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4.0 

Hue 1968

By Mark Bowden
Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

The author of Black Hawk Down vividly recounts a pivotal Vietnam War battle in this New York Times bestseller: “An extraordinary feat of journalism”. —Karl Marlantes, Wall Street Journal

In Hue 1968, Mark Bowden presents a detailed, day-by-day reconstruction of the most critical battle of the Tet Offensive. In the early hours of January 31, 1968, the North Vietnamese launched attacks across South Vietnam. The lynchpin of this campaign was the capture of Hue, Vietnam’s intellectual and cultural capital. 10,000 troops descended from hidden camps and surged across the city, taking everything but two small military outposts.

American commanders refused to believe the size and scope of the siege, ordering small companies of marines against thousands of entrenched enemy troops. After several futile and deadly days, Lieutenant Colonel Ernie Cheatham would finally come up with a strategy to retake the city block by block, in some of the most intense urban combat since World War II.

With unprecedented access to war archives in the United States and Vietnam and interviews with participants from both sides, Bowden narrates each stage of this crucial battle through multiple viewpoints. Played out over 24 days and ultimately costing 10,000 lives, the Battle of Hue was by far the bloodiest of the entire war. When it ended, the American debate was never again about winning, only about how to leave.

A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist in History

Winner of the 2018 Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Greene Award for a distinguished work of nonfiction

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50 Reviews

4.0
Anxious Face with sweat“This was a dense, at times hard to keep reading, account of the Battle of Hue during the Tet Offensive. At times there were too many characters to keep straight. Lots of gruesome material, which is to be expected, but at times felt overwhelming. Really solid account of the American side of the battle, and I enjoyed following some journalist characters throughout as well. Having been to Hue shortly before reading this book, I was particularly engaged with the setting and the history and politics of the area. I would recommend this, but it’s dense and filled with some gnarly action that can fill you with a level of despair.”
“Feb 2024- “Shrapnel cauterized the wound instantly, but bullets made you bleed. You tried not to think too hard about it. Thinking about it was tempting fate. And fear? Fear was just the air you breathed.” First time I ever heard about the battle of Hue was learning historical events in Marine Corps boot camp. No one else really talks about this battle, which after reading this book, surprises me. No one can dispute the effect Hue had on the war in Vietnam. It’s a difficult book to read. Bowden spares no details and sugarcoats nothing; its details are brutal and hold nothing back.”

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