Fawcett Bill. Mercs: True Stories of Mercenaries in Action

New York: Avon Books, 1999. — 295 p.For as long as armies have clashed on fiery fields of battle, professional soldiers of fortune have fought, bled, and died. They are the ultimate warriors, sharing skills few men possess, a pride few men can merit, and an unassailable courage in the face of overwhelming numbers and superior weaponry. These are the men who take the risks that others would never dare; the men who change history and keep the enemy at bay; the men who change history and keep the enemy at bay. And, if need be, they are willing to die in prusuit of their objective: total victory on the field of war.MERCS is a collection of remarkable true accounts of mercenaries in action -- from the ancient Greeks against the Persians in 400 B.C. to the blood-curdling siege at Vietnam's Dein Bein Phu and the modern-day drug wars of Central and South America. Here are stories of incredible battleground stands, of daring raids and revolutionary operations, of astonishing bravery in desperate situations -- and of the rare breed of fighting men who made war their vocation...and honor their guide.Contents:Mercenaries in History iGreek Mercenaries in Persia
The Anabasis, 400 B.C.Hannibal in Italy
The Battle of Lake Trasimene, 2 1 7 B.C.The Fine Art of Contract Negotiation
The White Company and
the Battle of Florence, 1364 20The Game of Survival
Sir John de Hawkwood at Borgoforto, 1367Mercenaries Triumphant
The Battle of Castagnaro, 1387The Hessians in America
The Battle of Trenton, 1776Faithful unto Death
The Massacre cf the Sniss Guards, 1792Death With Honor
The Battle of Camerone, 1863Twentieth-Century MercenarieCombat in a Strange New Worid
The French Foreign Legion in World War IIA Meeting of Honor
Bir Hakeim, 1942The Lost Cause
Dien Bien Vhu, 1953Mercenary Knight of the African Skies
Count Carl Gustav von Rosen
(1909-1974)The Crusade against Castro
Alpha 66Buyer and Seller of Men
Jonathan BanksCivihan Irregular Defense Group
Montagnard Mercenaries in Vietnam,
1961-1974American Soldiers of FortuneRevolution over China
Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers,
1937-1942Larger Than Life
Captain James B. "Earthquake" McGovernSoldier, Jurist, Patriot
David "Mickey" Marcus (1902-1948)The Unknown Mercs
Allen Pope and the Freedom Fighters of AsiaThe Cuban Second Front
William Morgan and
the Directorio RevolucionarioToday's Legionnaire
Djibouti, 1973An American in Angola
George Bacon III (1946-1976)Modern MercsCoal Miners' Mercenaries
Appalachia, 1985The Cocaine Wars
Drug Mercs in the 1980sDirect Action in Cali
The Assault on Hacienda Napoles, 1989The Rules of Engagement
International Anti-Mercenary LawsVictory and Betrayal in Ghana:
The Ultimate Mercenary StorySources and Suggested ReadingIndex