BATTLEFIELD SERIES part 6 "We fought every day, we would take casualties just 10 yards into it. The assault quickly became a crawl of survival as we were pinned down. At one point, I looked back only to realize that out of my squad, only myself and 2 other guys were left alive."
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On May 10, 1969, elements of the 101st Airborne Div. were tasked of taking Hill 937 as part of Operation Apache Snow to clear communist forces out of the A-shau Valley.
The assaulting force fought head on up the steeply-sloped hill against well entrenched troops. Attacks were repeatedly repelled and casualties began to mount, including most of the officers. Bad weather also hindered operations.
Artillery fire, close air support, and aerial rocket artillery were poured into the hill, but the enemy bunkers were well-sited and constructed to withstand bombardment.
The battle was one of close combat, with the two sides exchanging small arms and grenade fire within 20 meters of one another.
On the morning of May 20, the final assault was launched and the summit was taken by the afternoon.
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U.S. losses during the 10 day battle totaled 72 killed and 372 wounded. To take the position, the 101st Airborne Division committed 5 infantry battalions and 10 batteries of artillery. In addition, the USAF flew 272 missions and expended more than 500 tons of ordnance.
Enemy dead counted to 630 and 3 captured alive.
As it had no real military significance, the hill was abandoned on 5 June as the operations in the valley wrapped up. The hill was retaken by the enemy a short time after.
On 27 June, Life Magazine published the photographs of 241 Americans killed in one week in Vietnam; While only five of the 241 featured photos were of those killed in the battle, many Americans had the perception that all of the photos featured in the magazine were casualties of the battle.
The severe criticism of military leadership and the controversy of the conduct of the battle led to a reappraisal of U.S. strategy in Vietnam.
The battle of Hill 937 would be dubbed Hamburger Hill by the men who fought there and go down in history as the battle that would change the outlook of the war in Vietnam. #bfseries #war