Sappers in the Wire [Paperback]

Keith William Nolan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

An account of the costly 1971 surprise attack on Firebase Mary Ann draws on declassified documents and interviews with more than fifty veterans of the 1st Battalion of the 46th Infantry. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The battle took place on a remote hilltop in Quang Tin Province during the latter days of "Vietnamization," when open defiance of orders was common among GIs. What happened at Firebase Mary Ann the night of March 27-28, 1971, was, according to the author of this riveting account, the U.S. Army's "most blatant and humiliating defeat in Vietnam." That night, 50 sappers of the 409th Viet Cong Main Force Battalion, wearing nothing but shorts, slipped through the base's barbed wire without alerting a single sentry, killed 30 GIs and wounded 82 others. Relying on interviews with survivors and recently declassified documents, Nolan reconstructs the assault from start to finish, showing how a demoralized American unit (1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, Americal Division) was crushed, despite the heroic actions of a few individuals. He traces the chain-of-command process by which the defeat ruined the careers of the division and battalion commanders. By the author of The Magnificent Bastards, this is a perceptive study of poor leadership and combat demoralization. It is also a terrific battle book. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Keith William Nolan has published six previous books on the Vietnam War, including Operation Buffalo and The Magnificent Bastards. As a reviewer of one of his books said, "Nolan is a master of the personal interview. . . . He has the uncanny ability to convey not merely facts, but feelings." Nolan lives and writes in Webster Groves, Missouri.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671002546
• ISBN-13: 978-0671002541
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many died in their sleep when they should have been awake., October 29, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Chagrin Falls, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sappers in the Wire: The Life and Death of Firebase Mary Ann (Military History) (Hardcover)

This is the true story of the destruction of Fire Support Base Mary Ann by a Viet Cong sapper company which was able to penetrate the outer perimeter wire undetected, because no one was awake in any of the bunkers. It was 1971, and nobody wanted to be the last GI killed in Vietnam. Officers and NCOs became complacent about night time security, otherwise this event shouldn't have been as deadly an attack as it was. Skillfully written, and exceptionally well documented, it is must reading for any career officer and NCO about the need for following seurity SOPs religiously. Keith William Nolan rightly has been credited as a "master of the personal interview," and his book brings out the best and worst in what went wrong the night of 27-28 March 1971. This is a story that you won't soon forget.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was there, January 13, 2000

By 

james kelly (Darlington, South Carolina U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sappers in the Wire: The Life and Death of Firebase Mary Ann (Military History) (Hardcover)

This book helped me remember how lucky I am to be here to read it. I was amazed at how much detail he found in his research, best one Ive read on viet nam and what it was really like. Thanks mr. Nolan

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was featured in the book. My name is Dennis Murphy and thi, June 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sappers in the Wire: The Life and Death of Firebase Mary Ann (Military History) (Hardcover)

The war was winding down but for the men of the 196th LIB home was just a distant dream. As a member of Charlie Company, I can attest to the accuracy and fairness the author treats the grunts of LZ MaryAnn. I only pray that we will never see a war like VN again.