Red Haze looks at the circumstances that brought Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the experience that is called 'The Vietnam War'. It is a very comprehensive and readable book about the Vietnam War and one of the few written for young adult readers, Leon Davidson sticks to facts in this book but events are made personal with the use of letters and recollections and personal experiences of real soldiers, from both sides, and from the protesters at home. The reader can begin to gain some understanding of how difficult a time it was, as well as insight into fighting a war, by the use of personal experiences to bring the reader close to the action and uncertainty.
Nothing could have prepared Australian and New Zealand soldiers for the environment in which they asked to fight. The dust, mud, rain, leeches, mosquitoes, snakes and an intractable foe were all part of the soldiers lives and described by the writing that also brings out the brutality and compassion and the confusion and violence that accompanies war.
The Vietnam conflict was a complicated affair. There were many who people believed that if communism was allowed to spread in Vietnam that it would eventually 'infect' countries all the way to Australia and New Zealand. Others believed that Australia and New Zealand should never have become involved in the fighting. While various political battles were waged at home, soldiers fought in the hostile environment. Red Haze tracks the war from the political impetus of its beginning, through many of the well-known and less well-known battles, to the 1973 ceasefire.
The author tries to take a balanced viewpoint although much might still be regarded as contentious even today. ( )

This is a non-fiction book that attempts to summarize the Vietnam War in 150 pages. It does a pretty good job presenting a balanced view of what happened and the ANZACs contribution but unlike Scarecrow Army there are very few diary entries or fictional “what it would have been like” accounts which makes it somewhat dry and occasionally hard going. I think boys would like it better with its battle accounts.
p.77-79 + diagram on p.82. Cu-Chi (Coochi) tunnels system ( )