Fire Base Illingworth: An Epic True Story of Remarkable Courage Against Staggering Odds

by Philip Keith

An epic, never-before-told true story of a North Vietnamese Army attack and how the men of this nearly overrun Fire Base survived.

In the early morning hours of April 1, 1970, more than four hundred North Vietnamese soldiers charged out into the open and tried to over-run FSB Illingworth. The battle went on, mostly in the dark, for hours. Exposed ammunition canisters were hit and blew up, causing a thunderous explosion inside the FSB that left dust so thick it jammed the hand-held weapons of the GIs. Much of the combat was hand-to-hand. In all, twenty-four Americans lost their lives and another fifty-four were wounded. Nearly one hundred enemy bodies were recovered. It was one of the most vicious small unit firefights in the history of U.S. forces in Vietnam.

As in his acclaimed book Blackhorse Riders, a finalist for the prestigious Colby Award, Phil Keith uncovers a harrowing true story of bravery and sacrifice by the men who fought valiantly to hold FSB Illingworth—a tale never-before-told and one that will not be soon forgotten.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Military Fiction, War, American History

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2013

About the author

Phil Keith earned a bachelor's degree in history from Harvard and has done master’s work at Long Island University and the Naval War College. After graduating from Harvard, Phil went directly into the Navy and became an aviator. During three tours in Vietnam, he served with distinction and was awarded, among other decorations, the Purple Heart, Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and Navy Commendation Medal.
After his wartime service, Phil rose to the rank of Commander in the Naval Reserve and is also a licensed US Coast Guard Captain and Master’s Mate. As a business executive, he worked for two Fortune 500 firms and is a former assistant professor of business at Long Island University. Since 2007 Phil has been an adjunct instructor at the Rhode Island School of Design, teaching marketing and writing courses.
Phil has authored novels and nonfiction books. His Vietnam book, Blackhorse Riders, from St. Martin’s Press, won the 2012 award from USA Book News for Best Military Non-Fiction, was a finalist for the 2013 Colby Award, and earned a 2013 silver medal from Military Writers Society of America. His second Vietnam book, Fire Base Illingworth, released by St. Martin’s Press in 2013, was a Gold Medal winner from MWSA. His latest book (Zenith Press) is “Stay the Rising Sun,” an account of the crucial WW II Battle of the Coral Sea and the loss of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in May, 1942. Phil is currently working on two more non-fiction books: one on the Civil War and another about Eugene Bullard, the first African-American fighter pilot. He has also completed fictional novel about Vietnam to be released in summer, 2017.
Phil serves on the planning board for the Town of Southampton, New York, and is a member of VFW Post 5350, American Legion Post 924, the Disabled American Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans of America. He writes an opinion column for the Press newspapers called "Mostly Right," and lives in Southampton with his partner Laura Lyons and son Pierce.

Reviews

[Travis Starnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author clearly has an affinity for this area of the war and this is not his first history about it. He previously wrote a book about a small conflict just days before the events in Fire Base Illingworth and involving some of the same men. If anything this book is a continuation of that previous work, although he does a good job recapping the events of his previous book for readers not familiar with it.

Keith’s writing is excellent and he clearly has talent as a military historian, a very specific skill set to be sure but one I can appreciate as a fan of the genre. He makes sure to set the stage for the battle and explains some of the high level strategy that led to these men being in the situation they found themselves in April 1970. He also gives background on a random sampling of the soldiers involved in the battle. He uses these men as points of narrative for various stages of the battle so you as a reader can feel connected to the events, and then follows their personal stories through to after the war and even present day in the final chapter of the book. This focus on individual soldiers really helped me as the reader connect to the battle and care about what was going on, almost as if it was a work of fiction. Also following them through and giving a brief look into their postwar life makes a nice epilogue and gives the reader a sense of closure from the book.

If you like reading about small unit engagements, the Vietnam War or personal style military history then this is a good choice.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This like many books about Vietnam is hard to read or maybe frustrating or both. First let me say this is a very good book and the men, yes men for what they went through and contiune to go through from that night. They are men. Mr. Kieth does a good job in giving you all of the information leading up to the night of the battle. He goes into detail about why these fire bases were set up and who's idea was it. That a few nights before this fire base was attacked another not to far away was attacked. The commanding officer of this fire base asked to vacate since they were down troops. That request was denied. They were sitting ducks. The Viet Cong by this time had study each base and knew after each attack how to improve. Now they were waiting. At this same time sameone decided to house an additioal 40 tons of ammo for artillery. This would be a curse and a blessing. Some of the things that saved some of the men was that at the first sight of movement in the junglr the commander had everyone get into place. At the other fire bases when they were attacked they had to run from there bunks. Here when the first rockets were fired they returned fire. The big probelm was that the first few rounds took out the com center and motar pits.Then they focused on there big guns, all the while attacking the brim. Men were firing back but were losing the battle. Finaly two things happen, one a gunship helicopter showed up and was able to rely radio signal back to the main base for fire support while giving support itself. Second an 11 man recon patrol showed up outside of the fence line this helped as well. One man a Peter Lemon, was awarded the Medal of Honor. What he did was un belivable but like many soldiers today still living with the pain from that night. The ammo in the middle of the base exploded and everything stoped a cloud of dirt was in the air for minutes. But that ended the attack. The Viet Cong were dragging their wounded back to the jungle and the Americans won another battle. An under sized force took on over 200 Viet Cong and won, made them retreat, for me that was a victory. But by the time the sun was coming up the powers to be were trying to save there jobs and make it like these men and the commander was wrong.What a crock of s...t. Then on top of eveything else these men who could still walk and stand had to spend another night at the fire base because they did not have any one to relief them. What a joke. I was amased that some of these higher ups were able to get a star and some two. Talk about not caring for your troops and your fellow officer. Any way this is a good book about aa egually great generation of young men who felt like they were doing the right thing but did not have the support. We one more battles than the press wants people to belive and usually we were out numbered that says somthing to men who were there. I proud to have a uncle who fought there. This is a good book about one battle. I got this book from Net Glley.

[Kristaps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-narrated account of one battle during the Vietnam War.

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever seen a war film where a fire base gets overrun in chaos but wonder what it really was like, then Fire Base Illingworth: An Epic True Story of Remarkable Courage Against Staggering Odds is the book for you. The book starts out with a bang, detailing a company sized battle that occurred nearby, a week prior to the Fire Base Illingworth battle (you also learn how the Fire Base got its name). From there it goes into detail about why FSB Illingworth was created, it's construction and defensive makeup, along with introductions of the soldiers stationed there. Keith's research is highly detailed and organized well, while his battle prose is vivid and concise. Most books require a map to make sense of a battle but Keith describes the various areas of the fire base quite well, which allows you to easily picture the battle in your mind's eye. Overall, Fire Base Illingworth makes for a quick, powerful, yet riveting read. This is not your standard run-of-the-mill military account, it is a solid addition to the genre. It runs about 202 pages with the remaining 75 pages reserved for an epilogue detailing the lives of some of the soldiers stationed at the fire base, along with an appendix made up of a glossary of military terms and "letters that no family ever wants to receive". I recommend Fire Base Illingworh wholeheartedly and am now interested in reading Keith's first Vietnam book, Blackhorse Riders. Anyone want to trade, just email me. (my copy is the advance reading copy I won through goodreads)?

[John Nellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed reading this book, I originally didn't approach it with an open mind. I had read several reviews by veterans of the battle , that said the book was inaccurate or left things out. One review was from a family member who's brother was killed in the battle. They felt the cause of death was inaccurately portrayed , and their relatives role in the battle not given enough description. So I started to read with a little bit of a negative notion. After reading for a bit I thought maybe some but not necessarily all the comments were maybe made because this is a very sensative subject. Then I read the misidentification of a Cobra helicopter being called an Apache and the doubts came pouring back. But I myself don't know enough about this battle to doubt what I read. So on that note I enjoyed the book about a little known battle that happened April 1st 1970. A year little covered in most Vietnam books. Like his first book Black Horse riders it does a good job describing the participants of the battle and the battle itself. The book has many first hand accounts to help tell the story. One of the contributors was an officer from the NVA, giving his side of the battle. The end of the book has an epilogue describing what happened to many of the people in the book , later in their lives.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire Base Illingworth: An Epic True Story of Remarkable Courage Against Staggering Odds by Philip Keith is the story of the men who defended Fire Base Illington on April 1, 1970. Keith earned a degree in history from Harvard and worked on a master's at the Naval War College. He joined the navy and became an aviator serving three tours in Vietnam. Keith remained in the navy reserves and attained the rank of captain. He has written eight other books including Blackhorse Riders, his first Vietnam book.

Vietnam was a war where nothing seemed to work for America. A superpower picking up where France had failed waged a new war against communism. What America did not understand, Vietnam really didn't care about waging a philosophical war. It wanted its independence and that provided a strong will to fight. Western nations had a difficult time giving up the idea of empire, and communist nations saw a place to expand their influence. Vietnam was caught between these forces.

The strategy of fire bases was to bring the war to the North Vietnamese. They were meant to disrupt supply lines and engage the the enemy on America's terms. Fire bases were set up to attract the enemy attention and bring force to force confrontation. From my time as a Marine, I understood fire bases to be well fortified bases on easy to defend terrain such as hilltops. The army's 1st Cav Division decided to modify this plan. They planned to make fire bases very temporary bases and to keep moving them in effort to frustrate the Vietnamese. Fast moving fire bases where not nearly as fortified as their predecessors which presented a definite security challenge.

Fire Base Illingworth experienced these security concerns as well as a self inflicted security concern in the form of forty tons of 8” artillery shells. Although the fire base had 8” artillery, forty tons was more than a bit excessive and made an attractive target for the North Vietnamese. The fire base succeeded in its mission to attract the Vietnamese and bring head to head confrontation. The confrontation happened just hours past midnight on April 1, 1970. The soldiers of a lightly fortified Fire Base Illingworth met a well armed and experienced North Vietnamese force.

Keith gives nearly a minute by minute account of the battle. He uses the experiences of the soldiers who fought the battle to tell the story of how fighting and some luck, both good and bad, played a role in the outcome of the battle. Artillery, infantry and cavalry soldiers tell their story and Keith uses the accounts of the North Vietnamese Colonel Lai to help explain what both sides experienced. The battle account moves quickly and highlights the heroism of the American defenders.

There is an introduction to the battle that includes a biography of Illgworth and strategy and equipment being used in the war. The epilogue gives a biography of individual soldiers involved in the battle and the fire base including Colonel Lai. Biographies are also given for those who did not live through the morning. Keith writes and outstanding history that brings to the reader the heroism, frustration, futility, and perhaps even the madness of the entire war. An excellent read.

[Paul Baldassano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was the COMMO Chief for the 1/77th arty First Cav unit in the battle of Illingworth.
When I first got the book I rushed right through it looking for my name. It wasn't there which was no surprise as only a few people were interviewed and I doubt I did anything fantastic.

I did learn more from the book than I did from actually being in the battle because that was the dry season and the ground was covered in fine red dust which covered everything causing viability to be close to zero at some times. I thought the battle was only happening around me, until near the end.

I was only in country 10 days before that battle so was not battle hardened and didn't know what to expect.
I found out quickly.
The gruesome details of the battle especially at the end and after the end were thankfully omitted. But those details are the ones I remember the most as PTSD prevents me from remembering most details from the long battle itself.

I did love the book and have spoken publicly along with Philip Keith about it.

[Hilmi Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of understrength 2nd Battalion of 8th Cavalry Regiment of United States (US) Army, together with its supporting elements, defending an attack of a battalion of 242nd Regiment of North Vietnamese Army (NVA), on a Fire Support Base (FSB) called Illingworth, near Cambodian border, of 1st April 1970.

The author clearly stated that this book is not a sequel to his previous book, Blackhorse Riders, albeit he is generous enough to provide a recap or summary of events that happened in the book.

Even though the author provides a detailed description of events that took place of that fateful April's Fool day, the lack of map which sketches the layout of the FSB somehow hampered my reading experience. The author however provided photos of the FSB.

[Bobmanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing account of the attack in Vietnam on a firebase, and the events and decisions leading up to the attack. The destruction and loss of life on both sides was immense. An insight into war and the historical perspective it provides.

[Mary Vogelsong · Rating 5 out of 5]

The leaders on site knew their defences were inadequate, but the top brass rejected their pleas to move. A horrific battle ensued. Each American's death left me feeling a little more hollow inside, knowing the battle should have been prevented.

[jeff gilliland · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best!

An incredible view of the war, on both sides. Very interesting history of the NVA commander. The follow up histories of the participants is very nicely done

[Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire Base Illingworth is a fast-paced nonfiction book about an artillery base in Vietnam in 1970. The book starts out with a background of the region including multiple infantry engagements. It then goes on to talk about the fire base strategy in Vietnam where artillery bases would be set up quickly within range of another artillery base. If the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) attacked one base another base could provide overlapping fire. The beginning of the book is nice with the engagements depicted near FB Illingworth but can get old after a while. One annoying factor is that the other will refer to the battle at the end of the book and then say to remember it for later. Finally, about one-third of the book in the format is changed and the author puts a time and place in every new section this was a nice feature when the battle began. On April Fool's Day 1970 an estimated four hundred soldiers attacked FB Illingworth with rockets and artillery. This is where the best of the book is. As the first waves of NVA swarm towards the base the author jumps from soldier to soldier in real time letting you see what they see in vivid detail. The author also lets you see what the NVA commander was seeing to give you a different point of view. The one flaw is that sometimes during the action the author will begin talking about where the soldier is from, his background, etc. This pulls away from the action and could have been better implemented. The battle does get quite suspensful at times as characters who you had just been following are wounded or killed. Towards the end of the battle the author gives you a wider view of the battle which works amazingly well when a large exsplosion hits the base. The combat starts and cuts off abruptly, one of the features i loved from black hawk down. After the battle you only hear a couple days of the aftermath of the battle which I had no troubles with. The author gives you a large epilogue that tells the futures of the men who lived, and tells you the backgrounds of the 25 Americans that passed away. If you are a fan of the book we were soldiers once and young you will probably enjoy this book. 3.5/5 stars
-Cannon Age 13

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Fire Base Illingworth, Philip Keith provides a window into the chaos that was the Vietnam War in 1970. Keith sets the scene with chapters discussing the strategy of using fire bases as magnets for the North Vietnamese Army and the remnants of the Viet Cong. These chapters provide the information needed in concise, easily-understood terms.

Keith next provides a brief life story for Private Illingworth, the namesake of the fire base along with a summary account of what happened at Fire Base Jay a few days before the attack on Fire Base Illingworth. But the heart of the book is the tale of the defense of Fire Base Illingworth. In describing the defense Keith provides an almost minute by minute account of the heroic actions of the many heroes that barely managed to hang on when confronted by a strong, reasonably planned and decently executed attack by the NVA. When reading the account you can almost picture the action as if viewing a movie, except that neither video nor prose can place the reader in the midst of the action as does the voices of those involved.

The one gripe I have with the book is the lack of a map of the fire base which would allow the reader to easily place the players and follow the action. But with that one caveat, I would highly recommend this title for anyone interested in the Vietnamese Conflict.

[Robert Burnham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have read on infantry combat in the Vietnam War. It has several minor errors, such as what to call units (for example he referred to one unit as the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Armored Division, but I attribute to the fact the author was a naval officer and not an army officer. These errors do not significantly detract from a well written story of the chaos, terror, and courage of the men who fought that day.

[John Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it to be a very detailed account of the events that transpired at Fire Base Illingworth. The part that sticks with me is the fire. Imagine trying to fight for survival only to look behind you and see a fire on your ammo. What is worse is the inability to do anything other than stay where you are and fight. Poor guys.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this novel through Goodreads First Reads program. I never knew much about the Vietnam War fire bases. This book provided a lot detail about the war, and who made the decisions. It was captivating to read what the men went through to protect Illingworth. After reading this book it showed me how little I know about the Vietnam War and I am going to change that.

[Kges1901 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a riveting exciting and detailed account of the story of Fire Base Illingworth.

[Wurmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well-written book on a subject I'd never heard of. The book/story wasn't exactly a marathon read, but it kept me interested throughout. Keith is a really impressive writer.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent combat account but the author strives unsuccessfully to make the battle emblematic of the larger war.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight forward book on a fairly isolated incident.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the read. I like how the author placed this account into the overall strategy of the Vietnam conflict so I could see how it fit in.