Fire Base Illingworth - Hardcover

Philip Keith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1250024951 ISBN 13: 9781250024954

Publisher: St Martin's Press, 2013

Synopsis

This is 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 Gls. 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 fire fights in the history of U.S. forces in Vietnam.

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Review:

Praise for Fire Base Illingworth. A harrowing tale that centers on an exhausted, ragtag group of U.S. Army troops as they fought for their lives against a 400-man North Vietnamese Army regiment in a vicious engagement in 1970. The heart of the book is a virtually minute-by-minute description of the fighting.--Publishers Weekly Impressive verisimilitude and . . . moment-by-moment accuracy. A respectful account of a battle that was 'a perfect microcosm of what the Vietnam War was becoming in the early days of Vietnamization.--Kirkus. A fascinating and detailed study of strategic intentions, operational planning, and tactical execution from a critical time period of the Vietnam War. Phil Keith has added, in dramatic detail, the personal sacrifices of brave warriors in this hellacious fight at LZ Illingworth in the late years of the Vietnam War--experiences that have not been adequately documented to date. They remain as relevant for the war fighters of today as those who endured the drama of close combat over 40 years ago. In the spirit of We Were Soldiers Once and Young, this book fittingly honors their actions for the ages--both collectively and individually. --Alexander S. Cochran, Professor of History, University of New Mexico; Vietnam veteran and former historical adviser to the Army Chief of Staff In relating the events at Fire Base Illingworth, Phil Keith has captured the essence of combat from first hand accounts of those soldiers who experienced it. The reader can sense the fear, the confusion, the bravery which hung over these men on that awful day in 1970, and which continue to haunt many of them to this day. Fire Base Illingworth can rightly take its place alongside such Vietnam War classics as Fields of Fire and We Were Soldiers Once and Young. --Captain Thomas G. Kelley, USN (Ret.), Vietnam Veteran, Medal of Honor recipient --Various

About the Author:

PHILIP KEITH became a naval aviator after graduating from Harvard. During three tours in Vietnam, he was awarded, among other decorations, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Air Medal for Gallantry, the Purple Heart, and the Navy Commendation Medal. Keith is also the author of Blackhorse Riders, which was awarded the USA Book Award for Military History. He lives in Southampton, Long Island.

About this edition

• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1250024951
• ISBN 13: 9781250024954
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320