rose
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Washington insisted that his portrait be painted with one. Daniel Boone created a legend with one. Abraham Lincoln shot them on the White House lawn. And Teddy Roosevelt had his specially customized. Now, in this first-of-its-kind audiobook, historian Alexander Rose delivers a colorful, engrossing biography of an American icon: the rifle.
-
-
A Nation of Riflemen
- By T. Patterson on 12-17-13
By: Alexander Rose
-
Instrument of War
- The German Army 1914-18
- By: Dennis E. Showalter
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Dennis Showalter presents a fresh perspective on the German Army during World War I. Showalter surveys an army at the heart of a national identity, driven by - yet also defeated by - warfare in the modern age, that struggled to capitalize on its victories, and ultimately forgot the lessons of its defeat.
-
-
German Side Of WW1
- By David A on 06-21-18
-
The Gun
- By: C. J. Chivers
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the world's most widely recognized weapon, the most profuse tool for killing ever made. More than fifty national armies carry the automatic Kalashnikov, as do an array of police, intelligence, and security agencies all over the world. In this tour de force, prizewinning New York Times reporter C. J. Chivers traces the invention of the assault rifle.
-
-
A compelling book about much more than guns!
- By Edward on 10-26-10
By: C. J. Chivers
-
Knife Fights
- A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice
- By: John Nagl
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From one of the most important army officers of his generation, a memoir of the revolution in warfare he helped lead, in combat and in Washington. When John Nagl was an army tank commander in the first Gulf War of 1991, fresh out of West Point and Oxford, he could already see that America’s military superiority meant that the age of conventional combat was nearing an end.
-
-
There's so much I didn't know.
- By Lori James on 12-07-22
By: John Nagl
-
Project 9: The Birth of the Air Commandos in World War II
- American Military Experience, Book 1
- By: Dennis R. Okerstrom
- Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Project 9: The Birth of the Air Commandos in World War II is a thoroughly researched narrative of the Allied joint project to invade Burma by air. Beginning with its inception at the Quebec Conference of 1943 and continuing through Operation Thursday until the death of the brilliant British General Orde Wingate in March 1944, less than a month after the successful invasion of Burma, Project 9 details all aspects of this covert mission.
-
A Better War
- The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam
- By: Lewis Sorley
- Narrated by: Basil Sands
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neglected by scholars and journalists alike, the years of conflict in Vietnam from 1968 to 1975 offer surprises not only about how the war was fought, but about what was achieved. Drawing on authoritative materials not previously available, including thousands of hours of tape-recorded allied councils of war, award-winning military historian Lewis Sorley has given us what has long been needed - an insightful, factual, and superbly documented history of these important years.
-
-
A thought-provoking history of the war 68-75
- By Rodney W. Schmisseur on 02-05-14
By: Lewis Sorley
-
American Rifle
- A Biography
- By: Alexander Rose
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Washington insisted that his portrait be painted with one. Daniel Boone created a legend with one. Abraham Lincoln shot them on the White House lawn. And Teddy Roosevelt had his specially customized. Now, in this first-of-its-kind audiobook, historian Alexander Rose delivers a colorful, engrossing biography of an American icon: the rifle.
-
-
A Nation of Riflemen
- By T. Patterson on 12-17-13
By: Alexander Rose
-
Instrument of War
- The German Army 1914-18
- By: Dennis E. Showalter
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on more than a half-century of research and teaching, Dennis Showalter presents a fresh perspective on the German Army during World War I. Showalter surveys an army at the heart of a national identity, driven by - yet also defeated by - warfare in the modern age, that struggled to capitalize on its victories, and ultimately forgot the lessons of its defeat.
-
-
German Side Of WW1
- By David A on 06-21-18
-
The Gun
- By: C. J. Chivers
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the world's most widely recognized weapon, the most profuse tool for killing ever made. More than fifty national armies carry the automatic Kalashnikov, as do an array of police, intelligence, and security agencies all over the world. In this tour de force, prizewinning New York Times reporter C. J. Chivers traces the invention of the assault rifle.
-
-
A compelling book about much more than guns!
- By Edward on 10-26-10
By: C. J. Chivers
-
Knife Fights
- A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice
- By: John Nagl
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From one of the most important army officers of his generation, a memoir of the revolution in warfare he helped lead, in combat and in Washington. When John Nagl was an army tank commander in the first Gulf War of 1991, fresh out of West Point and Oxford, he could already see that America’s military superiority meant that the age of conventional combat was nearing an end.
-
-
There's so much I didn't know.
- By Lori James on 12-07-22
By: John Nagl
-
Project 9: The Birth of the Air Commandos in World War II
- American Military Experience, Book 1
- By: Dennis R. Okerstrom
- Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Project 9: The Birth of the Air Commandos in World War II is a thoroughly researched narrative of the Allied joint project to invade Burma by air. Beginning with its inception at the Quebec Conference of 1943 and continuing through Operation Thursday until the death of the brilliant British General Orde Wingate in March 1944, less than a month after the successful invasion of Burma, Project 9 details all aspects of this covert mission.
-
A Better War
- The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam
- By: Lewis Sorley
- Narrated by: Basil Sands
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neglected by scholars and journalists alike, the years of conflict in Vietnam from 1968 to 1975 offer surprises not only about how the war was fought, but about what was achieved. Drawing on authoritative materials not previously available, including thousands of hours of tape-recorded allied councils of war, award-winning military historian Lewis Sorley has given us what has long been needed - an insightful, factual, and superbly documented history of these important years.
-
-
A thought-provoking history of the war 68-75
- By Rodney W. Schmisseur on 02-05-14
By: Lewis Sorley
-
Always Faithful, Always Forward
- The Forging of a Special Operations Marine
- By: Dick Couch
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Marine Special Operations Command ("MARSOC") is the newest component of the military's shift toward a fully integrated Special Operations Command structure. At first, the Marines were strongly against any Marines serving under anyone other than another Marine. Then 9/11 happened. In the years following, Marine forces found themselves growing more agreeable to inter-branch operational command, finally forming the Marine Special Operations Command in 2006.
-
-
This Book is best for enlisted men only!
- By Tek-Augi on 01-03-15
By: Dick Couch
-
Hell to Pay
- Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947
- By: D. M. Giangreco
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
U.S. planning for the invasion and military occupation of Imperial Japan began two years before the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hell to Pay brings to light the political and military ramifications of the enormous casualties and loss of material projected by both sides in the climatic struggle to bring the Pacific War to a conclusion through a brutal series of battles on Japanese soil.
-
-
This is a good piece of history.
- By David on 08-09-14
By: D. M. Giangreco
-
Armies of Sand
- The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
- By: Kenneth M. Pollack
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 24 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the Second World War, Arab armed forces have consistently punched below their weight. They have lost many wars that by all rights they should have won, and in their best performances only ever achieved quite modest accomplishments. Over time, soldiers, scholars, and military experts have offered various explanations for this pattern.
-
-
A Very Worthwhile Listen
- By Michael on 08-28-19
-
The White Sniper
- Simo Häyhä
- By: Tapio Saarelainen
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Simo Häyhä was a man of action who spoke very little, but he was respected by his men and his superiors and given many difficult missions, including taking out specific targets. Able to move silently and swiftly through the landscape, melting into the snowbound surroundings in his white camouflage fatigues, his aim was deadly and his quarry rarely escaped. The Russians learned of his reputation as a marksman and tried several times to kill him by indirect fire. He was promoted from corporal to second lieutenant and he was awarded the Cross of Kollaa.
-
-
Not what you think
- By Paul Z. on 11-28-19
-
The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today
- By: Thomas E. Ricks
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A widening gulf between performance and accountability has caused history to be kinder to the American generals of World War II than to those of later wars. In The Generals we meet leaders from World War II to the present who rose to the occasion - and those who failed.
-
-
Provocative
- By Jean on 04-30-15
By: Thomas E. Ricks
-
Putin's Wars
- From Chechnya to Ukraine
- By: Mark Galeotti
- Narrated by: David Sibley
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts in which Russia has been involved since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and then president of Russia, from the First Chechen War to the two military incursions into Georgia, the annexation of Crimea and the eventual invasion of Ukraine itself. But it also looks more broadly at Putin's recreation of Russian military power and its expansion to include a range of new capabilities, from mercenaries to operatives in a relentless information war against Western powers.
-
-
Botched Attempt on Russian Stress
- By Alexey B. on 12-20-22
By: Mark Galeotti
-
The Rise of the G.I. Army, 1940-1941
- The Forgotten Story of How America Forged a Powerful Army Before Pearl Harbor
- By: Paul Dickson
- Narrated by: Shawn Compton
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of America's astounding industrial mobilization during World War II has been told. But what has never been chronicled before Paul Dickson's The Rise of the G. I. Army, 1940-1941 is the extraordinary transformation of America's military from a disparate collection of camps with dilapidated equipment into a well-trained and spirited army 10 times its prior size in little more than 18 months.
-
-
Impact of Leadership
- By Amazon Customer on 11-06-20
By: Paul Dickson
-
Black Ops, Vietnam
- An Operational History of MACVSOG
- By: Robert M. Gillespie
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Without doubt the most unique U.S. unit to participate in the Vietnam War, the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACVSOG) was a highly-classified, U.S. joint-service organization consisting of Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, Marine Force Reconnaissance units, the Air Force, and the CIA. Committed to action in Southeast Asia even before the major U.S. build-up in 1965, it also fielded a division-sized element of South Vietnamese military personnel, indigenous Montagnards, ethnic Chinese Nungs, and Taiwanese pilots.
-
-
Reads like a telephone book
- By Klas Mellbourn on 08-22-16
-
Generals in the Making
- How Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, and Their Peers Became the Commanders Who Won World War II
- By: Benjamin Runkle
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 18 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shakespeare famously wrote that some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Part military history and part group biography, Generals in the Making tells the true story of how George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, and their peers became the greatest generation of senior commanders in military history.
-
-
Great survey of the military upbringing of WWII’s most prominent Army generals.
- By Kristi on 05-20-24
By: Benjamin Runkle
-
Call Sign Chaos
- Learning to Lead
- By: Jim Mattis, Bing West
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’ storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas - and short-sighted thinking - now facing our nation.
-
-
A pleasant surprise
- By Fountain of Chris on 09-06-19
By: Jim Mattis, and others
-
Chesty
- The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC
- By: Colonel Jon T. Hoffman USMCR
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 23 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Marine Corps is known for its heroes, and Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller has long been considered the greatest of them all. His assignments and activities covered an extraordinary spectrum of warfare. With his bulldog face, barrel chest (which earned him the nickname Chesty), gruff voice, and common touch, Puller became - and has remained - the epitome of the marine combat officer. Author Jon Hoffman has been given special access to Puller's personal papers as well as his personnel record. The result will unquestionably stand as the last word about Chesty Puller.
-
-
Great book great man good read
- By Just_Shoppin on 07-10-18
-
Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918
- Modern War Studies
- By: Daniel J. Hughes, Richard L. DiNardo
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 21 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written by two of the world's leading authorities on the subject, Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918 examines the most essential components of the imperial German military system, with an emphasis on such foundational areas as theory, doctrine, institutional structures, training, and the officer corps. In the period between 1871 and 1918, rapid technological development demanded considerable adaptation and change in military doctrine and planning.
-
-
Very well researched
- By Jeff Wise on 04-27-20
By: Daniel J. Hughes, and others
What listeners say about Misfire
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- john klise
- 11-12-22
repeats itself
repeats and restates the same information multiple times throughout the book. could have used better editing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patrick
- 10-31-19
Somewhat disappointing
I was very interested in the title but found it somewhat lacking. The book was at its best describing the details of the M-16 and the U.S. Army’s unethical actions involving the problems with the rifle an cover up. It does less well in his geopolitical discussions.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rhythmtech
- 09-09-20
I like the information provided.
interesting analysis of the impact of wide spread changes to management styles in government. I think the conclusion it misses is that macnamara may have underestimated the difficulty with which an army changes something as important to it as it's main battle rifle because of a basic lack of association with firearms
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mark Dyal
- 02-13-22
Redundant but Informative
Having been on a Vietnam kick for several months, I found myself wishing to know more about the near-mythological introduction and failure of the M16 rifle in the war. Orkand and Duryea do a great job of de-mystifying much of both, going so far as to absolve the troops of what were ghastly failures of leadership, as well as thoroughly rehabilitating the M16's performance record in Vietnam (at least in the war's latter years). What the book does well and convincingly is unpack the myriad levels of failure that led to the gun's hasty introduction to war. But what it does poorly is keep track of how many times it tells us these failures - often in the same words. Not knowing if this is the case, I must assume that Misfire is a collection of essays rather than a book. For all that, though, I listened to every chapter, and came away with a healthy appreciation of the Armalite rifle platform, the men who used it in Vietnam, and a burning reminder not to believe anything the government and military say.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!