The Magnificent Bastards: The Joint Army-Marine defense of Dong Ha, 1968 [Mass Market Paperback]

Keith W. Nolan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

A chronicle written to honor and praise those who risked their lives in the Vietnam War reveals the chaos, the widespread death, and the courage of the soldiers who faced jet bombings and fought in hand-to-hand combat. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Nolan augments his reputation as a Vietnam combat chronicler with the story of the two weeks of intense fighting near Dong Ha in 1968. Involving a marine battalion, an army infantry battalion, and their supporting units, the fighting was the most basic and bloody sort of ground combat. For their deeds in it, two men won Medals of Honor, but scores of others won no more than body bags. Nolan has thoroughly researched the battle, largely through primary source documents and interviews with participants, and has produced a book that, though it requires some background knowledge of the Vietnam war in order to be fully appreciated, for serious readers will stand very high among accounts of the infantryman's war. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Keith Nolan is acknowledged as the foremost chronicler of the Vietnam War. He is the author of many Vietnam War combat histories, including Battle for Hue: Tet 1968; The Battle for Saigon: Tet 1968; Death Valley: The Summer Offensive, I Corps, August 1969; Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970, and House to House: Playing the Enemy’s Game in Saigon, May 1968. Nolan lives near St. Louis, Missouri. --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dell (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440221625
• ISBN-13: 978-0440221623
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,993,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS NON-FICTION AT ITS BEST., February 28, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (ALPHARETTA GEORGIA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magnificent Bastards: The Joint Army-Marine defense of Dong Ha, 1968 (Mass Market Paperback)

KEITH WILLIAM NOLAN HAS WRITTEN A FAST PACED ACCOUNT OF ONE OF THE BLOODIEST BATTLES OF THE VIET NAM WAR. FOR THOSE OF US WHO WERE THERE THE DATE APRIL 30,1968 IS BURNED INTO OUR MEMORY FOREVER. MR. NOLAN HAS DONE HIS RESEARCH AND HAS TOLD OUR STORY HONESTLY. HE TELLS THE STORY BY INTERMINGLING FIRST PERSON ACCOUNTS INTO A COMPLETE STORY OF THE BATTLE. THE GOOD AND THE BAD ARE PRESENTED. THE HEROISM AND THE FAILURES ARE ALL THERE FOR THE READER TO SEE. THIS BOOK TELLS THE STORY OF MARINES FIGHTING ON THE DMZ DURING THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 1968. IF YOU WERE THERE;THIS IS YOUR STORY. IF YOU WERE NOT;THIS IS HOW IT REALLY WAS. THIS BOOK IS A GOOD READ AND A GREAT TRUE STORY TOLD BY A MASTERFUL STORYTELLER.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keith Nolan you magnificent bastard, I READ YOUR BOOK!, January 3, 2008

By 

K. Eberth (Toledo, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Magnificent Bastards: The Joint Army-Marine Defense of Dong Ha, 1968 (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is perhaps the best Vietnam book--fiction or non-fiction--written to date! It's hard to imagine how Keith can distill all the factual information from daily reports and interviews into such a compelling book. I know it's a historical account of a major battle but it is so powerfully witten it has all the "glamour" of a novel. For me, all the Vietnam novels pale in comparison to this non-fiction work, Fields of Fire, Sand in the Wind, Rumor of War, The 13th Valley, etc--Keith is a magician with words, a true poet, and with the pure power of his prose in desribing men in a major battle, he manages to "flesh out" characters so they take on that unforgettable quality found in great novels. His book has everything, moments of terror and tragedy followed by moments of rib-busting humor. I hope Keith continues with his writing because he is THE premier chronicler, without exception, of Vietnam War battles. Any veteran would be proud to tell Keith their story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Unit in VietNam May.1969,,,, February 28, 2005

By 

John Carranco "Sweet Pea..." (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Magnificent Bastards: The Joint Army-Marine defense of Dong Ha, 1968 (Mass Market Paperback)

Mr.Jc.Retired.U.S.M.C.This my unit that Served in VietNam...

Echo.Co.0331=Machine-Gunner..My unit.2BN.4th Marines....

To all Falen-marines who died for freedom.Cpl.Joe Paul...

and Lz Russell Survivors.Feb.25th.1969..Want to connect with

any marines from Echo.Co.2/4...My [e-mail]