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Lost Battalion of Tet: The Breakout of 2/12th Cavalry at Hue (Ausa)

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Charles A. Krohn first shared his military Intelligence viewpoint of the travesty of the infamous TET offensive in Vietnam in his recounting of events published in 1993. Now in 2008 he once again places some indigestible facts enhanced by further documentation of the events of the battle at Hue in 1968 that resulted in needless deaths of poorly directed soldiers. It was difficult though essential reading in 1993: it is even more difficult to address again in this the 40th anniversary year of the TET offensive.

From films and novels and various articles and reports that continue to remove the protective shroud from the American error in Vietnam, the details of the misinformed management of the TET offensive is common knowledge. What Krohn supplies in his re-telling of that gross misjudgment of wasting troops on an indefensible situation is not only the writing skill to make the situation come alive on the pages of his book, but he also speaks from the vantage of having been assigned to Intelligence and thus has first hand information, rather than retrospectively altered history reporting. The manner in which Krohn, from the first person narrative, explains the errors in judgment made by the commanding officers in the field as well as the higher officers who failed to assess the tragedy before it happened makes his account all the more terrifying. At the same time Krohn is careful to support the heroism of the soldiers who were so misdirected and his account of the battle is heart-wrenchingly poignant.

While we are at the mercy of the media to inform us about what is in truth happening in our current, equally misguided war in Iraq, reading books such as THE LOST BATTALION OF TET: Breakout of the 2/12th Cavalry at Hue provide some truths about the errors of war that should unite the country in electing to end yet another needless war. Recommended reading. Grady Harp, April 08

Krohn has chronicled a historical "snapshot" of a US Infantry battalion during the VN war--better than anything I have ever read. As eyewitness and participant, he has drawn with his words images of combat as sharp as any camera could ever produce. As an investigative reporter, he offers insights into the reasons his battalion was ordered to attack an entrenched enemy without artillery support. He also exposes the dirty linen that covered up incompetence by senior officers that was paid for in the blood of extraordinary Troopers in the 2nd Battalion, 12th US Cavalry. Aah, the soldiers! They were magnificent and Krohn gives them credit and attention they deserved. This is a book that will be read for generations to come.

As a Viet Nam veteran and an Artilleryman, I read LTC(R) Krohn's book on two levels. None can deny the heroism displayed by the men of 2/12th CAV, nor can they ignore the idiocy that sent them into that meat grinder without Artillery support! That's the first level of interest for me. the second level is that the Author astutely points out that this SAME error in judgement was made when portions of the 10th Mountain Division were sent into Afghanistan. They too were denied artillery support in favor of PROMISED air delivered fires and ended up getting shot up by bad guys with D-30 howitzers and heavy mortars. Cudos to Charles Krohn for a clear-eyed first person account of the facts behind an important battle and the courage to relate that battle and the mistakes leading up to it to our current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Charles A. Krohn presents The Lost Battalion of TET: Breakout of the 2/12th Cavalry at Hue, the revised paperback edition of "The Lost Battalion: Controversy and Casualties in the Battle of Hue", originally published in 1993. On the fortieth anniversary of the Tet Offensive, The Lost Battalion of TET critically examines what went so disastrously wrong in one of the Tet Offensive's first engagements, when a U.S. infantry battalion without air or artillery support was ordered to attack a sizeable North Vietnamese force near Hue City. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this first-hand account of tragedy, heroism, and the need for stateside training in which infantry battalions practice how to operate when their support systems fail. Highly recommended as a readily accessible addition to American military history shelves.

Author Krohn is to be commended for this fine work that fully deserves five stars. It is a mixture of first person narrative and scholarly research covering the unit reports and actions by individuals away from the action. Although the author strives mightily to explain the workings of the Army and its career-oriented officers, it may fall short for those who never served. Unfortunately, I cannot judge this point with authority having served myself as an officer in the Army for a number of years.

The characters are extremely well presented, warts and all. The mistakes made by higher command are easily discernible although it is sometimes difficult to discover the correct person upon which to lay blame. In some cases, the problem is "the system" -- that element of groupthink and inner workings that cause a breakdown where everyone is able to point the finger at someone other than themselves. On the other hand, there is unsurpassed courage by the men in action, moving forward on what was understood by all to be almost a suicide operation during the Tet Offensive of 1968. Yet, only a single soldier out of 500 broke ranks and fled -- clear proof of the outstanding qualities and training of the troops on the ground.

Much of the work is taken up with describing the command failures that almost caused the annihilation of the battalion. The move north by the 1st Cav was poorly planned and very poorly executed -- at one point the 2/12 was ordered not to take ammunition with it on the move. Then when they arrived at their destination, an unsecured area probed by the enemy that very night, there was no ammunition available. Fortunately, an officer had disobeyed the order, and the 2/12 was able to defend itself.

Moving to attack the NVA regular army forces in Hue, the 2/12 was left on its own without coverage on its flanks, not given artillery support, and the limited air support it was given was directed at the 2/12 itself. Then, when it became apparent to the battalion commander on the ground that the attack could not possibly succeed against the numbers of enemy seen and their obviously well-prepared positions, the battalion was ordered to move forward (unsupported) anyway. Rather like Custer attacking with his five companies, except that in this case, Custer was not on the ground and sharing the risk.

The attack was a failure as anticipated, and the 2/12 was surrounded by superior NVA forces. Annihilation stared the battalion commander in the face as ammunition began to run out, and it was only due to efforts of a few personnel in support that managed to scrounge ammunition, steal gasoline, and coax helicopter pilots to risk their lives, that kept the battalion from becoming wiped out. On the second night, the battalion executed an almost unbelievable escape from the pocket in total darkness, while the order for them to stay put reached the battalion commander only after they had broken through the ring. Clearly, had that order been received earlier, the battalion would have been sacrificed to a man. As the author so succinctly stated, "This incident demonstrates how far higher-level staff frequently are from the real world." The battalion was literally on its own, without support, and without anyone above them willing to risk his career to take action to save the battalion.

Not surprisingly the battalion commander was given a poor efficiency rating by the division commander who was himself mostly responsible for the debacle. It is an axiom in all armies that a subordinate must make his commander look good to receive a high rating, and the battalion commander couldn't do that. All he could do was save his command and the lives of the men in his charge. In so doing, he made powerful enemies.

The author himself was advised not to write this book since it would expose the command failures, make enemies, and cause harm to the image of the Army. Fortunately he did not abide by such counsel, and we are all the better as a result.

I recommend this book to everyone, Army veterans or not. Everything good about the US is here, along with some of the careerism and gaming in the Army that is bad. Read and understand. It is only by reading books like this that we can learn from our mistakes. Ignore the lessons contained herein, and we will repeat those mistakes ad infinitum.

A good friend of mine was in Charlie company, I bought him the book as a gift! He said it was a good book! The only problem he has with it is there is not enough mention on his platoon, he was a machine gunner in the 3rd platoon, who went to retrieve the wounded of B company! They were completely surrounded by a massive NVA force for a 9 hour battle! He also has told me if it wasn't for his platoon Lt., Lt. Ring calling in artilery support, and going foxhole to foxhole checking on his men he would not be here today! I think there should be a book published called the Lost Platoon!

I read the original Lost Battalion by Charles Krohn and I found it to be deisturding. I was a Special Forces Medic serving at camp Bu Dop in 1967 and saw first hand operations in which soldiers were sent into combat without proper support. In this cast the deaths of these soldiers were and is pure murder and all those that were responsabel for this should be hung. Just like in Iraq we have never learned our lessons. When any leader sends troups in a Humvee knowing there it is a probibilty that it will be blown up is guilty of murder and should be court martialed and put in prision. It is disturding that those most responsible for the actions in Vietnam and Iraq get promoted instead of being held accountable. This is a nation that is suppose to send our troups into combat with all the means at hand, if we can't then do not send them. This book and the new edition is about murder pure and simple and none of those responsible have been held accountable. I suggest everyone read this book and then ask yourself have we ever learned any leassons from history. I am sure General George S. Patton is rolling in his grave.

Paul Posey
Grovetown,GA

Outstanding!! I wish more could be written about the Hq"S Staff of outher units Namly the 4th Inf Div!
Ed Warneld US Army Retired, Kentucky

The Lost Battalion of Tet is an excellent historical document based on the Officer's point of view. I am grateful to the author for including the list of KIAs in the reprint of his book. There are some fabrications and embellishments based on my recollection of the facts as one who was there. Charles Krohn had the opportunity to correct some of these errors from the first printing in 1993 but chose not to. However, I recommend the book to anyone who was there or one who is interested in that time in our history.