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Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series
Sappers in the Wire: The Life and Death of Firebase Mary Ann (Volume 45)
During the night of 27-28 March 1971, a Viet Cong sapper company infiltrated Fire Support Base Mary Ann, the forwardmost position in the 23d Division (Americal), Snipping through the defensive wire and entering the base without alerting a single guard in a single perimeter bunker, they killed thirty U.S. soldiers and wounded eighty-two in a humiliating defeat that sounded the death knell for the reputation of the once proud U.S. Army in Vietnam.
Although one of the most famous actions of the war, it has never before received a full-scale account. Keith William Nolan has drawn on recently declassified documents and interviews with more than fifty veterans of the 1st Battalion of the 46th Infantry—the unit on Firebase Mary Ann—to re-create minute-by-minute the events of that night, as well as to understand how the military situation in the waning days of the Vietnam War allowed such a disaster to occur. It was a period fraught with problems—combat refusals, drug abuse, racial strife, and fraggings—and Nolan shows how the 1-46th Infantry dealt with them. He describes in detail the personalities of the key players in the 1-46th and the battalion's previous operations around FSB Mary Ann.
The heroism of the grunts, the horror of the carnage, and the nature of guerrilla fighting are all revealed in this first full account of the firebase's story. The vivid detail and immediacy of the first-person accounts give an unprecedented view of the day-to-day tempo of operations and state of morale in the U.S. Army in the tragic final period of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Although one of the most famous actions of the war, it has never before received a full-scale account. Keith William Nolan has drawn on recently declassified documents and interviews with more than fifty veterans of the 1st Battalion of the 46th Infantry—the unit on Firebase Mary Ann—to re-create minute-by-minute the events of that night, as well as to understand how the military situation in the waning days of the Vietnam War allowed such a disaster to occur. It was a period fraught with problems—combat refusals, drug abuse, racial strife, and fraggings—and Nolan shows how the 1-46th Infantry dealt with them. He describes in detail the personalities of the key players in the 1-46th and the battalion's previous operations around FSB Mary Ann.
The heroism of the grunts, the horror of the carnage, and the nature of guerrilla fighting are all revealed in this first full account of the firebase's story. The vivid detail and immediacy of the first-person accounts give an unprecedented view of the day-to-day tempo of operations and state of morale in the U.S. Army in the tragic final period of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Keith William Nolan
12 books15 followersKeith William Nolan was an American military historian, focusing on the various campaigns of the Vietnam War. Nolan obtained a history degree from Webster University. Nolan pioneered and excelled at his own special brand of military history: the excellent combining of in-depth interviews with those who took part in the fighting and deep research into the official records. That, along with a fluid writing style, added up to ten (eleven, counting one he co-authored) of the best books on Vietnam War military history. Keith Nolan died of lung cancer in February 2009 at the age of forty-five.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 9, 2013
I was a member of 1/46th, a medic with Charlie Company. LZ Mary Ann was established just before I left country in 1969. I was not in the battalion at the time of the attack. I have met many of the survivors at reunions. They all rate this book highly. What Nolan does is tell the plain truth of Mary Ann. He sets all the early press reports on their ear and with this book tells it straight.
The 1/46 was one of the division's best battalions and had spent most of its deployments in 1969 through 1971 at the isolated inland firebases of LZ Professional and LZ Mary Ann. A lapse in vigilance on the eve of the shut-down of Mary Ann allowed sappers to penetrate. This is the story of that battle. It's a story of mistakes, but a great deal of heroism. It's a story that debunks the way the news media portrayed the attack. It's well written and includes the broader story of the battalion during it's time in the Hau Duc area of Quang Tin Province.
The 1/46 was one of the division's best battalions and had spent most of its deployments in 1969 through 1971 at the isolated inland firebases of LZ Professional and LZ Mary Ann. A lapse in vigilance on the eve of the shut-down of Mary Ann allowed sappers to penetrate. This is the story of that battle. It's a story of mistakes, but a great deal of heroism. It's a story that debunks the way the news media portrayed the attack. It's well written and includes the broader story of the battalion during it's time in the Hau Duc area of Quang Tin Province.
October 20, 2020
Wow! Combat proven!
I didn't buy this book; it was given to me by a classmate who served in the 1-46th Infantry after the events covered. I must say that I didn't relish thinking about having to read the book, as my nightstand was already brimming with other "must-read" books. Nevertheless, out of a sense of duty to my classmate, I started reading. I think it fair to say that the book is "dense," full of hard facts that take time to digest, and so the reading, at least for a while, seemed like a hard slog. As an author myself, I've had the word "dense" thrown at me, so I'll just tell you up front, this is not light reading. There are hundreds of characters, along with hundreds of military acronyms that one comes across. Because of this, it took me several weeks to complete reading the book, and possibly because of this, I became somewhat lost in the jungle of words as to actual timeframes -- were the chapters sequential or were there occasional flashbacks? All I know is is that, by the time of the actual attack, it seemed like hundreds of bullets and grenade fragments had already hit their mark, and a number of characters had survived to become quite interesting. And so, yes, by the time of the attack, I was turning the pages very quickly. A Vietnam-era veteran who's come under indirect fire and narrowly avoided getting blown up by a "draw-in 1-2 bomb" attempt (as now has become common in Iraq and Afghanistan), I still find it hard to describe myself as a combat veteran, although by some standards, that's what I am. It's unfortunate that a few potential political candidates freely use "combat proven" to suggest their worth, when their contribution was in a support role in a combat zone with never any lead sent in their direction. If you want to know, however, what "combat proven" really means, however, I invite you to read this book. Not only does one confront the blood, gore, sweat, and fear of combat, but the messiness, the agonizing memories of the wouldas/couldas/shouldas when someone you were responsible for lost their limb or life. As well, the material accurately reflects the various attitudes within the military that I saw at the time. It also addresses how the leadership parceled out the glory and the blame, sometimes seemingly quite unfairly, especially given the complexity of situations. And so, with the complexity of this situation well laid out, the time it took to gather and sort out the material in it must have been immense. For me, the book could only have been improved by a better (at least for me) timeline and a glossary of military acronyms (especially for those not familiar with Vietnam-era Army lingo). Overall, however, the book is excellent and, from a fellow author, highly recommended!
I didn't buy this book; it was given to me by a classmate who served in the 1-46th Infantry after the events covered. I must say that I didn't relish thinking about having to read the book, as my nightstand was already brimming with other "must-read" books. Nevertheless, out of a sense of duty to my classmate, I started reading. I think it fair to say that the book is "dense," full of hard facts that take time to digest, and so the reading, at least for a while, seemed like a hard slog. As an author myself, I've had the word "dense" thrown at me, so I'll just tell you up front, this is not light reading. There are hundreds of characters, along with hundreds of military acronyms that one comes across. Because of this, it took me several weeks to complete reading the book, and possibly because of this, I became somewhat lost in the jungle of words as to actual timeframes -- were the chapters sequential or were there occasional flashbacks? All I know is is that, by the time of the actual attack, it seemed like hundreds of bullets and grenade fragments had already hit their mark, and a number of characters had survived to become quite interesting. And so, yes, by the time of the attack, I was turning the pages very quickly. A Vietnam-era veteran who's come under indirect fire and narrowly avoided getting blown up by a "draw-in 1-2 bomb" attempt (as now has become common in Iraq and Afghanistan), I still find it hard to describe myself as a combat veteran, although by some standards, that's what I am. It's unfortunate that a few potential political candidates freely use "combat proven" to suggest their worth, when their contribution was in a support role in a combat zone with never any lead sent in their direction. If you want to know, however, what "combat proven" really means, however, I invite you to read this book. Not only does one confront the blood, gore, sweat, and fear of combat, but the messiness, the agonizing memories of the wouldas/couldas/shouldas when someone you were responsible for lost their limb or life. As well, the material accurately reflects the various attitudes within the military that I saw at the time. It also addresses how the leadership parceled out the glory and the blame, sometimes seemingly quite unfairly, especially given the complexity of situations. And so, with the complexity of this situation well laid out, the time it took to gather and sort out the material in it must have been immense. For me, the book could only have been improved by a better (at least for me) timeline and a glossary of military acronyms (especially for those not familiar with Vietnam-era Army lingo). Overall, however, the book is excellent and, from a fellow author, highly recommended!
August 27, 2011
A devastating account of one of the nastiest debacles suffered by American forces during the war. Nolan, who also wrote Into Laos and whom David Willson reminded me was one of the premier historians on Vietnam, writes with masterful detail, clear and gripping prose, and an insider’s insight. The battalion, 1-46th Inf, “The Professionals,” was a sister battalion to O’Brien’s base battalion, 5-46th, though these events occurred approximately two years after he had DEROS’d, in March 1971. Nolan also writes compassionately about the inevitable command relief following the event, in which not only the battalion commander, Doyle, but the brigade commander, Colonel Hathaway, and even the 23rd Division (Americal), Major General James Baldwin, were sacrificed to atone for the loss. What Nolan painstakingly details, however, in his exhumation of the unit’s failure to maintain a state of credible alert and readiness, is an Army unit exhausted, grown unwilling to take prudent risks (i.e., LP-OPs, local patrolling, etc.) that might have detected the encroaching VC Sapper unit, and a steady and leniently ignored use of alcohol and drugs, even on this stranded Firebase.
December 6, 2021
This got 5 stars. My father was on Maryann when it was overrun. He received a bronze star for his valor. R.I.P. Dad (Joseph R. Barber Jr.)
The stories he told when we were kids just seemed so far fetched. Then I read this book and I could not believe it. Everything he said was true. My father went to a reunion every year to meet up with other survivors on the hill that night. When he passed a lot of the survivors drove through many states and showed up with their Maryann t shirts, with the names of their fallen brothers on the back of the shirt. I also had them sign the book and write something remembering my father.
The only bad thing is my fathers name is not in this book he is called the gunner.
The stories he told when we were kids just seemed so far fetched. Then I read this book and I could not believe it. Everything he said was true. My father went to a reunion every year to meet up with other survivors on the hill that night. When he passed a lot of the survivors drove through many states and showed up with their Maryann t shirts, with the names of their fallen brothers on the back of the shirt. I also had them sign the book and write something remembering my father.
The only bad thing is my fathers name is not in this book he is called the gunner.
June 24, 2010
I left Mary Ann on the last resupply out the night before - and lost some friends there. It was good to know what happened.
July 10, 2024
A decently written book. The story was hard to read, not due to prose, but due to the content.
The story follows the story of Fire Base Mary Ann who was overran by North Vietnamese Army sappers towards the end of the war. The book describes the dereliction of duty from the Division Commander down to the common soldier.
The discipline of the soldiers was dismal. Soldiers did not want to be involved in the Vietnam war. The smoking of weed and heroine was common place, many refused to go on patrols, and officers/NCOs who tried to enforce disciple were threatened with (and in some cases victims of) intentional killings from unmotivated draftees. The author reports that black service members were apparently particularly guilty of this behavior, as black militantism was spreading rapidly in the United States during this time and draftees often held these sentiments.
This situation created an environment where officers had to often bargin with soldiers for them accomplish their most basic duties. Security and discipline became laxed to point of negligence. Most soldiers of Fire Base Mary Ann were asleep at their post during the attack, hid in their bunkers when the attack did occur, and failed to organize a proper defense. The result was over 30 killed and over 80 wounded by a much smaller NVA force.
The author attempts to dampen the reprimands levied against the command chain in the wake of the base being overran. However, such institutional and structure failures should fall on the shoulders of the commanders and weigh heavy on the hearts of the surviving soldiers who allowed this to happen.
The story follows the story of Fire Base Mary Ann who was overran by North Vietnamese Army sappers towards the end of the war. The book describes the dereliction of duty from the Division Commander down to the common soldier.
The discipline of the soldiers was dismal. Soldiers did not want to be involved in the Vietnam war. The smoking of weed and heroine was common place, many refused to go on patrols, and officers/NCOs who tried to enforce disciple were threatened with (and in some cases victims of) intentional killings from unmotivated draftees. The author reports that black service members were apparently particularly guilty of this behavior, as black militantism was spreading rapidly in the United States during this time and draftees often held these sentiments.
This situation created an environment where officers had to often bargin with soldiers for them accomplish their most basic duties. Security and discipline became laxed to point of negligence. Most soldiers of Fire Base Mary Ann were asleep at their post during the attack, hid in their bunkers when the attack did occur, and failed to organize a proper defense. The result was over 30 killed and over 80 wounded by a much smaller NVA force.
The author attempts to dampen the reprimands levied against the command chain in the wake of the base being overran. However, such institutional and structure failures should fall on the shoulders of the commanders and weigh heavy on the hearts of the surviving soldiers who allowed this to happen.
January 9, 2021
I found out about this book by accident after meeting a veteran and talking a bit about his life. It came up that I love books and reading and he said he was in a book so I had to check it out. Unfortunately the story in the book just didn’t come to life for me. I enjoyed parts of it, but there were too many individuals in the book to keep track of or get attached to anyone in particular. There were also a lot of terms and acronyms that weren’t defined or explained. A bit confusing.
December 12, 2020
This is a very interesting book about a battle taking place late in the Vietnam War. It describes the key players involved in the Vietnamese victory over the American Fire Base. I grew up watching the Vietnam war on TV. The older brothers and younger uncles of my friends served there. Nolan's books describe what it was like and why it was the way it was without the filter of the media. He was not one to shy away from unpleasant events. He was a great historian on the war and interviewed the soldiers in his book first hand. It should be noted the book is about the American experience as there was little ability to interview Vietnamese and Viet Cong participants.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam war, particularly its later phases. It is a well written book on military history.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam war, particularly its later phases. It is a well written book on military history.
September 19, 2019
Wow!
Extremely well written. The detail is continuous. The amount of research is amazing. Technical, but readable. The book flows, even though it is concise and fact filled. Should be required reading for all officers and NCO's of all services.
Extremely well written. The detail is continuous. The amount of research is amazing. Technical, but readable. The book flows, even though it is concise and fact filled. Should be required reading for all officers and NCO's of all services.
March 9, 2011
I read all of Mr. Nolan's books and we enjoy his writing style. Sappers in the Wire took place in 1971 and the soldiers of the Americal on the bunker line did not follow standing orders and as a result the NVA breached the wire and overan Maryann killing many of the men on the line that night.
June 30, 2008
Some of the best Nam books ever written by an author who NEVER went to Nam! Read them all.
December 23, 2012
I was in the1/46 on LZ Professional before they moved to Mary Ann, good thing I got wounded before the shit hit the fan.
March 30, 2013
Very good
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews