Sunday, August 19, 2007

Hamburger Hill May 11-20, 1969 by Samuel Zaffiri

Hamburger Hill May 11-20, 1969 by Samuel Zaffiri is an excellent study on this infamous battle from the Vietnam War. Hamburger Hill became the poster child of the failure of US strategy. The Hill was taken with a very high cost and lives and then after a short time abandoned. Which allowed the North Vietnamese to move back in. The book describes the original reason for seizing the Hill. The varies miscalculations that resulted in the US troops attacking an entrenched North Vietnamese army unit are laid out. The nasty World War I style trench warfare is superbly discussed. The author interviewed some veterans for the book. There accounts give a sense of urgency which is unusual for the often clinical analysis of military history. The political fire storm after the battle is briefly mentioned. The book concludes with some short analysis from the major players about whether the battle was worthwhile. The book contains a bibliography, Index and pictures.

Highly recommended!

Is available through Abebooks.

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