Fire in the Streets: The Battle for Hue, TET 1968

by Eric Hammel

Book Overview

This volume is the highly detailed combat history of U.S. Marine Corps units in urban combat in Hue City during the 1968 Communist Tet Offensive. The focus of the story is on small units and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0935553185
• ISBN13: 9780935553185
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Pacifica Press (CA)
• Length: 371 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Fire in the streets

A part that seems to be left our was the Members of House 8. This was a group of Army, Air Force., Marines that worked at the Tay Loc Airfield and lived in House 8 away from the MACV compound.This was a small group of approximately 16 men that lived in this house near the CORDS compound and the hospital. Being the senior NCO of the group and having had prior artillery and probably the only good map of the city I was able to contact the MACV compound by radio. The MACV compound gave me the frequency to an Artillery battery. The Artillery group turned me over to a Artillery ship off the coast of Phu Bai. For the 10 days we were ther I was able to direct Artillery on the Hospital and surrounding buildings. I directed artillery within 150 meters of our own position. Letters written on our behalf after the TET offensive gave us credit for 17 KIA, 100-150 NVA KIA by artillery and the capture of 7 NVA. Inteligence reports afterwords stated that due to the precise artillery fire on the NVA positions around us prevented the NVA from attacking the MACV compound from the South. CPT Mike Downs was in charge of the group of marines that reached our location, and allowed us to return to the MACV compound. Just a follow up to give a small amoutn to the men of House 8, that stood tall throug an almost unbearable situation. All of this is verifyable by letters written by Officers afterwards. Jerry Morrison U.S. Army (RET)

Fire in the Streets

Great account of the retaking of Hue City during and after Tet 68 I would recommend this to any war buff.

A Battle that has earned it place in History

I'm proud to be able to say that I my unit supported the 1st and 5th Marines in this historic battle.The battle would make a great movie. I would love to see Stephen Speilberg tell this story on film.The book was outstanding, I loved it

A trip back in time . . .

Like a Time Machine, Fire in the Streets catapulted me 31 years back into the battle for Hue City. Eric Hammel's account is a historical, vividly accurate account of what every Marine would surely describe as their time in hell. It certainly was mine. Mr. Hammel's research enabled me to know the why's and the where's of my unit's activities, and gave me a much broader understanding of what the grunt Marine accomplished in the month long house to house fight. This is an excellent book! Dennis Freed, Lima 3/5 WIA 2/24/68 - Hue City

I was a radioman attached to the Fifth Marines

I was temporarily assigned to the Fifth Marine Regiment Combat Control Center from my parent unit - the 7th Comm Battalion. I was not supposed to be involved in the kind of infantry fighting that took place there. My job was to work at the Regimental level in combat net communications but the intensity of the battle in Hue City changed all of that. I went in with Hotel Company on the first of February and came out with what was left of it on the 25th. My regret to this day is that I was not a permanent member of Hotel company, just temporarily assigned. Shortly after the battle, I was moved on by 7th Comm to another assignment. This book is absolutely accurate in its record of the fighting in Hue. It is incredible that Hammel could achieve the detail he did. Anyone wanting an explicit description of the fiercest battle and longest battle of the Vietnam War should read this book. Anyone studying the Vietnam War or The General Uprising should read this book. Absolutely the best.