The Lost Battalion: Controversy and Casualties in the Battle of Hue [Hardcover]

Charles A. Krohn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275945324 | ISBN-13: 978-0275945329 | Publication Date: November 30, 1993 | Edition: 1St Edition

In 1968 in South Vietnam, a U.S. infantry battalion was ordered to charge a fortified North Vietnamese Army force 200 yards away over an open field with no artillery or air support. The defenders had every advantage. The Americans started moving across the field just before noon, every man a target. By the time they reached the tree line at the other side of the open field, nearly one half of the 400-man battalion was a casualty. Nine long, agonizing hours afterwards, U.S. artillery units began support fire, although the units remained desperately short of ammunition. The entrapped men saw their fate: death or captivity. Help from headquarters was neither offered or available. The following night the battalion commander decided to make a run for it. It was a gamble with high stakes. But the battalion did make it through enemy lines to a mountaintop where the NVA could not follow. When the Lost Battalion finally escaped encirclement, after nine hours with no artillery or air support, and 30 hours of fighting against an enemy that outnumbered them three to one, the tragic episode disappeared from official memory and relevant U.S. Army records--as if nothing had happened. Krohn tells the whole story--and it tells it with the words of those present. That some of the testimony comes from those responsible is remarkable.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Krohn, who served as the unit's intelligence officer, draws an instructive comparison between two drastically different battles fought in early 1968 by the 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. In the first, 2/12 successfully withstood a North Vietnamese assault on firebase LZ Ross in the Que Son Valley. Essential to that success was the abundance of artillery and air support and adequate ammunition. Monsoon weather, logistical bungling and poor command decisions at divisional level, dictated that 2/12 went into the second battle, outside of Hue City, without air or artillery support. The battalion was surrounded by the enemy and began to run out of ammunition. As casualties mounted, the unit commander, Lt. Col. Richard Sweet, decided to walk his troops out of the encirclement under the cover of darkness. Led by "the ultimate point man," Private Hector L. Cammacho, the bold maneuver succeeded. Krohn, a retired lieutenant colonel, calls for stateside training in which infantry battalions practice operations after vital support systems have faltered. His first-rate account demonstrates what can happen in combat when such systems do break down. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Most Vietnam War oral histories deal more with individual experiences than specific events. The opposite is true in this book, which details a tragic military foul-up. As the Tet Offensive commenced, U.S. Marines were trapped in Hue without packs, air and artillery support, or sufficient ammunition. The 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, was ordered to relieve them. Although a large enemy force blocked the battalion, the commanding general ordered it to proceed. Stumbling upon the North Vietnamese Army's headquarters, the battalion was surrounded and ultimately suffered 60 percent casualties. As battalion intelligence officer, Krohn is on a mission to lay blame where blame is due. Yet what should have been a scintillating war narrative becomes disjointed in the heat of his crusade. The action pauses while every order, every act by higher-ups is examined. Recommended only for libraries with special interests in the army and Vietnam.
- Richard Paul Snyder, Cty. of Los Angeles P.L., Lakewood
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers; 1St Edition edition (November 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275945324
• ISBN-13: 978-0275945329
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #455,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New generation finds lessons from the past., September 10, 2001

By 

CPT Eric Remoy (Killeen, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Battalion: Controversy and Casualties in the Battle of Hue (Hardcover)

I was the 2-12 Cav S-2 from January 2000 to July 2001, this book is everything a staff officer should and must read. I came upon the book because it was about my unit, it has been deliberately overlooked by army professional reading lists. Mr. Krohn's account highlights the unfathomable value of honesty and integrity in our profession; the lack thereof causes lives. An excellent read, a heart-wrenching story even today for those who were not there. "Those who do not study the past are doomed to repeat it." Thank you Mr. Krohn.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, vivid account of Que Son and Hue, November 20, 2000

By 

Pike - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Battalion: Controversy and Casualties in the Battle of Hue (Hardcover)

Charles Krohn has presented a well researched book that sheds new light on a complicated battle, the fighting for Hue City during Tet. His book is a valuable addition to history because it specifically deals with a regularly overlooked topic: the 2/12 Cavalry's involvement in the battle for Hue and it's fight against the NVA headquarters there. He was there. In addition, he touches upon the battalion's earlier fighting in the Que Son Valley.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was there with A/2/12cav. the book is totally acurate., July 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Battalion: Controversy and Casualties in the Battle of Hue (Hardcover)

I WAS MEMBER OF A/2/12CAV. DURING THE BATTLE OF HUE. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK CHARLES KROHN FOR BRINGING SOME PEACE INTO MY LIFE. FOR YEARS I HAD BEEN BITTER TOWARDS COL. SWEET FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AND MY COMRADES. I REALIZE NOW, I WAS WRONG AND I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY IF IT WERE NOT FOR COL. SWEET. 30 YEARS LATER I HAVE RELIVED EVERY MOMENT OF THE THON LA CHU BATTLE, THANKS TO ACCURATE PORTRAYAL BY CHARLES KROHN.