The Magnificent Bastards: The Joint Army-Marine Defense of Dong Ha, 1968 (Hardcover)

by Keith William Nolan (Author)

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

Product Description
A compelling narrative of the U.S. Marine Corps and events on the edge of the DMZ in Viet Nam in 1968, when the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, the "Magnificent Bastards," held their ground in a struggle with larger NVA forces.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 380 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press; First Edition edition (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891414851
• ISBN-13: 978-0891414858
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #797,714 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 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.

3 of 3 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 (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very fast moving with non-stop action, April 29, 1998

By A Customer

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

This is one of the better military history books I've read and, quite possibly, the fastest moving with the most non-stop action. With that comment put aside, I'll now state that I was saddened at the terrible casualties the Marines endured, especially in light of the author's intimation that they were poorly equipped and supported, and even more troubling, committed to action by higher level commanders who had a "get up and charge the emplaced machineguns" attitude. I know this book cannot fairly represent higher level Marine leadership during Vietnam, but I thought the Marines were better used than it appears that they were in this battle. While outstanding, this book is also sad and sobering.