Battle of Hamburger Hill

Battle of Hamburger Hill
	Part of the Vietnam War
	; US Army photographers climb Hill 937 at Dong Ap Bia after the battle, May 1969
Date	13–20 May 1969
Location	A Sầu Valley, South Vietnam16°15′11″N 107°10′29″E
Result	Both sides claimed victory
Belligerents
United States; South Vietnam	North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
MG Melvin Zais; Lt. Col. Weldon Honeycutt, Maj. John Collier	Ma Vĩnh Lan
Units involved
3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile); 3rd Regiment, 1st Infantry Division	29th Regiment 7th Battalion; 8th Battalion;
Strength
~1,800 infantry; Artillery and air-strike support	2 battalions, ~800 infantry
Casualties and losses
72 killed; 372 wounded; 7 missing; 31 killed PAVN Claim: 1,500 killed and wounded	US Claim: 630 killed (body count); 3 captured; 89 individual and 22 crew-served weapons recovered
	Location within Vietnam

The Battle of Hamburger Hill (13–20 May 1969) was fought by US Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces against People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces during Operation Apache Snow of the Vietnam War. Though the heavily-fortified Hill 937, a ridge of the mountain Dong Ap Bia in central Vietnam near its western border with Laos, had little strategic value, US command ordered its capture by a frontal assault, only to abandon it soon thereafter. The action caused a controversy among both the US armed services and the public back home.

The battle was primarily an infantry engagement, with the US Airborne troops moving up the steeply sloped hill against well-entrenched troops. Attacks were repeatedly repelled by the PAVN defenses. Bad weather also hindered operations. Nevertheless, the Airborne troops took the hill through direct assault, causing extensive casualties to the PAVN forces.

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