Abandoned in Hell

The Fight for Vietnam's Fire Base Kate

By: William Albracht, Marvin Wolf

Narrated by: Brian O'Neill

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In October 1969, Captain William Albracht, the youngest Green Beret in Vietnam, took command of a remote hilltop outpost called Fire Base Kate, held by only 27 American soldiers and 150 Montagnard militiamen. He found their defenses woefully unprepared. At dawn the next morning, three North Vietnamese Army regiments - some 6,000 men - crossed the Cambodian border and attacked. Outnumbered three dozen to one, Albracht's men held off repeated ground assaults by communist forces with fierce hand-to-hand fighting, air support, and a dangerously close B-52 strike. For days, the NVA blanketed Kate in a rain of rockets, mortars, artillery, machineguns, and small arms, blocking efforts to resupply, reinforce, or evacuate the outpost. Albracht continually exposed himself to enemy fire to direct air strikes, to guide re-supply helicopters, to distribute ammunition and water to his men, to retrieve the dead and to rescue the wounded, often shielding men with his own body. Wounded by rocket shrapnel, he refused medical attention or evacuation. Exhausted from days without sleep, he continued to rally his men to beat off each new enemy attack.

After five days, Kate's defenders were out of ammo and water. Aerial resupply was suicidal, and reinforcements were denied by military commanders who had written off Kate. Albracht refused to surrender or die in place. Refusing to allow his men to surrender, Albracht led his troops, including many wounded, off the hill and on a daring night march through enemy lines.

Abandoned in Hell is an astonishing memoir of leadership, sacrifice, and brutal violence, a riveting journey into Vietnam's heart of darkness, and a compelling reminder of the transformational power of individual heroism. Not since Lone Survivor and We Were Soldiers Once, and Young has there been such a gripping and authentic account of battlefield courage.

©2015 William Albracht and Marvin Wolf (P)2015 Recorded Books

courageous but puzzling

for the most part the book is interesting and an accurate recollection of a battle that has largely been overlooked. I am confused as to the author's title of capt. retired as I don't believe he completed 20 years of service. Although the author's opinion of the ARVN is low, painting them with so with a broad brush does, in my experience with them, a great disservice. Many ARVN fought with bravery and distinction. The quotes from Kipling et al, add nothing to the narrative.

Great story from Vietnam

This was a good book. Not as captivating as I thought. Author didn't give a lot of detail in first half in order to draw a good mental picture. These men went through hell and the book describes that fairly decently.

Bravery beyond me

I’m a Vietnam vet, parts of the book reminds me of the arrogance of some junior officers but it also shows me some of their piss and vinegar. Fascinating story, but brought back some painful memories. You never know what people will do in combat!

Fantastic Read.

One of the best books out there. Capt. Albracht writes about fire base Kate in such a way that you are there with him during his time there. Exhilarating, and horrified of the many dangers he and his men faced each day. The camaraderie and brotherhood that was exhibited during their war time battles is a thing of beauty that most do not understand unless one was in the Military or L.E. As an American, whether you believe in war or not, we should be thankful everyday for the sacrifices these men gave in a cause they themselves they may or may not have believed in, but honor them for the courage they exhibited and the sacrifices they made during their time of combat. Captain Albracht style of writing is honest and captures the frantic moments of battle but also acknowledges the heroism of each man while under combat. The other wonderful thing Captain Albracht did at the end of his book (Story) was to give an update of their personal lives of the men he served with which is a touching way to end the book. Captain Albracht and all the men and women who serve in our military, thank you for your service and welcome home......

Hell is way we lived

I enjoy this book. It very close to I was living under..! I'm very glad these offericrs took the time to write this book. Reading this brings back my PTSD!!!

Loved the suspense!

What happened at Fire Base Kate tells us a lot about our war in Vietnam. I liked this book because I got to learn more about the fire base system, how the NVA conducted operations and the suspense gripped me.

The telling of the story is stilted in my opinion. The narration is too.

The challenge for the listener is to get through the initial chapters and to speed up the audiobook during many of the digressions. Also, the narrator has basic competencies but is tedious. Narrator over pronounces many words and especially when he uses the voice of characters other than the protagonist author.

One can see that Captain William Albracht did the impossible. He was the right leader for that situation. There were many other outstanding leaders too, such as the pilots. All the troops on both sides were brave. Albracht got the remaining troops off the fire base, something most leaders wouldn't have been able to pull off.

The Best Read about Vietnam Combat Bases!

Would you listen to Abandoned in Hell again? Why?

I most certainly will!. This is how a good writer can take a story right to your heart! This is a must read for those interested in the Vietnam War and a prime example how a narator can hold your attention to such a deree you hate to stop the listen!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Abandoned in Hell?

When the Fire Base Leader began to lead his troops to safety under such hopeless odds. Never give up was my leason!

What does Brian O'Neill bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice rises, falls & pauses at all of the right times. I"d love to have a beer with him! Great job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but time constraints would not allow it in one go.

Any additional comments?

This is just how all Books should be written & read! Perfect for me.ND John

Military/Political stupidity hasn't changed

What did you love best about Abandoned in Hell?

The story was amazing. It somehow captures the chaotic nature of combat very clearly. It also hints at the amazingly stupid beuarcracy in the DoD, that would sacrifice men's lives to prove a policy theory. Its one thing to die for ground or an objective, but this book highlights the stupidity of letting men die to promote your career or silly ideology.

Another fucking courtesy of the US military

Here's yet another example of the US military fucking its soldiers and getting away with it. I'll never understand why the "commanders" seem to think they know everything when even a nonmilitary person, with no military training, can see the situation is FUBAR. The book itself is really good. Make you laugh, cry, and piss you off! Well it did for me anyhow. Narration is pretty good, although some accents seemed to be off.

Amazing and captivating

This story gives great insight into the life of Soldiers during Vietnam during a short but decisive battle. It also tells the story of post war life for many of the Soldiers involved. There are leadership lessons to be taken away from this story, as well as history to be learned.