The Bridge at Dong Ha (Now Hear This Series) [Audio Cassette]

John Grider Miller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Now Hear This Series | Publication Date: April 1997

In his desperate attempt to blow up the bridge at Dong Ha and keep some 30,000 men and 200 tanks at bay, Ripley endured three hours of direct fire to rig some 500 pounds of explosives. Such a story of raw courage and personal resolve is rarely encountered.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

On Easter 1972 Captain John Ripley braved light weapons fire from North Vietnamese troops to rig explosives to a bridge crossing the Cua Viet River. When the span fell, a major route into the South was closed to the massed troops, and part of the momentum for the so-called Nguyen Hue offensive was temporarily blunted. Ripley's gallant effort was especially courageous since he was acting against a command suggestion to hold the bridge for a counterattack that could not have been mounted, and South Vietnamese troops were in disarray and fleeing to the South all around the Vietnamese unit he advised. Miller's narration of this small action tends more toward the sensational than the historical; the violent and vividly told story may appeal widely to adventure readers. Military Book Club dual main selection.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

This exciting work tells the true story of Marine Captain John Ripley's destruction of a bridge during the North Vietnamese "Easter Offensive" of 1972. Ripley was an advisor to the South Vietnamese Marines, and this action (which he accomplished with the help of a U.S. Army tank advisor) stopped a huge communist armoured offensive and earned Ripley the Navy Cross. This work is written in a direct, but literate, style. Terence Aselford's reading fits very nicely with the thrilling text. His smooth baritone has an easygoing quality that sounds more like a storyteller's than a reader's. When reading the dialogues, Aselford adroitly and subtly brings out the differences in all the characters' personalities. The narrative is as ably told. Indeed, the listener will be as shocked by the explosion as Ripley was. This story of men doing the extraordinary can make for a well-spent evening. M.T.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557500975
• ISBN-13: 978-1557500977
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,513,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop what you're doing and read this NOW!, December 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bridge at Dong Ha (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

In his desperate attempt to blow up the bridge at Dong Ha and keep some 30,000 men and 200 tanks at bay, Ripley endured three hours of direct fire to rig more than 500 pounds of explosives. Handwalking the beams beneath the bridge, crimping detonators with his teeth, and racing the burning fuses back to shore, he saved his comrades from certain death. This earned Ripley the Navy Cross. He is a 1962 graduate of the United States Naval Academy - - yet another fine American produced at Annapolis.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Down in the dirt: first person at war, November 10, 2002

By 

giniajim (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridge at Dong Ha, The (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the story of a genuine hero, one of uncountable many that America produces and, thankfully, continues to produce. Someone said: Freedom isn't free and this is amply demonstrated in this book. The story of one person's dedication to duty is vibrantly told.
There is a bridge, a heavy, strong, and a very capable bridge. Ironically, built by the US Army several years before. It is the only big strong bridge across a river separating North Vietnam from the south.
A formidable armored column from the north is approaching, intending to use this bridge as their avenue to overtake the south. It is somewhat late in the war, and America is pulling out ("Vietnamizing" the war), but there is a lot of pain and agony still to go through. The destruction of this bridge slowed the advance of the northern armies by three years.
The book is written on the detail level and therein lies its fascination. We see that Capt Ripley climbs over barbed wire fences, swings across the under girding of the bridge, and fights this battle from street to foxhole around the little town of Dong Ha (just a few miles from the DMZ). The writing is wonderful and gripping, putting you face-to-face with the action as it unfolds hour by hour.
This book does lack a few essentials. The full context, with appropriate maps, in time and space is missing. Additionally, the reader is sometimes lost (as I was) in the minute details of the action at the bridge. A very local map or two would have helped.
The heroism of Capt Ripley is focused on his action in moving around under the bridge, while under direct small arms and cannon fire. It is difficult for a reader to appreciate this without almost an engineering drawing of the undersides of the bridge. We read of channels, stringers, girders, piers, all three stories above the river. Capt Ripley was swinging, crawling, and hauling explosives. I (and maybe this is the engineer in me coming out) would have loved to see drawings showing the design of the bridge, with little arrows and annotations ('crawled from here to here', 'pulled xx pounds of explosvie across this girder', 'I was here when the rifle bullets came in', 'the tank shell hit here').
Finally, we note the very emotional and wonderful human touches, the radioman, the commander of the South Vietnames unit, the commander's bodyguard, are described very well; their humanity is very apparent, as is their own dedication to their country. While we learn a little about them, more would have been a great addition. Similarly with Capt Ripley's American compatriot, Major Jim Smock (USA, Armor), who was with him at the bridge.
The book is 186 pages long; it could have been twice that and welcome.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unsung Hero Gets His Story Told, January 28, 2007

By 

Mouthpiece "ilike2fish" (upstate NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bridge at Dong Ha (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

This book can almost be read at one sitting. It is the little known story of Captain Ripley, USMC, who assisted by an Army officer and some ARVN Marines blew the bridge at Dong Ha, stalling an NVA armored invasion of the Republic of Vietnam in 1972. Great story of individual heroism and courage in the face of strong enemy fire. Captain Ripley is just one of those guys who gets things done. Working alone under the bridge with enemy bullets pinging all around him, swinging arm to arm like on the horizontal ladder in Basic Training, he places the explosive charges and detonates them before the NVA tanks can get over the bridge. The NVA did not try such a move again until 1975, some 3 years later. One man CAN make a difference. My only surprise is that he was awarded a Navy Cross instead of a CMH for his exploits. Well worth the read. Buy it.