From the jungles of New Guinea to the CIA's black ops program in Vietnam, this is the extraordinary life of one of Australia's fiercest soldiers.
'If I'd have been a Vietcong you'd be dead.' - Len Opie
'Len was a soldier above soldiers.' - Keith Payne VC
Through three wars across 30 years, Len Opie carved a reputation as one of the country's greatest infantrymen. A cold-eyed killer who drank nothing stronger than weak tea, he fought with his bare hands, a sharpened shovel and piano wire. He was a larrikin who went by the book, unless the book was wrong. He set his own bar high and expected others to do the same.
Stone Cold is the extraordinary story of one of Australia's most fearless fighters. It takes us into the jungles of New Guinea and Borneo and some of the fiercest battles of World War II. It goes to the cold heart of Korea, where Len emerged from the ranks to excel in the epic Battle of Kapyong and play a key role at the Battle of Maryang San. And it drops us into the centre of the American counterinsurgency war in Vietnam with Len's involvement in the CIA's shadowy black ops program, Phoenix.
Action-packed and surprising, Stone Cold gives rich life to a warrior soldier and one of Australia's greatest diggers.
Author bio:
Andrew Faulkner is an Adelaide-based journalist and author of the highly acclaimed biography Arthur Blackburn, VC. He has been given exclusive access to Len's copious diaries and has interviewed many of Len's comrades for this book.
Category:
Military
ISBN:
9781742373782
Table Of Contents:
List of maps
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1 A warrior in training
2 Up the Ramu
3 Balikpapan
4 Korea
5 The Third World War has started!
6 Hills are for heroes
7 Kapyong
8 Kill or be killed
9 Maryang San
10 Private, temporary corporal, temporary warrant officer, class two
11 Eyes like a cat and no nerves at all
12 Belles and bullies
13 Vietnam
14 On the trail
15 'Sneaky work': the Phoenix program
16 Kashmir interlude
17 Return to Vietnam
18 Man of Sparta
Len Opie's medals
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Publisher:
Allen & Unwin
Imprint:
Allen & Unwin
Pub Date:
January 2016
Page Extent:
320
Format:
Paperback - C format
Age:
0 - 0
Subject:
Warfare & defence