The Battle of Hamburger Hill: The History and Legacy of One of the Vietnam War's Most Controversial Battles

The Vietnam War could have been called a comedy of errors if the consequences weren’t so deadly and tragic. In 1951, while war was raging in Korea, the United States began signing defense pacts with nations in the Pacific, intending to create alliances that would contain the spread of Communism. As the Korean War was winding down, America joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, pledging to defend several nations in the region from Communist aggression. One of those nations was South Vietnam.

One of the most infamous battles of the Vietnam War, the Battle of Hamburger Hill – officially, part of Operation Apache Snow – occurred in spring of 1969. Towering over the perilous, elephant grass choked length of the A Shau Valley, Hill 937, otherwise known as Hamburger Hill or Dong Ap Bia (“Crouching Beast Mountain”), rose to a height of over 3,074 feet above sea level. The Americans launched a series of 11 attacks against this low mountain’s NVA defenders, leading to fierce combat involving both advanced weaponry and infantry tactics unchanged since World War II.

The Battle of Hamburger Hill ranks as one of the most famous – or infamous – of the Vietnam War. Over time, however, all nuance and context have vanished, leaving a legend of pointless butchery which ignores the very real strategic and tactical considerations that converged to produce the encounter. The battle pitted several battalions of the 101st Airborne Division, one of America’s most famous fighting units, against the 29th Regiment of the NVA. The latter’s toughness, skill, courage, and zeal earned it the unofficial sobriquet of “The Pride of Ho Chi Minh.” Both units fought extremely hard and with great determination, inflicting high casualties on one another.