Customer Reviews

Phase Line Green: The Battle for Hue, 1968

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read more than a hundred books on the Vietnam war. I found this one to be the best. I'm astonished how any one could give less than five stars. I found his honesty refreshing. His integrity as top notch. The book is a must read for anyone who wants the dirty truth of how political correctness can be more important than mens lives. The micromanagement that lead to the the failure of the entire Vietnam war is made plain and clear by Mr Warr. I can understand how Mr Warr received a carthsis effect by writing this book. He does us all an honor by sharing the truth with us. I beleive he deserves a silver star for telling the truth. I shall read this book again and again.

I collect and have read hundreds of books about the Marine Corps and have long considered Eugene B. Sledge's WITH THE OLD BREED: at Peleliu and Okinawa as the finest book ever written about Marines in combat in any war.I consider it so because of his realistic no holds barred approach to the subject of which he is writing. The word pictures he chose to use to describe WWII certainly exposed a lot of brains, blood and bone. This realism is what makes his book a classic. PHASE LINE GREEN written by Nicholas Warr is as realistic a description of war as can be written. Warr's description of the brutal fighting in the street's of Hue during the Tet Offensive of 1968 are vivid, vicious and obscene. He recounts his experiences, mincing no words and sparing no pain. Simply and directly, this is how it was in the battle for Hue. He spares few in the telling, including himself. This book is a perfect definition for the word war. Nowhere will you find the courage, tenacity and bravery of Marines, or the unforgetable reality of combat better described. This book, in my opinion, is just as good as the one written by Sledge. Both books should be required reading for Marines or for anyone interested in military history. PHASE LINE GREEN should also be read by Robert McNamara, McGeorge Bundy and the other fools responsible for Vietnam and the rules of engagement that left men like Nicholas Warr so embittered.

The heartfelt message of this book not only conveys the historical narrative of the Battle of Hue but also allows the reader to visualize for himself the challenging emotional trauma endured by both Marine and Corpsman in the heat of fierce battle! I looked into the eyes of many a Marine as he breathed his last breath. All were heros! I looked into the newborn's eyes as she opened them for the first time! These are some of the feelings I relived as I read this book. I think the reader, whether a combat veteran or not, will be moved and enlightened by reading this narrative of "A Few Good Men". "Doc"

As a Marine myself. This book is an outstanding story about the retaking of the Citadel in Hue City following the TET Offensive. This book shows the reality of war. I am not a big reader, but I throughly enjoyed this book. You feel as if you are there with them. It also shows the determination of the Marines and their undying devotion to each other. That is something that will never change.

I was a 19-year old E-4 who was a section leader with Bravo Co. at the beginning of Hue City and a platoon leader by the time I was med evaced out. I knew Paul R. Cheatwood from the day I arrived in Viet nam and was with him through Hue.

CHEATWOOD WAS WITH BRAVO COMPANY not Alpha! Our Corpsman wrote Cheatwood up for the Medal of Honor and I signed the recommendation.

I was with Cheatwood when he committed his act of tremendous courage (see my write-up of Fire in the Streets). We had walked into an NVA ambush with one killed and several wounded. An enemy machine gun position hidden in a blown out house had us pinned down. I was hiding behind a dead pig and a concrete wall about 18-inches high. Every time I raised my head I could hear bullets thudding into the pig's body and chipping away at my wall. I thank God for fat pigs.

I heard Cheatwood, who was completely exposed (there weren't enough dead pigs to go around), shout, "I see 'em!" He picked up an M-16 and emptied the clip. He threw it down, picked up another and, walking straight at the enemy, emptied another clip with slow, disciplined fire. He threw two hand grenades through the hole in the wall then leaned in with his .45 and concluded the issue.

I remember one rifleman who had been hit four times in the head. You could actually feel two of the bullets under his scalp. He was awake and alert but I was afraid that he was going into shock so I said, "Two things: One, you are the luckiest son of a bitch alive, and Two, you're going to have the coolest scars ever."

BRAVO Co. took the house on the corner where the corpsman and I got the wounded to safety and set up a perimeter. Cheatwood walked around gathering up everyone's spare hand grenades. Then he disappeared for about twenty minutes. He didn't confer with me or with anyone else. He just took it upon himself to act as he did.

The next thing I know, regarding Cheatwood, he walked up to me a bloody mess and, through a jaw broken by an AK round, said, "look what they done to me, Corporal Mead." I believe that he was shot eight times including one in the face. He was hit several times in the arm and shoulder.

Cheatwood's injuries were FAR from minor. His jaw was shattered, he lost most of his teeth and part or all of his tongue.

I learned later that he crossed into enemy territory and started peeking through windows. He saw a group of NVA gathered around a map and started throwing hand grenades. They didn't know whether to run or shoot. Some did one and some did the other. His actions, however, threw the enemy into chaos. He killed, I'm sure, a couple of high ranking field officers (we found the room with sophisticated maps amoung the debris) and he made them think they were under attack. The whole enemy line was on the run from Cheatwood.

I think Mr. Warr has Alpha Co confused with Bravo. Bravo Co. was in the house on the corner. Charlie was supposed to be on our right flank but had fallen two blocks behind and allowed the enemy to get in behind us.

Cheatwood acted with incredible courage to save lives and buy time. He deserves the Medal of Honor and certainly would've gotten it if he'd been a 2nd Lieutent instead of a Lane Corporal, but wound up with the Navy Cross. He didn't lose his mind, as Mr.Warr states...he got angry and did his job as a Marine. Mr. Warr's description is totally inaccurate. Further, and most galling to me, our corpsman wrote Cheatwood up for a Congressional Medal of Honor. It wasn't an after thought by an officer in the rear with the gear. I know because I signed it. Unless, of course, Mr. Warr or some other officer destroyed it and replaced it with his.

It is not too difficult to Google 'Paul R. Cheatwood' and find many references to him as a mortarman with Bravo Co. If Mr. Warr was interested in accuracy he should have interviewed Marines with Bravo Co. where Cheatwood served.

I can only wonder what other errors Mr. Warr made. If you want to know about Hue City read Fire In The Streets.


(former) Sgt. S. M. Mead

I rate this book four stars solely for the reason that "I wanted more". Nick Warr takes the reader on a very personal, very vivid ride back in time to a place a good many are still ambivalent about. It's a worthwhile ride however.

The Vietnam era Marines of "The Old Breed" - The First Marine Division - have every right to be as proud of their service as any member of those "Old Breed" regiments from days gone by. Mr. Warr's description of what one young mortarmen did to save the lives of his buddies will make your draw drop - and he lived through it too!

Please pass the word on this book - it's a very worthwhile read.

Semper Fi to "The Old Breed" and all you other mother's sons!

I was interested since I was over there at the time and around the area and knew people in Hue at the time. It starts slow but then the author takes you in the streets. Hes real honest about his own fears, shortcomings and feelings. He does tell this like it was and I applaud him for that. Should be a must read on the war.

As an English as Second Language person, I don't usually read any book other than books in Chinese. While looking for books to read for the school reading activity, I accidentally found Phase Line Green and got in touch with it. Just by looking at the short summary on the back of the book, I knew it would be a great book. Phase Line Green was very detailed on the date of the Vietnam War, landform, troops and other informations about Vietnam War. IT covers a lot information about the U.S. Marines during that time. Because of its very detailed story and well-expressed feelings and thoughts, sometimes you feel like it is you who was in the book and not Nicholas Warr. Overall, it's an excellent non-fiction story about Vietnam War and is the best english non-fiction book I had read. Therefore, I recommend this book to every one, no matter how old you are. It's easy to read so don't let a part of history slip out of your hand.

Nicholas Warr has written an extremely powerful account of the fighting in Hue during the Tet offensive. Rather than dealing with the strategic-level accounts of the Vietnam war, Warr presents a worms-eye view of one of the most vicious battles ever fought in Vietnam. Warr sugar-coats nothing - the horror and agony of war, as well as the humorous instances that occur during war, are presented for all to see. Warr's writing style keeps the book moving along quickly, as he has the unique ability to include a lot of detail without bogging the reader down - much like Cornelius Ryan or John Toland. If you have even a remote interest in the Vietnam war, or the United States Marine Corp, you can't miss this.

Nicholas Warr tells the story of the 1st batalion fifth marines fight for the citadel of Hue. The battle for phase line green is told in vivid detail. It tells the previously untold bravery of charlie company in the charge of phase line green.