The Vietnamese still do not know why the U.S.A invaded them. Some of the American actions have me wondering,too.The battle of Hill 937,better known as Hamburger Hill,near the Laos border,has caused controversy ever since it was fought. (From 10 May 1966 to the 20th of May 1966). On the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Edward Kennedy called the attack on the hill 937 "senseless, and irresponsible…madness." Men of the 101 Airborne,501st Airborne,and South Vietnamese troops attacked a mountain which had North Vietnamese soldiers defending the top of it. May11: The advance was halted after the American command post was hit by friendly fire that leaves 2 dead and wounds another 25 more. The North Vietnamese rolled grenades down the hill. May 14: 3 companies attack, 12 are killed, 80 wounded, including 1 killed, 3 wounded by helicopter gunship friendly fire. May 18, Two-battalion assault ordered: 3-187 from the north; and 1-506 from the south. D Company, 3-187 is stopped, and suffers 50 percent casualties, with every officer killed or wounded. C Company is stopped by a rainstorm, and is forced to withdraw.. By 18th of May, A and B companies have suffered 50 percent losses; C and D companies have suffered 80 percent losses.General Zais considers calling off attack because of heavy casualties and heightened media attention, but decides to commit three additional battalions. May 20th:Ten artillery battalions hit top of Hill 937 with 20,000 rounds, and 272 airstrikes drop 1 million pounds of bombs and 152,000 pounds of napalm. Men of the 3-187, with 2/3 ARVN and a company from 2-506, attack and take the top of Hill 937 by noon, only to find the enemy has left during the night,and walked through the American lines. Days later,the hill was abandoned and the North Vietnamese moved back in.What an incredible waste of life and limbs.It typified the insanity of the American war,run by politicians from thousands of miles away,who believed the lies they were told by their advisers and Generals.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 18:17:37 +0000
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