Battle of Hamburger Hill (6/14)

The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a major battle during the Vietnam war, fought between the US Army along side the Army of the Republic of Vietnam against the People’s Army of Vietnam. It took place from May 10th to May 20th 1969 in the A Sau Valley in south Vietnam. This battle was bloody and controversial, causing push back from both the American troops and the public. The hill was heavily fortified and had little strategic value. Regardless, US ground troops stormed up the hill in a frontal assault. Their attacks were repelled by the north Vietnamese Army for days with all sides sustaining heavy casualties. The US lost 72 soldiers and was able to take the hill, only to abandon it shortly after. The debate over the battle reached all the way to the United States Congress where political and public criticism was growing for the bloody conflict in Vietnam.