Considering all that has been written about the Vietnam War in the last thirty years it would seem that the subject has been covered completely. Not so. Benjamin Harrison's Hell on a Hill Top breaks new ground--and does it in an unusual way.
Fought from March to July 1970, the Battle for Firebase "Ripcord" was the war's last big clash between U.S. and North Vietnamese troops. But until now it has been essentially forgotten.
Overshadowed by the incursion into Cambodia that May, and coming in the midst of the withdrawal of U.S. combat units from Vietnam, the combat raging around "Ripcord" fell into the cracks of history. Harrison's book rescues the battle from obscurity, restoring it to its rightful place in the storied annals of the 101st Airborne Division.
Elements of the division's 3rd Brigade, which then-Colonel Harrison commanded, precipitated the long slugfest. Americans carved out positions on key terrain near the A Shau Valley, endangering the all-important North Vietnamese supply lines into the south. Enemy commanders could not tolerate that threat to their operational freedom of action. They reacted violently, igniting months of bitter fighting.
Ben Harrison tells the story of the prolonged struggle in clear, crisp prose, giving full credit to the heroism of the men and the professionalism of the units engaged there. If that had been all he accomplished with this book, he would have made a most valuable addition to the history of the Vietnam War. But he did much more.
Hell on a Hill Top is a rarity among battle studies--it paints a vivid combat scene from the perspective of both antagonists. Harrison conducted extensive research into the enemy side, to include personally interviewing North Vietnamese veterans of the fierce encounter. Thus, the reader enjoys a multi-dimensional appreciation of the action. (As an aside, how Harrison managed to get the other side of the story is itself a fascinating tale of perseverance, intrigue, and human nature. Especially gripping is the account of his meeting in 2004 at a remote site in Vietnam with his opposite number.)
For a ripping good read, don't miss this riveting account of the fight for "ripcord."
Dave R. Palmer
Lieutenant General (retired), U S Army
Author of Summons of the Trumpet
