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...Ben Het has tanks in the wire!
"Hawk Claw is engaging," the pilot reports firing the first TOW missile ever from a helicopter in combat.
Fire Base Delta had already been over run and Fire Base Charlie was fighting for its life. How much would fall before the North Vietnamese army was knocking on the doors of the key city of Kontum?
This was the third phase of the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive Campaign of 1972. Standing across the country between them and the fall of Saigon was a poorly led South Vietnamese Army, brave South Vietnamese soldiers, and US Advisors. How much ground would be lost before they could stop the flow of men and tanks coming across the borders?
This is their story as related to the author by those who were there.
Follow Major Steinhauer as he withdraws with the fleeing South Vietnamese soldiers from the long-forgotten battlefields of Ben Het, Dak To and Pleng Klung. Ride with the crews that were the first to engage enemy forces with the aerial TOW weapon system in combat. Comprehend the bravery of the South Vietnamese soldier when properly led, and the defeated cowardice of the South Vietnamese senior officers. Examine how an American civilian was serving in the capacity of a two-star general commanding all the forces opposed to the North Vietnamese invasion in the Kontum region. Serve with the civilian volunteer nurses that remained in the besieged city of Kontum to care for the wounded during the battle.
The events are all true, as are most of the characters who are still alive, who retold their tales of what it was like to be under siege for so many days against overwhelming odds.
The courage, dedication, and loyalty of US advisors towards their South Vietnamese counterparts as well as the bravery of the South Vietnamese soldiers when properly led will astound you. The determination of Army Aviators to curtail the enemy and save the advisors is nothing short of miraculous.
Get your copy of this sixth volume, Battle of Kontum, 1972 in the Undaunted Valor series.
About the author
Born into a Navy Submarine Family, I traveled the world as a child. Since I was born in 1947 and until 1993, every three years I moved to a new location as a military brat and as a service member. Enlisted in the Army in 1968 after two worthless years of college and became an Army helicopter pilot serving for 18 months in Vietnam. Was promoted to a commissioned officer while serving in Vietnam and stayed on active duty until 1993. In that time I commanded rifle companies at Fort Lewis Washington and Anchorage Alaska where I commanded an airborne company. Highlight of my career was commanding an air assault infantry battalion during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. The Army sent me back to college to finish my bachelors degree and later working on my own, two master degrees. Once I retired I went into private business and finally retired in 2015. My wife has been with me for 51 years now and I have two sons, both Army officers who rose up through the ranks like their grandfather and me.
