Transcript Slide 1

THE
12 DECISIVE BATTLES
OF THE
THREE INDO-CHINA WARS
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
WAS PREPARED BY
presented
DAVE
SABBEN by
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COPYRIGHT © MG
DAVE
SABBEN
ON CREATIVE CONTENT
08 – A Shau - Hamburger Hill
May 1969
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
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DAVE SABBEN
BACKGROUND
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since the Second Indo-China War started in
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CONTENT
1959, the North had been infiltrating men and
supplies down a series of tracks through Laos
and entering the South through a series of river
valleys near the Laos border.
The main route lay through the border town of
Lao Bao, thence up the Da Krong River valley,
over the ridge and down the A Shau River valley.
Not only was this a route – it became a major
base area and warehouse / supply depot.
2
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
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DAVE SABBEN
LOCATE THE AREA
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is now designated the “Ho Chi Minh Road”
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was then a series of tracks, river crossings and
camps and developed by the Americans into
Route 548 (now Route 14). Here’s the valley…
Note the arrow indicating North … because we’re
going to skew the map…
10 Km
6.2 Miles
Note the new North. And let’s take some time to
describe the new map-diagram…
Note Route 922 from Laos to Route 14.
3
THE A SHAU VALLEY
The A Shau River valley is a 28-mile-long
“gash” in the mountainous spine of Viet
Nam inland from Hue and lying parallel to
the Laos border.
It is up to 2 miles wide and, except where
cultivated, is covered in dense, 3-canopy
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jungle, tangled vines, thick bamboo and
WAS PREPAREDelephant
BY
grass tall enough to hide an APC.
DAVE SABBEN
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©
Each year,
the NVA had launched a Spring
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Offensive from the valley. However, after
the Hue debacle of Tet 1968, Special
Forces recce patrols noted plenty of traffic
coming into the area but little going out.
The NVA were obviously stockpiling.
10 Km
6.2 Miles
It was a remote area and no Allies had
operated there since the French, in the 40s
and 50s. The NVA had had more than ten
years to build their infrastructure.
4
DA KRONG looking SOUTH
DA KRONG looking NORTH
The two river
valleys – key
links in the Ho
Chi Minh Trail.
And a huge
area in which
to hide camps
and caches…
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WAS
PREPARED
BY
A SHAU
looking SOUTH
A SHAU looking NORTH
DAVE SABBEN
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54
A Project Delta Recce Team
prepares to leave on a covert
surveillance mission to Route 922
HISTORY OF THE AREA
In 1963, the U.S. Army Special Forces
established a camp near A Shau village.
On 9 March 1966, the NVA 95th Regiment
launched a major attack on the camp, and the
next day, after hard fighting, it fell to the enemy.
Within days, two more Special Forces camps
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nearby were abandoned. The whole valley
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became the NVA’s exclusive domain.
DAVE SABBEN
The NVA operated
out of the two valleys through
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©
and 1967 and it was from these valleys that
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CONTENT
the 1968 Tet Offensive and the capture of Hue
was planned and equipped.
10 Km
6.2 Miles
It was suspected that an extension to Route 922
in Laos was being made to link into the A Shau.
Secret recce patrols were put in to verify this.
48 Project Delta Operation, PIROUS 5-67 patrols
went in – and proved that the NVA were using
the valley as a major infiltration corridor, using
vehicular convoys at night.
6
DEWEY
CANYON
With the Project Delta recce reports, it was
decided to put the two valleys and the Route 922
area (the part within South Viet Nam)
on the B-52 “Arclight” bombing program.
As well, after Hue was retaken in 1968,
US and ARVN forces undertook a series of
operations into the area:
DELAWARE
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* BYApr-May 1968 - Operation Delaware. It
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endured stiff resistance and meagre results.
SOMERSET
DAVE SABBEN
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© - Operation Somerset. It had no
* Aug 1968
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better luck than Operation Delaware.
MASSACHUSETTS
STRIKER
* Jan-Feb 1969 – Operation Dewey Canyon.
One of the most successful operations of the War.
*
10 Km
6.2 Miles
Mar 1969 – Operation Massachusetts Striker.
Another success, despite heavy casualties.
We shall look at each of these briefly…..
7
OPERATION DELAWARE
14 APRIL – 14 MAY 1968
Following an intense air bombardment and the
setting up of several FSBs on nearby heights, the
1st Cavalry Div (Airmobile), the ARVN 1st Div and
an ARVN airborne task force did an air assault into
A Luoi. Despite intense AA fire, they secured the
airstrip, which was then repaired by US Engineers.
DELAWARE
The force encountered stiff opposition but
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discovered
several huge caches of supplies. A
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large NVA defended position was attacked and
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taken - capturing 315 Soviet K-44 rifles, a 60 mm
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© 36 Soviet mine detectors, 60 flamemortar tube,
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throwers, 200+ chicom protective masks, 225
pounds of medical supplies, 600 122 mm rockets,
100 pounds of dynamite, 6 tons of rice, 60 cases of
canned meat, 70 37 mm antiaircraft rounds and 3
B-40 rockets. Also 5 Russian trucks and 2 tanks.
10 Km
6.2 Miles
Appalling weather conditions forced closure of the
Op on 14 May 68. The NVA suffered 739 KIA and
lost tons of supplies. US losses were 86 KIA, 47
MIA, 530 WIA. Two jets and a C-130 cargo plane
were shot down, as were 20+ choppers. 8
FSB EAGLES NEST
FIRE SUPPORT BASES (FSBs)
For each Op, a number of mutually-supporting
FSBs were set up. These were always on
peaks or ridgelines. We’ll show some of these
FSBs as we go because they show what the
country and the conditions were like…
FSB FURY
DELAWARE
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DAVE SABBEN
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10 Km
6.2 Miles
9
OPERATION SOMERSET PLAN
4 – 19 AUGUST 1968
Two battalions of the 101st Airborne Division, with
two ARVN battalions, launched an airmobile
operation into the valley just to the South of A Luoi.
The Op had no better luck than Operation
Delaware, and much the same weather, and
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PRESENTATION
on August 19. However, it had secured a
WAS PREPARED BYroute into the valley from the East.
SOMERSET
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Airmobile
insertion
into A Shau
Operations
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© into the valley were difficult to install
and resupply by air, so it was decided to build a
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road from Hue to A Luoi. This was started by US
Engineers in August 1968 and was secured by a
series of FSBs and clearance operations
along the route.
10 Km
6.2 Miles
This road was not opened until 10 June 1969 –
and will be referred to in a later slide..
The same road is still in use – it is Route 49..
10
Evacuating an FSB after use
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11
2/9
1/9
3/9
DEWEY
CANYON
OPERATION DEWEY CANYON
20 Jan – 13 Mar 1969
In January, 1969, after the road into the A Shau
was constructed, Operation Dewey Canyon was
launched up the Da Krong and into the top end of
the A Shau.
Led by 1, 2 & 3 battalions of the 9th Marine
Regiment, the Marines not only advanced to the
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Laotian border but also launched a battalion-sized
WAS PREPARED BYraid into Laos itself (Base Area 611).
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They discovered that the NVA, protected by their
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6th, 9th, ©
and 29th Regiments, had built major
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roads in the area, and as many as 1,000 trucks
were moving East and South from there daily.
10 Km
6.2 Miles
After capturing enormous enemy arms caches,
including 73 AAA guns, 16 122mm artillery guns,
nearly 1,000 AK-47 rifles and more than a million
rounds of small-arms and machine-gun ammo, the
Marines withdrew on 13 March, 1969.
The NVA had lost 1,617 KIA while Marines lost
130 KIA and 920 WIA.
12
2/9
1/9
BASE
AREA
611
3/9
OPERATION DEWEY CANYON
20 Jan – 13 Mar 1969
Operation Dewey Canyon was considered one of
the best regimental manoeuvres of the Vietnam
War. The statistics: The Marines had disrupted a
major NVA logistics centre. As a result, the NVA
were unable to launch any offensive into I Corps
that YEAR (1969).
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DA KRONG RIVER VALLEY
Unfortunately,
at the end of the
operation, the NY
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Times reported the incursion into neutral Laos.
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Anti-war groups
were up in arms. The Secretary of
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Defense didn't confirm or deny the incursion.
However, the US ambassador to Laos apologized
for the incident.
10 Km
6.2 Miles
After the shocks of Tet, Hue, My Lai, Johnson’s
decision against re-election, the ongoing Peace
Talks frustrations, etc, the US public were more
and more inclined to heed the Anti-War groups.
More so when some Viet Vets themselves started
to protest the war.
13
FSB Airborne
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DAVE SABBEN
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ON CREATIVE CONTENT
10 Km
6.2 Miles
14
OPERATION MASSACHUSETTS STRIKER
1 Mar – 8 May 1969
2 Bde of 101st Airborne entered the A Shau in bad
weather but soon struck opposition. A 33-day
pursuit of supply depot defenders pushed them
across the valley and into temporary positions on
the Laos side – ironically, right where the next
Operation (Apache Snow) was planned to start on
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10 May (see later slides).
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Massive NVA store caches were captured –
DAVE SABBEN
including©several trucks and bulldozers and a
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heavy duty road that NVA engineers had been
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constructing. A force occupied a position to set up
MASSACHUSETTS
STRIKER
a new FSB (Lash) and found it was sitting on yet
another NVA cache – 100 tons of brand-new SKS
rifles, ChiCom radios & field telephones, large
stocks of medicines and even fourteen trucks.
10 Km
6.2 Miles
The Op ended on 8 May having accounted for 170
NVA KIA and capturing more than 150 tons of
supplies including about 900 weapons.
15
FSB Lash
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DAVE SABBEN
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ON CREATIVE CONTENT
10 Km
6.2 Miles
16
OPERATION APACHE SNOW
10 – 20 May 1969
Possibly the largest single airmobile assault of the
Vietnam War. It involved ten battalions of the
101st Airborne, the 1st ARVN Division and the 9th
Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. Two
battalions were simultaneously inserted into LZs
APACHE
near the Laos border in less than 45 minutes.
SNOWTHIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
Surprise was complete - no helicopters were lost.
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DAVE SABBEN
These two battalions were to block enemy escape
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© Laos along Highway 922 and to
routes into
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CONTENT
the highly used enemy Route 548 (Route
14) on the valley floor. The battalions were also to
exploit a large cache area pin-pointed near Fire
Base Airborne (used for Dewey Canyon).
10 Km
6.2 Miles
Recce patrols and Ops soon established that the
NVA were concentrating on the hillmass called
Dong Ap Bia (Trig Point 937), held by the major
portion of the NVA’s 29th Regt.
17
FSB Currahee
FSB CURRAHEE
May - June 1969
Because of the large numbers of troops and the
consequent resupply issue, the US and ARVN
forces needed a large base in the valley (as
distinct from on a ridge or peak). FSB Currahee
was established near the road and river systems
met, South of A Luoi. The FSB was large enough
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to include an LZ and resupply depot.
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Once established, it remained in place beyond the
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© of the current Operation.
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10 Km
6.2 Miles
18
23
18
Hamburger Hill seen from A Luoi
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
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DAVE SABBEN
Hill 937 was part of Ap Bia Mountain
– a COPYRIGHT
Snaking
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© down from its highest peak are a
four-peak, looming, solitary ON
massif,
series of ridges and fingers, one of the
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unconnected to the ridges of the
largest extending southwards to a height of
surrounding Annamite range. It dominates
900 meters, another reaching south west
the valley, towering some 937 meters
to a 916-meter peak.
above sea level.
On a bright sunny day – as in the photo
above – it is hard to take in the size of the
The entire mountain is a rugged, uninviting
mountain.
wilderness blanketed in double- and triplecanopy jungle, dense thickets of bamboo
But put on your sunglasses…
and waist-high elephant grass.
19
THE BATTLE FOR THE HILL
Early patrols climbed the ridges and found
NVA on the main peak. They were well dug in
and prepared to stay and fight.
For three days the US forces probed and
looked for weaknesses. At the same time, the
hill was bombarded continually with artillery,
aerial rocket artillery and airstrikes.
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During this time, the US forces occupied the
other peaks – the 916 and 900 features as
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well as the one to the North West.
DAVE SABBEN
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ON CREATIVE CONTENT
10 May – discovery and probes.
11 - 13 May – artillery, airstrike – take the
other peaks..
20
THE BATTLE FOR THE HILL
Determined assaults 14-16 May produced
more casualties than results. The battle was
attracting attention. On May 16, Associated
Press warco Jay Sharbutt learned of the
ongoing battle on Hill 937 and travelled to the
area. He asked why infantry rather than
firepower was used as the primary offensive
tool on Hill 937. More reporters followed to
cover the battle, and the term "Hamburger
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION Hill" became widely used.
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On May 18, two battalions assaulted the
DAVE SABBEN
enemy stronghold for the second time. One
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© Delta Coy, reported being within 25
unit,
meters of the top when a torrential rainstorm
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struck and forced the paratroopers to move off
the hill which rain had turned into a mudslide.
10 May – discovery and probes.
11 - 13 May – artillery, airstrike – take the
other peaks..
14 - 16 May – early fighting for the peaks.
18 May – second attempt on 937 – fails.
Two more battalions were moved up the hill to
join the original two for a final assault.
The operation was supported by some 217
airstrikes as well as fire from four 105mm
artillery batteries, two 155mm batteries, one
175mm battery and one 8-inch battery.
21
THE BATTLE FOR THE HILL
On the 19th, Sharbutt’s report on the battle
was published in the USA. Using
considerable journalistic licence, he
described it as a “meat-grinder”.
At 10 in the morning of May 20 the fourpronged assault began. By early afternoon the
Allies had taken the 937 peak. Most of the
enemy had fled, but more than 600 NVA had
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
been killed.
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Sharbutt’s dispatches on 19th and 20th were
DAVE SABBEN
not innocuous descriptions of the fight as in
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other©
reports. He used emotive words which
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struck a nerve: “The paratroopers came down
the mountain, their green shirts darkened with
sweat, their weapons gone, their bandages
stained brown and red–with mud and blood.”
10 May – discovery and probes.
They set off a firestorm of protest back home.
11 - 13 May – artillery, airstrike – take the
On the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Edward
other peaks..
Kennedy called the attack on Dong Ap Bia
14 - 16 May – early fighting for the peaks.
"senseless, and irresponsible…madness“ and
18 May – second attempt on 937 – fails.
“nothing but cruelty and savagery" . And
20 May – 4-pronged attack – succeeds.
Senator George McGovern denouncced
“the senseless slaughter”.
From 20 May – Opposition to the War grows…
22
These photos are of Dak To, but show similar scenes to Hamburger Hill
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DAVE SABBEN
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ON CREATIVE CONTENT
23
What then…?
From 20 May…
A body count confirmed that 633 NVA soldiers had
died in the battle, but there is no telling how many
other NVA soldiers were killed and wounded and
carried into Laos, or buried alive in bunkers and
IT
tunnels, or ended up in forgotten graves in Laos.
On 19 June…
…President Nixon orders General Creighton Abrams
to "conduct
warTHE
with a minimum
of American
GO
ON
DEFENSIVE
casualties” – no more attacks.
On 27 June…
WASN’T
Life magazine ran photos of 241 Americans killed in
Final U.S. casualties were 46 dead and 400
Vietnam in one week. Only five of these were
THE
wounded. While these losses were high, Hamburger casualties on Hamburger Hill. The feature was titled,
Hill was not theCASUALTIES…
bloodiest fight of the war. During the The Faces of the Dead in Vietnam: One Week’s Toll,
SLIDE
AND
Tet Offensive week of February THIS
10-17,
1968,
543PRESENTATION
and it was prefaced by a quote from a letter written
PERMIT
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PREPARED
BY
Americans were killed in action and 2,547 wounded
by one of those five soldiers during a break in the
without causing any outcry from the American
fighting:
DAVEpublic.
SABBEN
THE
MEDIA
to read this. I am writing
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© may not be able
TO
On 5 June…
in a hurry. I see deathBE
coming up the hill.
ON
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CONTENT
…the US quietly abandoned the hill… …resulting in
The erroneous
impression was thus created that all
UNACCOUNTABLE
the firestorm
in the Senate…
…IT
WAS THE
WASTE
241 pictured had been killed during the Hamburger
Hill assault, increasing public disgust over what
On 8 June…
appeared to be a senseless loss of life. This article is
President Nixon conferred with SVN President Thieu
considered to be a turning point in the war.
and announced plans to "Vietnamize" the war and to
THE
ESCAPE…
start troopPLAN
withdrawals
of 25,000
by 8 July & 35,000
On 21 August…
more by December.
…the Nixon administration actions its
“Vietnamization” program – now only “assisting SVN
EXECUTE
ESCAPE
PLAN…
On 17 June…
armed
forces to THE
take over
an increasing
share of
…US Intelligence admitted that some 1,000 NVA had
combat operations.”
reoccupied the hill. In response…
24
At Home
Contrary to widespread belief, Vietnam is not the most unpopular war in American history.
The Mexican War in 1848 was far more unpopular, as was the 1950-53 war in Korea.
The majority of Americans supported the war in Vietnam from the landing of the Marines in Da
Nang in March 1965 (64 percent supporting, 21 percent opposed after the first U.S. combat
engagements) until October 1967, when for the first time a plurality (46 percent opposed, 44
percent supporting) turned against the war.
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Those 30 months equalled the period of time the American people supported the ground war in
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Europe in World War II, from the landing of U.S. forces in North Africa in November 1942 until
SABBEN
the DAVE
end of the
war in May 1945.
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Public opinion had turned –ON
not
on ideological
grounds, as the anti-war movement
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CONTENT
would claim, but for pragmatic reasons:
Either win the damn thing or get the hell out! was the prevalent sentiment.
When the Johnson administration seemed unable to do either,
the American people’s patience ran out.
A February 1969 poll revealed that only 39 percent still supported the war,
while 52 percent believed sending troops to fight in Vietnam had been a mistake.
25
Why decisive?
The battle became a turning point in the war because:
The pointlessness of the war became apparent to all;
Strategy changed from “maximum pressure on the NVA” to “protective reaction”;
It spelled the end of major American ground combat operations in Vietnam;
From here, they moved into defence, and defence can’t win a war;.
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PREPARED
BY
It broughtWAS
in the
first withdrawals
of troops;
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The costs of effort exceeded
the American
people’s
value attached to the war:
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It introduced the decline of morale in the whole armed forces
(the start of large-scale indiscipline, fraggings, drugs, desertions…)
For the individual soldier, the goal of the war became survival.
Anything that got in the way of that became expendable;
They must have purpose to their mission and their sacrifices.
When it gets to the point where the soldiers doubt the mission
and think of their own survival, victory becomes impossible.
26
OPERATION MONTGOMERY RENDEZVOUS
8 JUNE – 14 AUGUST 1969
On June 8, an operation started against NVA in the
high ground to the east of the A Shau.
(Remember – this had already been planned while
Washington was revising its thinking.)
US Engineers constructed a new airstrip on the
valley floor near Ta Bat, and the final part of the
new road from Hue (Route 547 [14]) was opened.
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
OnBY
June 10, a column of 80 tracked vehicles WAS PREPARED
drove into the valley – on the new road…..
DAVE SABBEN
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ON CREATIVE CONTENT
10 Km
6.2 Miles
27
So – just to add a word about the war…
The US presence included construction…
While the Operations were in full swing, the
Engineers were also building the road. At all
times they needed FSBs and protection
forces. The scale of the road-building
operation was huge – survey, levelling,
bridging… And it was built to stay – still being
in use today.
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DAVE SABBEN
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ON CREATIVE CONTENT
28
The late General Abrams, the MACV commander at the time,
should have the last word on the battle for Hamburger Hill.
His biographer, Lewis Sorley, related:
Shortly after the battle and its immediate aftermath,
Abrams had several people over for a game of poker.
They had dinner beforehand,
andAND
Abrams
told his guests:
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PRESENTATION
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‘Today we had a congressional delegation in, including Teddy Kennedy.
DAVE SABBEN
They were complaining about the loss of life at Hamburger Hill.
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I told them the last time the 29th ON
NVA
Regiment came out of North Vietnam it destroyed Hue,
CREATIVE CONTENT
and I heard from every antiquarian in the world.
This time, when they came out again, I issued orders that they were to be intercepted and
defeated before they could get to Hue. We drove them back into North Vietnam, but I was
criticized for the casualties that entailed.
If they would let me know where they would like me to fight the next battle,
I would be glad to do it there.’
Then they dealt the cards.
29
THE
12 DECISIVE BATTLES
OF THE
THREE INDO-CHINA WARS
THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION
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presented
DAVE
SABBEN by
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COPYRIGHT © MG
DAVE
SABBEN
ON CREATIVE CONTENT
08 – A Shau - Hamburger Hill
Questions?
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THE FINE PRINT
THE “COMMERCIAL”
This Powerpoint show is copyright to Dave Sabben but is freely
available for any non-profit use. It may be downloaded free from
Dave’s website: www.sabben.com
As at 2011, Dave Sabben leads one tour per year (second half of
October) to visit some of the areas of Australian/ANZAC
operations of 1966-1971. The highlight of these tours is to walk
the Long Tan battlefield with Dave (a platoon Commander in that
battle). The walk takes about 4 hours – about the time of the
battle – so the group goes to all the key locations of the battle and
hears about what happened pretty much in “real time”.
It was prepared for presentation to those who join his Decisive
Battlefields and Long Tan Trek Tours of Viet Nam (see other panel
for the “commercial”) as introductions for the various battles.
For further enquiry into these tours, please visit:
Because the shows are live presentations, much more is in the
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The shows are intended to be introductions and overviews –
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not detailed expositions or analyses. Views and conclusions
are the author’s and are not offered as the only possible
An optional extension to the Long Tan Trek Tour takes in the main
or even as fully comprehensive views.
US battles of©
northern South Viet Nam including Da Nang, Hue,
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the DMZ (including Khe Sanh) and the A Shau Valley (Hamburger
Where possible, permissions have been obtained to use maps or
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Hill), then visits both Hanoi (‘Hanoi Hilton’, War Museum) and the
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please don’t remove this slide .
If passing this slide show to others,
please don’t remove this slide .