Then All Hell Broke Loose: The Odyssey of a Marine Corps Photographer in Vietnam

by Dennis Fisher

One Marine, one camera, and a front-row seat to history—Then All Hell Broke Loose is a gripping visual journey through the Vietnam War.

The USNS Hugh J. Gaffey dropped anchor at 1430 hours on December 27, 1966, under an overcast sky at Da Nang, Vietnam. Standing on deck and taking his first look at Vietnam was PFC Dennis Irwin Fisher, a newly minted Marine infantry rifleman. A snafu on his orders would send him to the Headquarters 1st Marine Division personnel office as "unassigned" and from there to the Division Security Platoon. As fate would have it, the Security Platoon hooches were just a short walk from the 1st Division Photo Lab.

After six months of effort and agreeing to extend his tour of duty for an additional six months, Lance Corporal Fisher was transferred to Division Photo and assigned a secondary MOS as a 4631 combat still photographer. His training as an infantryman, position as a combat photographer, and his civilian training as a photojournalist provided him with a unique skill set and vantage point from which to record the actions of the Marines during the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War.

Then All Hell Broke Loose follows the young Marine photographer through seven large operations and numerous smaller actions, his wounding and two-month hospital stay, and his return to Vietnam just as the Tet Offensive broke out. Fisher's photographs display the trials and tribulations of combat and the humanity of the men fighting day in and day out. Some have been featured by the National Archives for their insightful depictions of the Vietnam War, but most are published here for the first time, presenting a unique and dramatic view of this generation-defining conflict.

190 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

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Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about what it entails to be a photograher in wartime. Dennis Fisher served in the marine corps during the early years in Vietnam and I'm glad he has told his story in Then All Hell Broke Loose. Most books about photography in Vietnam is about ordinary journalists and photographers, not many has been written by men who served in the armed forces, that makes this extra special. The book itself is well written and I got to learn a lot I did not know. For all history buffs out there I can really recommend this book. I also would like to thank Stackpole Books and Edelweiss for giving me an advance copy.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start off this review by saying it is a huge honor to have read this book, and emphasize how important it is to read and share these stories, to talk to the Veterans in your family, in your life about their experiences.

“Then all Hell Broke Loose” is one marine’s story of his experience during the Vietnam War. As a combat photographer he offers a unique perspective on the Vietnam war. The stories are raw and real, but the photographs featured in this book are what really blew me away, many are featured here for the first time in history, and they really add to the story. An absolutely incredible book showing a unique first hand perspective of the reality of combat.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Review:
An interest in photography, a willingness to enlist and serve in the Marine Corps, and a clerical error brought author Dennis Fisher into the realm of war photography, recording pivotal moments of Marine Action during the height of the Vietnam War.

🏍💥Then All Hell Broke Loose begins by introducing Dennis Fisher’s background and road to enlistment, training, and arrival in Da Nang. A clerical error after he’d been trained for infantry had him placed in Security at Marine Headquarters and there, he was a hop and a skip from the Marine photography HQ where he was able to get transferred.

🛰⛺️Dennis Fisher snapped shots of operation around Da Nang, during the Tet Offensive, and after. He was there when a record number of combat photographers and journalists were killed while out with the units recording the action of the war. Wounded once and getting leave once stateside, Fisher was on an extended tour of duty because of his transfer. Marine photographers carried their weapons and gear just as the rest of the Marine Infantry and helicopter crews, they were on marches and operations, carried ammo and fought, when necessary, but they were there to get close to the action and record it.

Then All Hell Broke Loose was written and organized well with Dennis Fisher’s personable memoir-style of the combat Marine’s life and specifically that of a combat photographer with details, facts, anecdotes, and fascinating stop-action photography- captivating me from start to finish.

Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

I rec’d this finished copy from Stackpole Books to read in exchange for an honest review.

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#ThenAllHellBrokeLoosse #DennisIFisher #StackpoleBooks
#VietnamWar #CombatPhotography #USMarineHistory #NonFiction



My full review will post on my Instagram account @sophiarose1816 on 4.17.26.