The Battle at Ngok Tavak: A bloody defeat in South Vietnam, 1968

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In 1968, in the western jungle of Vietnam near Laos, a Special Forces Company, under the command of an Australian Army Captain, supported by a Marine artillery detachment, occupied an old French fort, on a hill known as Ngok Tavak.

The circumstances of the battle that ensued, and the subsequent retreat from Ngok Tavak, left in their wake issues that cried out for resolution for decades after the event. A number of American bodies were left where they had fallen during the battle, and another American, the nephew of Katharine Hepburn, went missing.

After speaking extensively to the battle survivors and loved ones of the American warriors, and searching through accounts from official reports that included Vietnamese documents, eyewitness statements and war diaries, Bruce Davies has pieced together the evidence that will bring resolution to the questions that still haunt many of those connected to the battle.

A story that needed to be told for the veterans who survived and for those who did not, for their families and for the sake of history.' Lieutenant Colonel Brian Cooper (Retd), Australian Infantry, South Vietnam 1971-72

Author Bio

Bruce Davies saw operational service in South Vietnam in part of every year between 1965 and 1970. He served with 1 RAR, an Australian Infantry Battalion and then twice with AATTV as an advisor with ARVN infantry in I Corps and the Mike Force in Pleiku. He was mentioned in Despatches in 1970 and received a Commendation for Distinguished Service in Vietnam in the End of War List. Bruce has several foreign awards for valour and service in Vietnam. In 1977, Bruce was appointed a Member of the British Empire for his military service. He is the co-author of The Men Who Persevered, with Gary McKay.