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

by Keith William Nolan

On April 29, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army is spotted less than four miles from the U.S. Marines’ Dong Ha Combat Base. Intense fighting develops in nearby Dai Do as the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, known as “the Magnificent Bastards,” struggles to eject NVA forces from this strategic position.

Yet the BLT 2/4 Marines defy the brutal onslaught. Pressing forward, America’s finest warriors rout the NVA from their fortress-hamlets–often in deadly hand-to-hand combat. At the end of two weeks of desperate, grinding battles, the Marines and the infantry battalion supporting them are torn to shreds. But against all odds, they beat back their savage adversary. The Magnificent Bastards captures that gripping conflict in all its horror, hell, and heroism.

“Superb . . . among the best writing on the Vietnam War . . . Nolan has skillfully woven operational records and oral history into a fascinating narrative that puts the reader in the thick of the action.”
–Jon T. Hoffman, author of Chesty

“Real and gripping . . . combat with all the warts on.”
–Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC (Ret.)

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

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 28, 1994

About the author

Keith William Nolan was an American military historian, focusing on the various campaigns of the Vietnam War. Nolan obtained a history degree from Webster University. Nolan pioneered and excelled at his own special brand of military history: the excellent combining of in-depth interviews with those who took part in the fighting and deep research into the official records. That, along with a fluid writing style, added up to ten (eleven, counting one he co-authored) of the best books on Vietnam War military history. Keith Nolan died of lung cancer in February 2009 at the age of forty-five.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic Nolan Vietnam book, looking forward to the next one.
Gritty, extraordinarily detailed, and often heart wrenching. Great maps. Would recommend.

[John Podlaski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that the author's chronicling of the events during this two-week battle north of the Marine Dak To basecamp was as thorough as can be. Mr. Nolan stated that the story comprised from his researching tons of documents (I assume after action reports) and through personal interviews of those who were there. It was truly a bloodbath on both sides; the Americans lost many officers during the battle and squad-sized platoons carried on the fight while led by enlisted men and a handful of NCO's. The small village of Dai Do was just a dot on the map a few miles south of the DMZ, but it was significant in the fact that an entire NVA Division was well-concealed, heavily supplied, and well trained in a match-up with the "Magnificent Bastards" of 2/4 Marines and the Army "Gimlets" of the Americal 3/21 infantry battalion. It was an unmerciful battle for both sides.

I did have trouble getting through the book as the author flooded the document with many names of soldiers, nearby towns, and waterways; so much so, that I was compelled to create my own list of characters/units so I could keep the battle in perspective. Nolan gives an overview of a particular part of the battle and then goes into fine detail about a certain individual, squad or unit as told from individual interviews. I would almost compare "The Magnificent Bastards" to a high-school textbook. The characters are just names which made it difficult for me to get close to or connect with any of them. There are also many typos throughout the story that caused me to pause momentarily to figure it out; missing letters which might be due to my Kindle when compared to a printed copy. I also thought that much of the story was redundant as many of the scenes played out the same with the different characters.

All in all, it was a story that had to be told so that those who weren't there could see how brave and resilient these soldiers were during the many ongoing battles over the same real estate. I have to commend Mr. Nolan for telling the story the way he did as there was no other way for readers to fathom the complexity of the fight. Many brothers were lost during those two weeks, and those who survived, experienced more physical, mental, and emotional stress in those two weeks than in several life times. I'm also certain that the battle continues to play out for them every night. Slow hand salute to the survivors and to those who gave their all for their brothers in arms.

Thank you, Mr. Nolan for telling it like it was!

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 3 out of 5]

You cannot but praise this author for his honesty. The book tells the story of a joint USMC and US Army battle in the DMZ with brutal truth. The story is told, warts and all, and it made this book what it is.

I must say however that at times I felt the story got a bit disjointed and could have used more and better maps to assist the narrative but overall the author presents a decent and well researched account of this terrible battle.

If you like down to earth and in your face combat accounts then you should enjoy this book.

[Robert B. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read more than a 100 books on Vietnam, I guess I am trying to get a handle on my PTSD, or whatever. I was an infantrymen with the Wolfhounds of the 25th Division and saw action and mass NVA attacks in 68-69 but these attacks on the Cambodian border were small compared to the Battle of Dong Ha.. This book started with action and ended with action, I also liked the author's attempt to flesh out the participants. It was tedious to read and hard to understand, but thats what you get when you try and explain such a big action. I was not aware of this battle and had no idea of the magnitude, Gave it all stars which I reserve for only a few Vietnam book as Dispatches being one of the best.

[doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rate a 5 or a 2:
A 5 if u are interested in reading about one of toughest battles in Vietnam 68. 95% on grunt level. Violence, gruesome injuries , heroism, immobilizing fear, etc.

Rated 2 if this isn’t in your interest realm. Plus too many names and military acronyms , poor maps on kindle, etc.

I read this book because I had a roommate/good friend in 73/74 who had fought in the above. He would never say too much about Vietnam, but this year during our annual Christmas call , I asked him some questions about his experiences and he told m to read this book.
Kris was a a medic and he earned both a bronze star and a Purple Heart in this battle.
As always, check out the other reviews.

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes an in depth look at a series of battles during the Vietnam war which aren't familiar to most of us. I was one of those. The author's depth of detail shows he did extensive background study about the people, the place and the tactics. We and the enemy lost a lot of good people during the war. Hopefully future battle commanders study and learn from this history. We sure as hell know politicians won't.

[a.t.m. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic book of war in Vietnam

Keith Nolan wrote a masterpiece with this book and as such, should be required reading in all of our military academies and military bootcamps. In some cases, as the author points out the leadership was superb and in other cases poor. Equipment failures were tragic, no one was held accountable for the m-16’s failures, and the failure of young troops not responding to enemy threats. This book has it all, I highly recommend this book.

[Joe R, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.

[Christian Dattwyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing true life tales recounted of the Marines who fought to the death in these key battles

[Jeff Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after my wife and I bought a home in Florida and discovered that one of our new neighbors was actually in the battles that were the subject of the book. His name is Art Thorpe. After listening to his real life account of what he could remember of the battle, I had to read the book.The book is written like a historical account of what happened during these battles in Vietnam, so it's not a page turner and can be rather dry reading, but I am a history lover and especially military history.
Art was shot during one of the battles and after some heroic actions by the others he was fighting along side he finally made it out to a field hospital and then to a hospital in Germany. He was given his last rights twice during his 9 months in the hospital before finally recovering. The battles described must have been an absolute horrific thing for these men to go through. If you like true military historical accounts, this is a good read. If you like fast moving action this is probably not for you. I read stories like this because not ever serving in the military I'm in awe of those that did serve sacrificing for us here at home, with some giving the altement sacrifice. We all own these men and women our greatest gratitude and respect!

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful book into the lives of Army soldiers and Marines during a particular battle in Vietnam. I never heard of this battle before, so I don't know of its overall importance, but it was educational to learn about how various groups went through the war.

One complaint I have is that the author uses a lot of military jargon and refers to units by their military designation (i.e. 3/2nd/G Battalion) which left me clueless. Also, a lot of military slang left me scratching my head as to what was being referenced. Overall a good read though.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kieth William Nolan is always reliable for super detailed action histories of American unit actions Vietnam. War nerd central.

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not get interested in this book.

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting narrative on a major battle near the DMZ during 1968.