Battle for the Hue, TET 1968

Reading this book I felt like I was in Hue reliving the battle. I enjoyed the writer's style and easy to follow flow of the storytelling. A must read for any serious Viet Nam war history buff.

Unlike most battles of the war in Vietnam, the Battle for Hue City was a house-to-house urban street fight against a well-armed enemy that held fortified defensive positions in the third largest city in the country. Hue was a two-part city divided by the Perfume River. North of the river was the old walled city, known as the citadel. South of the river was a smaller part of the city, with substantial government, educational and church buildings. In late January 1968, the North Vietnamese ("NVA") and the Viet Cong ("VC") without detection successfully infiltrated thousands of soldiers and large quantities of food and ammunition that would be in place for a surprise attack in the early morning of January 31, the start of the national Tet holiday. Surprise was achieved and suddenly there were North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers everywhere, attacking the key points in both parts of Hue. The 1st Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam ("ARVN"), which was at half-strength because of the holiday, had its headquarters in the northeast corner of the citadel. In the southern part of Hue, across the Perfume River, was the Military Assistance Command Vietnam ("MACV"), consisting of U.S. Army and Marine advisors, and a group of Australian advisors to the ARVN. After heavy fighting, both the ARVN headquarters and the MACV repulsed the initial North Vietnamese attacks. Except for those two limited areas, the NVA and VC were in control of both parts of Hue. The book details the agonizing efforts to get Marine reinforcements to the scene in the face of North Vietnamese attacks along the highway and poor weather, which inhibited air support. The author then walks the reader with the Marines along the narrow streets of the southern part of Hue City where the North Vietnamese and VC had embedded themselves in stone buildings. At every turn of the road, the Marines encounter machine gun fire from fortified positions. Eventually, the southern sector is cleared and the Marines are ordered to link up with the ARVN and clear the citadel of the enemy. All told, the battle lasted twenty-six days. The narrative is very well written and it personalizes the experiences of many of the Marines on the scene. The story virtually ignores the role of the ARVN, except to repeat a host of negative comments made some of the Marine grunts and their officers. Then, a little more than halfway through the book, there is a complimentary summary of the fighting by the ARVN Black Panther Company during the first week of the battle. Near the end of the book, there is another paragraph or two containing favorable comment about the Black Panther unit at the close of the battle. Those two comments seem out of place. It gives the impression that these two parts may have been added in response to criticism of the text omitting any coverage of the ARVN. Unfortunately, the coverage of the ARVN participation in the battle does not have the same level of factual det

The latest read I've experienced from Keith Nolan, Tet 1968 gave me an understanding I never got from text books or movies. I felt that I was there, and understood how the grunts felt. I have read most of Nolan's other works and find this to be a deserving addition. My next is Into Laos/Lam Son 719, which I was finally able to track down after four years. I expect more of the same realism, unwavering accuracy, and action filled narrative that I did in Tet 1968.

The Tet Offensive was long over in most parts of South Vietnam but the fighting carried on from house to house in the city of Hue. Nolan vividly captures the efforts of those left to defend and take back the city.Action in Vietnam was generally in the lush mountainous jungles of the countryside. However, the battles of Hue were as deadly as any city fighting of WWII. The defenders were in battle day after day with little or no releif. Platoons literally fought to the last man.I have read most of Nolan's books on Vietnam and consider this a must for anyone attempting to know and understand what the American fighting man experienced in-country. His work is a fantastic testimony to the valiant effort of a few to stave off the attack of a well prepared and persistent enemy.

THE AUTHOR, KEITH WILLIAM NOLAN, DUMPS THE BATTLE FOR HUE CITY IN YOUR LAP. A COMPLELLING ACCOUNT OF THE U.S. MARINES FIGHT FOR THE IMPERIAL CITY OF SOUTH VIETNAM IN 1968. NOLAN DOES A FANTASTIC JOB IN PROVIDING JUST ENOUGH FOREGROUND SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE FIGHT. SUPERBLY WRITTEN THROUGH THE EYES OF NUMEROUS VETERANS THIS BOOK LEAVES YOU DASHING ACROSS STREETS AND SLAMMING INTO COURTYARD WALLS. THIS IS NOT DIALOGUE AS PRESENTED BY VETERAN'S. RATHER IT IS A MASTERPIECE IN WHICH HE TELLS THE STORY OF THE BATTLE FOR HUE CITY USING THESE VETERANS IN CHARACTER. THIS BOOK IS EASY ON THE EMOTIONS, LEAVES YOU WITH A VERY GRAPHIC SENSE OF THE BATTLE, AND AN AMAZINGLY LIGHT READ.SEMPER FIDELIS!