James H. Willbanks, Hamburger Hill 1969 (Osprey, 2024)
The Vietnamese called it Dong Ap Bia, just another mountain in South Vietnam. But the Americans who fought there would name it Hamburger Hill. Operation Apache Snow should have been a straightforward assault to take the high ground at the north end of the A Shau Valley from the NVA and block access into the interior of South Vietnam. But the Americans and their ARVN Allies bit off more than they could chew, and the attack became a ten-day battle of attrition that led to serious military and political consequences. In this new Osprey book in their Campaign series, James H. Willbanks tells the story.
The A Shau Valley, Willbanks notes, was one of several gateways into South Vietnam; one which the US had tried to close in 1966 but remained a thorn in their side into 1969. Their new plan, set for May 1969, would be to take down NVA bases in the valley and disrupt their logistics. Willbanks reviews the respective commanders, of which Lieutenant Colonel Weldon F. Honeycutt appears most often in the following narrative, and the organisation of the forces about to fight for control of Dong Ap Bia, designated Hill 937, and it’s neighbours. Operation Apache Snow opened on 10 May with a US barrage and helicopters inserting infantry into their jump-off areas. Honeycutt was in charge of the assault on Dong Ap Bia, but what he did not know was that he was badly outnumbered by a well dug-in NVA force. Forebodings of an NVA trap soon spread amongst the advancing US soldiers, then they ‘kicked over a hornet’s nest’ of enemy fire. The attack bogged down despite intense artillery fire and aerial bombardment. As attempt after attempt failed, US casualties grew while their morale dropped, which wasn’t helped by numerous incidences of friendly fire, but Honeycutt drove them on. Finally, after ten days of intense fighting, the NVA resistance collapsed. But only a few weeks later, the US withdrew its forces, sharpening the question, was it worth it? Politically, Willbanks makes clear that it was not, although US generals in Vietnam thought otherwise. US public opinion, already waning after the Tet Offensive, turned irrevocably against the Vietnam War, and Nixon called for the policy of Vietnamization. Hamburger Hill would therefore be the last action of its kind.
Hamburger Hill is one of the better know Vietnam War battles, partly through a 1987 movie dedicated to it, and because it was such a politically contentious affair back home in the US. If you have not heard of it, Willbanks’ introductory survey is a useful starting point. He controls the broader story well while picking out illustrative parts of the action on the ground. Willbanks’ narrative is heavily one-sided with the NVA set up as a mostly faceless enemy and bodies to be counted in the aftermath, but I doubt that most of his readers will object to that bias. He is ably supported by Osprey’s informative colourful maps and flavourful artwork. This is a book that provides a window into the Vietnam War, and beginners and ‘veteran’ readers alike will enjoy it.
