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

by Keith Nolan (Author)

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.)

Back Jacket

Throughout 1968, U.S. Marine Corps units patrolled to the edge of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and manned combat outposts stretching from the Laotian border to the South China Sea in an effort to seal the demarcation line and prevent the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) from infiltrating large units into the south. As part of the post-Tet American counter-offensive, the 3d Marine Division was preparing to attack NVA units staging along the DMZ when, on April 29, the 320th NVA Division was spotted less than four miles from the Marines's Dong Ha Combat Base. Brutal fighting soon developed in nearby Dai Do as the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, known as the "Magnificent Bastards", struggled to eject NVA forces from this strategic hamlet located just two miles from the division's headquarters and main supply base. Aided by the "Gimlets" of the U.S. Army Americal Division's 3d Battalion, 21st Infantry, who became embroiled in a bitter battle at neighboring Nhi Ha, the "Magnificent Bastards" held their ground in a see-saw contest with the larger NVA force until they were relieved by the 1st Battalion, 3d Marines, on May 3. Keith Nolan's gripping account of this nightmarish struggle reminiscent of the horrific clashes along World War I's western front is sure to become a classic in the annals of Vietnam War literature.

Author Biography

Keith Nolan is acknowledged as the foremost chronicler of the Vietnam War. He is the author of many Vietnam War combat histories, including Battle for Hue: Tet 1968; The Battle for Saigon: Tet 1968; Death Valley: The Summer Offensive, I Corps, August 1969; Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970, and House to House: Playing the Enemy's Game in Saigon, May 1968. Nolan lives near St. Louis, Missouri.