The Most Chilling Clash in Modern Military History
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- Опубликовано: 22 сен 2024
- Just months into his Army service, Private Dan Cochran and his unit, the Iron Rakkasans from the 101st Airborne Division, were aboard a helicopter, soaring over war-torn Vietnam towards the heart of the conflict in Dong Ap Bia and A Shau Valley.
Ahead of them lay a heavily fortified mountain that would soon earn the grim moniker ‘Hamburger Hill,’ and their mission was to take it - at any cost.
Cochran and his fellow Iron Rakkasans set out toward the hill. The American offensive was welcomed by a storm of enemy fire. Enduring the ceaseless attacks from deep within the bushes, Cochran and his comrades pushed on, piercing the first two bunker lines as they ascended the hill.
But the enemy grew even more fierce and unpredictable, and the Iron Rakkasans were soon engulfed in a series of brutal firefights that cleaved their unit and scattered them across the battlefield. Cochran was alone with his assistant gunner, fighting back wave after wave of enemy assaults. The assistant then left to get more ammunition, leaving Cochran to continue the battle. In the heat of the fight, everything blurred into a chaotic maelstrom.
When the other man returned, he frantically shook Cochran, taking his gun away: (QUOTE) "Get out of here, you're wounded!" It was only then that Cochran realized he had been hit with an AK47 round in his right knee, and shrapnel had pierced his thighs and groin.
Cochran, determined to fight on, refused evacuation until he could no longer stand. As he was carried away from the fray, he glimpsed his unit, rallying to continue the assault. For them, the harrowing Battle of Hamburger Hill had only just begun…
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
I served with the 1st Cav in 67 and 68 as a Warrant Officer helicopter pilot. The problems with air mobile operations in Vietnam was there was no school to teach air mobile concepts and operations. The First Cav learned very early and at a high cost of lives that you could not take an experienced infantry commander and put him in an airmobile command position. This lesson was learned in 1965 when a leg Battalion commander decided to walk from point A to point B instead of flying in helicopters. The Battalion lost over half of its men killed in an ambush. (The walk was to LZ Albany). Another lesson learned was land on the high ground and fight your way down. This is what we did one year before the 101st assaulted into the Asha Valley. The 101st assaulted up the hills and paid the price. The 101st became an airmobile division with the stroke of a pen with no understanding of what an air mobile division actually was. The blame starts at the top and does not go very far down. President Johnson, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Army. This would be like one morning replacing ALL the Naval Submarine Officers with Naval Aviators with no training. To us lonely doers of generals orders we just called it like it was. A cluster Fuck.,
They didnt even learn that in Afghanistan. How many times did we see our troops being shot at from above?
Cluster Fuck is a bunch of big black flies fucking. I myself seem to have seen at least one cluster fuck in my youth when instead of reading volume after volume of war porn since that is what is published and are often the least expensive of books available to read by old then men who did not die in the battles that covered them in blood as their nerves were so shot they felt so little pain they may as well have been machines. Often they write that when wounded they just knew there had been an explosion. We did have Patton. I saw "Patton" with my wonderful high school era friend from church who often made me laugh uncontrollably even in the church pews singing out of key is not really it, but squeals. The Priest was infuriated and would not give us the wafer standing there in front of us as the 300 at least congregation watched our travesty. Why can't and why shouldn't church tales make us laugh our asses off? And why hasn't Jeff looked me up and called me on the phone? I thought we were friends whose failures couldn't damage and kill our friendship? Hell he got my girlfriend. You'd think what with him getting her who HAD A POOL. WE sure did take luxury and grace for granted. I had at 19 the 1954 Pontiac StarChief and he gave me hell just for crying that my girl, my ART Of Film teacher I called Flick had gone to the England Island. Last I knew she married some guy in Brighton Beach. I was not yet grown out of adolescence. I learned what women as opposed to girls were really about. I had an address. I wrote on the outside of an envelope. I allow myself to hate me as I was an adolescent. That guy is both dead and alive.
@GewoonNee So is falsely accusing a Veteran of stolen Valor.
@@GewoonNeeWho stole valor in this vid or comment thread?
@@GewoonNee so with literally no evidence of any kind, you accuse this man
My grandfather was platoon sergeant James E. Jackson Delta company 2nd platoon 3-187th and was awarded the silver star for his actions on May 18.
When my cousin came home from Vietnam he slept with a rifle on his chest, my Aunt said it lasted for over a year.. He had been stationed on a mountain top fire base, every night the VC would come for them. He was never the same after Vietnam ….. RIP Leslie Jones, You were one of the HEROES……….
That is some heavy stuff. True hero.
Audrey Murphy always slept with a pistol under his pillow for the rest of his life.
When I was in 2-502 in the early 2000s I always made it a point to go listen to the old vets that'd come and visit. They always had valuable wisdom, personal insight, and just THE MOST absolutely awe inspiring stories. I count myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to listen to Dick Winters and the 506th guys from WW II as well as the many of the guys who participated in Hamburger Hill in Vietnam in person hearing their stories firsthand and the details you just don't get in any books or media based on their actions. Hearing their stories firsthand most definitely helped me and proved invaluable in my own deployments and battles.
Likewise. We had a dinner in 2001 during the reactivation of 2/503 173rd with Vietnam veterans of the unit. Driving home the intensity of that war with personal experiences. I too consider it an honor.
Not only do old vets have good information, but the ones that volunteer to visit current soldiers, they have good advice. Saved my butt.
I'm union when I was 18 I knew more then anyone it took me sometime now I just soak up that knowledge and experience
Proper pronunciation of Vietnamese locations and terms would be most helpful….otherwise, still a great program!
Man I'd give almost anything to have a conversation with Dick Winters! That guy is an absolute legend, his words must hold an enormous amount of weight.🤘🏿
Ted Kennedy complaining about unnecessary loss of life? That's the dude who left a woman to die after he wrecked his car drunk driving.
But but that was a “ necessary “ loss of life - for his political career
@@arthurbrumagem3844 Very true
Ted Kenndy sort of lacked perspective
@@bernardhayes4459 or a moral compass
@@bernardhayes4459
That's a very generous assessment.
I met many survivors at their 50th reunion in 2019. I have all of their autographs on a print that was commissioned for this occasion. I am a Rakkasan that fought a later war, the Gulf War.
I spent a week with these heroes…a few I already knew through the Rakkasan Association. We drank, we cried, we laughed, we drank a whole lot more.
We welcomed them home with a huge ceremony…50 years later. These men are my friends…
My Bro, Danny Olivares was there in the 101, dude, you wouldn't believe what he told me about that battle, he got hit while walking through a rice shithole by a BAR, IT broke his fiemer in half, Danny Olivares is an American Hero ❤😂
My grandfather (my mother's dad was at Hamburger Hill) in the 101st Airborne. That was his second tour, this was the battle of all his 24 months in the jungle was what marked him the most.
Politicians running wars is why we loose battles and lives for unnecessary.
I grew up around many Vietnam and Korea war vets as my grandfather surved in Korea, and they were and still are some of my heros. The stories I was told as a young kid were one of the major reasons I joined the Army. I wanted to try to repay them and all others who served before me for the sacrifices they made in some way. When I returned home from Iraq they looked at me different and I could understand them on a little deeper level.
Thank you for serving! God Bless!
Thank You.
My tours in Iraq and Afghanistan changed me according to my wife. My father seved in Vietnam and Korea. The boots on the ground are not the only ones effected. War changes us all, participants and those who wait for our return.
Thank you for publishing this documentary, Dr. Mark! The movie "Hamburger Hill" was one of the most violent military movies that I have ever watched! After that, I could not watch anything that had to do with violence and tragedy! One reason is that I lived in Argentina during the "Dirty War" which killed over 30,000 people and most were buried in mass graves. As a result of living in fear as a civilian, I have PTSD. I can watch your historical videos, but it is hard for me to watch war movies, like "Hamburger Hill". Thank you for your historical documentaries! I'm able to watch those!
The soldiers didn’t loose the war the politicians did
Like in the Middle East The soldiers didn’t loose the war the politicians did
@@oldfascist38.pretty astute of you - and true 👍👍
That old cliché.. Well firstly Iraq wasn't lost and no the politicians tried to make Vietnam and Afghanistan a win but essentially to win a guerilla war you need to cut the guerillas off from men, material and food. The Generals failed miserably in both those wars. What would you have proposed in Vietnam, invade North Vietnam? If you say yes you really are stupid.
No need to repeat yourself, repeat yourself, repeat yourself, repeat ...
I say the answer to war is a simple one...whenever politicians want to start or declare a war, the #1 rule is...their kids, grandkids, and all other family members of theirs are inducted into the military BEFORE anyone else....and they are not allowed to be non-commissioned officers or hold any rank above what would be a PRIVATE. THEY have to be infantry, walk point every time and never allowed to hold ANY positions in the "REAR" areas. THEIR blood relatives go before anyone else. This is also the rule...no one gets to run for any office or position unless they have served in the military front areas for a minimum of 4:years. That would make wars virtually disappear.
Well that was unexpected, the old man firing the M4 is my Dad.
What?! That’s nuts 🥜
What’s your dad’s name? Link the timestamp
At 8:42? That's an XM177E2 (Colt Model 629). This model "CAR" is the M4's grand dad.
15:53 I see the M4 now. :D
John Lally, A co 1/506, 15:52. He died last year. That they let a bunch of vets shoot their entire arsenal. He enjoyed the SAW and 240. If I remember correctly this was when A company vets rebuilt the memorial that was in Vietnam
You’re shitting me? Lol that’s wild
I have NEVER considered that our military lost in Vietnam, our men fought bravely, did their duty and should always be proud and honored for their immense sacrifice for and by our Nation and it’s people! Yes hard lessons were learned, but like now it seems our leadership especially the weak unthinking, incompetent politicians are the ones who let our troops down! As a brother veteran I salute you ALL!! Sadly the Vietnam veterans are falling at an alarming rate their stories and lives must be told and preserved for history!! God Bless, hoorah!!
A nice chunk of blame goes to the media that indulged their 'progressive' impulses and quickly picked up on what was 'politically correct' to the Left. These pricks did a lot of damage and there is many a grave to testify to that. Men, that with a more supportive public, would have had less stress.
U.S. military won every battle. The politicians lost the war.
I'm from Finland and Ive never seen it as "losing at a war" thing.. You guys kicked some serious ass in there.
Our military DIDN'T "lose" in Vietnam. It WON the War. In 1968, during the Tet Offensive, the Vietcong was virtually destroyed. It NEVER appeared again as a credible force. In 1972, spring, the North Vietnamese AGAIN invaded South Vietnam. In the several battles around the country, IT TOO, was virtually destroyed. The Christmas Bombing of Hanoi, in December of that year, was the "last straw" for the North's government. It returned to the Paris Peace table and signed a Peace treaty, guaranteeing South Vietnam's statehood. The ONLY reason South Vietnam eventually fell to the North was because the American, Democratic, Congress refused to fund B-52 strikes against the North's invading army. That Congress ALSO refused to continue funding the South's ARVN Army. When the "word got out' to the South Vietnamese Army, they IMMEDIATELY ceased operations and fled back to Saigon. The war was soon over! The American Military WON the Vietnam War. The American Democratic Congress LOST the Vietnam War (2 years after the American Military had been removed from South Vietnam).
@@badguy5554 it’s the damn Dem’s again; the reflexive boogie people. A very significant majority of American PEOPLE were against the war by ‘72, that’s why NIXON (a Republican btw), finally declared “peace with honor” & FINALLY pulled us out. Our military prevailed; the REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT ended it. The Dem’s are coming! The Dem’s are coming! The Dem’s are The Dem’s are coming! The Dem’s are The Dem’s are coming!
These infantry men were real soldiers at that time. RIP
and us infantrymen in Iraq and Afghanistan weren't real soldiers?
@@alexandercaptures7759 No one is taking anything away from the guys that fought in Iraq and Afghanistan they had a tough time there but Vietnam was the most unusual war that we ever fought, the enemy had experience fighting the Japanese and the French, they had the terrain advantage, you had all kinds of booby traps, poisonous snakes and insects it was a 360 degree war that was up close.
First off, hats off to Dark Docs for putting together such a splendid video. The actual footage and on target story telling makes this and his many other documentaries come a live. I missed going to Nam by just a few years. Some buddies and myself geared up for our turn to fight there by working out, running in the Rockies and being very physical with each other. When the war stopped, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that I didn't go to Nam but I was lucky too...I appreciate the break I received and every time I see an old fella with a cap on that states Vietnam I go out of my way to shake his hand. What a thing to have to go through.
Similar situation. I enlisted in 71 My choice of assignments was "Republic of Vietnam". Although the vast majority of my AIT company did, in fact, go to Vietnam, I was not one of them. To this day, I, too, feel I was very lucky to have been assigned elsewhere.
So sad that our boys didn’t have the support of their government that they really needed!
Whats sad is we let the commies stay in Cuba and went to ass other end of the world to lose a war violating the Monroe doctrine of the constitution
Each generation has it's own hero's. The young Marine at Con Thien made the cover of Life magazine and he also became a casualty of the Vietnam Conflict. Jane Fonda and Henry Kissinger sold us all down the river....
So did Nixon: he with the help of Nationalist Chinese Ms. Chenault destroyed the chance for peace in Vietnam in 1968 by full on Treason: Nixon told the dictator in Saigon do not agree to free elections or anything and Nixon would give them a better deal. LBJ received wire taps recordings the week before the 68 election from J. Edgar Hoover that showed Nixon committing treason. Everett Dirksen was there with LBJ when the tapes were played. More Americans died under Nixon than LBJ because of Nixon’s treason. The US could have got out much sooner if Nixon had not committed Treason with his secret October Surprise on LBJ. The same treason was committed by Reagan, Connelly, and Casey, in 1980 when they got the Iranians to NOT RELEASE the American hostages until January 20, 1981. None dare call it Treason. Now, when Trump openly colludes with Russia, invites the Russians to the Oval Office the day after Inauguration day 2017, and General Flynn is arrested and convicted, sells out our Kurd allies in Syria, has private meetings with Putin with no one else, half of America still does not call Trump a GD Traitor.
Henry bombed Cambodian villagers, but Jane Fonda? Wasn't she in Grace and Frankie?
Hanoi Jane toured North Vietnam, she turned notes written by the prisoners in the Hanoi Hilton over to the North and they promptly tortured those men , she had her photo taken on an active flack battery for propaganda purposes , these are just a few of the high points of her traitorous activity’s@@tonybarnes3858
Jane Fonda traveled to Hanoi to denounce US involvement in Vietnam. She made no attempt to negotiate any form of prisoner release or improvements of their imprisonment. She actually laughed at their situation. The only reason she wasn't subject to a payback was because of her late father, Henry Fonda. I was a kid then, to this day I've never understood her visit to Hanoi.
Rest in hell Kissinger.
My dad, Dan Hailstone, started out his first tour with the Rakkasans, of his three tours, '67-'70. He was wounded in the back of the knee about 4 months in and after recovery in a hospital in Japan, returned to duty at Eagle Beach for "Light duty" as a gunner in Hueys and Chinooks. He found it better than lugging that gun on foot and settled in.
When he reupped, he took training and returned to the 101st as a crew chief for a CH-47 Chinook in the 101'sts 200 Headquarters supply, Eagle Beach/Hue city. His flight was the "Flying Pachederms" with an elephant painted on the rear rotor mast, his personal ship was "Up Up and Away".
They flew relentlessly during the "Hamburger Hill" battles.
As a Doorgunner…don’t remember Chinook’s
@@ronaldwalsh6246CH-47, AKA Chinook, and his favorite gun position was manning a 50 Browning aircraft machine gun, with 1/2 again more in firing rate faster than a standard .50 M-2, as 'the Stinger' secured to the back ramp and blasting things as they past over. His usual gun was at the front right door with an M-60 also in aircraft configuration. Too bad we can post picts....
My stepdad was in 101st airborne screaming eagles.... Miss him to this day... He passed a couple years back now from brain cancer....
The city "Hue' is pronounced-'way' its the city smack dab in the center of Vietnam its the city that separated north and south it played a major part in the 1968 tet offensive. It's also the city in Full Metal Jacket where the Marines had to battle it out with the sniper.
Robot narration sucks
In every war,needless or not,we should ALWAYS support our troops.Thank them for their service to a FREE and grateful nation!
contrary to popular belief Vietnam War wasn't needless it wasn't taken seriously enough if anything.
It’s amazing to me when kids think the U.S. lost the war in 1975. The peace treaty was signed in 1973 and the U.S. troops left. By 1974 the only U.S. troops in Vietnam were embassy guards. The communists violated the treaty and attacked the south, which lost the war, in 1975. That’s when the U.S. flew embassy guards and a lot of civilian’s to safety from the roof of the embassy.
@@keithweiss7899 I still think we should have let the generals conduct the war, and we should have won. Atleast allowed the south to stay free.
I served with a recon unit from the 101st . They had a large glass case with war trophies such as nazi flags and NVA flags etc. It was always surreal to me when looking at those items, knowing what it took to get them.
Respect from Finland. ^^
I had the privilege of looking on and holding some of the 101st 506th's captured and personal relics while standing on a Korean war position still being used with the North Korean flag waving in the distance. My first CQ duty's were a little different after that
Ordered to take the hill , lost a ton of lives doing so & then immediately told to leave the hill . That perfectly sums up our leadership even today . Absolutely no respect for our lives .
The first Rule of Murphy's Law of Combat:
"No plan, however well thought out, EVER survives first contact with the enemy."
Just saying, folks.
Rakkasans: One of the most well-known army units. Located at Ft. Campbell, KY, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Rakkasans. Rakkasans translates from the Japanese language into "man falling under umbrella". Our symbol is the Tori, which in Japanese culture symbolizes a gateway to honor. In WWII, the Rakkasans parachuted into the middle of a group of Tori's leaving the Japanese fighting force in fear for their lives. The Rakkasans are the only military unit whose nickname that is still in use was designated by an enemy. The Rakkasans are the only unit in the military who guidon does not bear a finial it bears a Tori. Everyone hates us, Unless you are us. Motto: NE DESIT VIRTUS (Let Valor Not Fail). 🫡 Thank you for your service!
I salute you all. The Marines were given the nickname “Teufel Hindenburg” by the Germans at the battle of Belleau Wood, 1918. Marines still carry that nickname.
@@wlm2618 "Teufel Hunden". Hunden in German means dogs. So it goes Teufel Hunden or "Devil Dogs".
I flew many combat missions in South Vietnam in the last 2 years of the War. By that time, MOST of America's ground troops had been sent home. The ONLY American military force, left in the country, was the US Air Force. Despite that drastic reduction in ground forces, the 1972 North Vietnamese Invasion of South Vietnam was thwarted, mainly by American B-52 bombers. I believe now, as I came to believe then, that our ground strategy in Vietnam was wrong, almost from the beginning. In 1964, the objective for sending ground troops into South Vietnam was to act as a shield around our air bases. Shortly thereafter, General Westmoreland convinced LBJ that we should send our troops on "search and destroy" missions out, into the "hinterland" of South Vietnam, to attack enemy forces before they could attack our air bases. THIS was the mistake that cost so many young American lives. In 1972, during the spring invasion of that year, South Vietnamese ARVN troops took up defensive positions in key cities, like An Loc. As the enemy formed up around those cities and attempted to infiltrated and overcome them, they were destroyed by B-52 strikes. It became VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE for the North Vietnamese Army to make ANY substantial headway in taking over and controlling South Vietnamese strategic targets. THAT is the way we SHOULD have fought that war from the very beginning. FEW....VERY FEW...casualties for our side. MASSIVE casualties for the enemy.
I agree with you, but all of the strategies you mention are defensive in nature and do not go to the enemies center of gravity
@@bayknight20 I agree. The "center of Gravity" for North Vietnam was Hanoi. THAT should have been leveled in 1964 rather than waiting until December 1972. Even THEN we didn't completely level the city, We pulled back when we THOUGHT the North was ready to "give up" its claims to South Vietnam. The strategy mentioned in my comment above assumed we (the White House) never had and WOULD never have the "balls" to go to the "heart" of the subject and destroy the enemy where it lived.
@@badguy5554 or even the Ho chi min trail
@@bayknight20 What I realized: The North could ship the entire military supplies of the Soviet Union AND Communist China down the Ho Chi Minh trail...but, guess what, NONE of it was of any use unless they brought it into South Vietnam and attempted to takeover South Vietnamese held positions. When they tried to DO that, they were eliminated like ants invading a kitched against a can of RAID. In other words, against America's B-52's the North could NEVER succeed in invading South Vietnam.
@StevenBazin-bp4sc Yes there were American casualties up until the fall of Saigon. But they were limited. One example was the Marine loss on that Island battle to the South of Cambodia. However, American combat forces WERE removed in total after the signing of the Paris Peace conference in early 1973.
That's wild that a helicopter shot into their own command center; and then later on front line troops opened fire on their own troops by mistake presumably. Thats crazy
I remember a headline during the first few months of the 1st gulf war, when there were more British casualties wounded by American friendly fire than there were Injuries from the Iraqi army...
pretty scary when you factor in that these British casualties were wounded in _multiple_ friendly fire incidents, not just once..
That is the fog of war
Same thing happened in the Ia Drang valley when a fighter jet misunderstood the coordinates and fired napalm on our troops😢
I was with the 9th Marines and was in a blocking position. What is failed to mention was that Operation Dewey Canyon that the 9th Marines took that mountain in March 1969. The army was given it and they withdrew forcing Operation Apache Snow
My uncle was 1/9 walking dead. He told me a long time ago that they took that hill before.
5×5 and Semper Fi! (RVN Dec '68 - Jan '69)
MSgt USMC (Ret) Jan '68 - Oct '88
The most horrific battle ever is the one you’re in Mate.
As a desert storm veteran I disagree.. these guys went through hell
It's funny, the story is about the 101st Airborne Division, but the footage shows the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Well spotted. Kudos to you, good Sir!!
This battle of Hamburger hill is why Firebase Ripcord Hill 902 7/70 was keep on the Down low , the 2/506 101 AB fought the last Great Battle of the Nam War . Rip My Brothers 🙏
I come from a family of veterans. After my big brother shared some of his experiences in boot camp, I knew it wasn't for me. All respect to you all! Thank you
While I was but a kid during the last years of Vietnam War, I vividly recall neighbors sons returning...and not returning. "Theirs was not to reason why. Theirs was but to do, or die."
a poignant quote courtesy of Alfred Lord Tennyson regarding a rather famous battle in the Crimea, early 19th C. (Charge of the Light Brigade)
an australian,WO Max Kelly a veteran of WW2,Korea,Malaya, and on his second tour was on hamburger Hill with the ARVN 2nd battalion,3rd Regiment,1st Division. lest we forget.
God bless our troops and veterans! I remember all of this
“No one wins in War” 🇺🇸 🌺
Unknown
🇨🇦 Veteran
I don't think Germany or Japan would agree with you
The old Imperial city is called 'Hue" pronounced "WHAY".Not hu-ay.
He's been schooled on this in numerous videos.
@@tundranomad ... Do you know something different to what he's saying? I don't.
When I was only 12 years old I read the diary of Patrick Seamus Flaherty. To this day I remember his name and some of the stories he told in it. Absolutely insane what these young men went through. My grandfather is a Vietnam veteran and doesn’t speak about it. I understand why when I think back on that diary.
I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
I enjoyed your comment and I gave it a thumbs up 👍🏼.
The S in Shell being burnt off was golden
The battle of long tan is another incredible story from the Vietnam war.
Yeah i meet sgt robert buick and captain harry smith at the canbera war memorial two of the most humble men i have ever meet..
The 1/9 Marines aka "walking dead" took that hill months before and then they were pulled off .
Op Dewey Canyon
Wouldn’t a medal sufficed?
One of your best vids ever!
One can’t deny how organized a gorilla force can be. There’s no telling how many NVC plants were in the SVA. The dude next to the GI radio operator could be warning his comrades of a incoming firestorm
Many SOG missions were compromised due to spies in the US army / SVN hqs in Saigon. The result was many unnecessary deaths and MIAs in SOG units
My Hmong Montagnards Ancestors was pulling gorilla warfare on the VCs, NVAs, and Pathet Laos 😂 they labeled us Rebals because we was not fighting on their side.
And then we left the hill. But, the whole point was to kill the enemy where they were, not to hold ground and be a target.
I could not imagine being in such a battle. What the americans must have gone through boggles my little brain.
One of the many issues that hurt our air support was in not using armor-piercing munitions. The enemy like the Japanese in WW II was underground in deep well constructed positions. Only AP munitions would collapse them and attrite the enemy units. Lying throughout his 4 yrs, LBJ refused any thought that the enemy was in Laos and Cambodia, and would never approve any actions over those borders. His idiotic political move created the perverse affect that all of the fighting was done in S Vietnam. To buy time for his Vietnamization program to work as we withdrew, Nixon had to send the fight across the borders. Naturally the corrupt liberal media "exploded that he was widening the war". They knew back with JFK that Nam was wrong, but few said it. Those who did like David Halberstam were maligned. Every major war has a Damn DEM as the focal point.
Yes, absolutely correct, and it's always a republican president who later has to unf..k it also!
I am retired FDNY 1980-2003 and wrote 4 history books. I believe DEMS stole election in 1948. The result, Korea 1950. Dems steal 1960, we end up in Nam. Who can say what will be from 2020 theft.@@waltertodd4479
Never blame the soldiers they are only doing what the politicians want and organized by their commending officers. Bless the soldiers bless what they have done for your country wether or not you think its right or wrong. Bless them all.brave souls .help them after they are out of unform if they need it.may god bless them snd thankyou to them.
I served on hill 881 north the base with m-48 tanks and APC with B C.ompany
I’m met a guy that claimed to have been at hamburger Hill, but turned out he was giving me a bunch of crap lies. He never was there. He was just an overweight, obese guy in a mobility scooter with a Vietnam hat. He would make up a bunch of stories like he was captured by the NVA even though the NVA took back the hill weeks later after US and South Vietnamese forces withdrew from the hill. He told me he had the distinguished service cross, and he somehow escaped the Hanoi Hilton. The moment he told me all those stories was the moment I kind of figured he was a fraud. It wouldn’t surprise me if any of the veterans who fought at hamburger hill that are still alive. Would be pretty shocked by what I heard from a man who claimed to have been there, but was lying, making making up so many excuses, committing stolen valor. The first time ever heard about hamburger Hill I literally came across the film at Blockbuster when I was a kid. I never grabbed the film or took it home. In fact, I didn’t even start watching it until it appeared on AMC at night to which I actually watched the whole film and yeah I understood fully the struggle they had to take that hill. I learned from a documentary that even after the hill was taken it was later abandoned about a few weeks after the NVA take the hill back without a fight.
There are many Rakkasans who fought on Hamburger Hill that are still with us. I met around 30 of them in May 2019, during the 50th anniversary party at Ft Campbell. I knew a few already through the Rakkasan Association, and got to meet them face-to-face. I am a Rakkasan vet of the Gulf War. I have their autographs on a print done up for the reunion. A few have died since then..age is catching up on these warriors. They were fierce warriors, hard-drinkers (I learned that at the reunion 😂), and compassionate men. After the reunion, a bunch of them went to Vietnam to walk the same ground they walked 50 years previously. They are still bad-a$$ soldiers!
I wish he would make a story about air force security forces (air police) in vietnam. They didnt do a whole lot compared to army and marines, but there are a few interesting stories about a small force holding their positions against massive VC attacks.
Never let the lives of our troops get in the way of politics!
When a cowardly politician is will to either stand post or fill sandbags on the front. They can then have a say!
I know a lot of Southern Vietnamese soldiers got a bad wrap but that Arvin guy must've been a real badass. Dude was out there putting in work
Great History telling . Wish Narrator would pronounce HUE Correctly (WAY) But otherwise Great telling
I think this was the first war America faced an enemy on foreign soil due to politics. The war of independence should have given a clue of what was going to happen. Let's hope people learn from history in the future
Omg I disbelieve he didn't mispronounce Rakkasan! There's hope for the narrator yet!
Too bad there’s no hope for your grammar
But he did show the 173rd when talking of the 101st. As I former Sky Soldier I’m sure we both feel slighted.
Yea and some of the video footage was of 502 with the Spade and not the Tori.@@meatisburger2
Not really. He pronounced that correctly, but mispronounces “Hue” all the time.
I guessed in my head what this video was about after reading the title...
I had guessed Hamburger Hill...
🐿🇺🇸
Bravo Bulls!
Crikey, one of America’s longest ‘regime change’ ops. Like Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, it failed.
You mean it was another one of Russia's regime changes.
Last I checked, the Russian backed Communists invaded south Vietnam, not the other way around.
Well researched & presented
Respect!
“When your time is up, your time is up in the A Shau valley”.
When you mentioned the 101st Airborne you showed the patch from 173rd Airborne Brigade
I am lucky I got to meet a lot of fellow Rakkasans when we returned from the First Gulf War. The Association had a mini reunion in 1991 for the Brigade.
My brother fought in this battle. He came home from Vietnam, as did my older brother. the plan for Vietnam was for the Americans to fight and win a battle. The South Vietnamese Army was supposed to go in and occupy that land. They never did. After the battle was over and the Americans left the area. The NVA came right back and occupied the land.
Ne Desit Virtus! Rakkasan!! I was a Rakkasan from 1998-2006. These Warriors set us up for an enduring legacy that carries on to this day. Regardless of the outcome or political BS, we totally respect those who went before us.
My first time seeing
Americans Vietnam movie was Hamburger Hill
In 1979
2:56 VERY POWERFUL PICTURE 👹
after all is said and done.. that was some cool af battle in all it's nastiness.
another gem....as always dark docs..this narrater helps me noddywinkwink im so used to it!
If you’re a Vietnam vet: Welcome Home!
@JimCaufman2328…. Most excellent “hotwash ” aka AAR (After Action Report) aka Lessons Learned. I was just a lowly drafted (US) RTO but having worked “Op Centers” common-sense is easily lost which looses lives, which makes no sense. Your experience was hopefully shared & listened to back then. Thanks for sharing.
Never Forget 💝
War is hell however fighting in that thick jungle was whole other ballgame.
America won in Vietnam, they simply was told to just quit!! ❤ I Salute them!!
I think tactics and field craft are more to blame for the casualties during the walk from point a to b, although everything you said about learning mobile air warfare was done the hard way, I think the book "The 1st to fight" which is on the 101st and 1RAR Royal Australian regiment that were the 1st units to go on offensive operations in 1965, I think the US military was unwilling to fight the war they were wanting(conventional warfare), instead of the war they were presented with(counter insurgency), Australian troops found the head quarters inside the Iron triangle and the arguments between the allies on how to fight the war led to Australia forming its own task force in Phoc Tuy province, Australians initiated contact with the enemy 7 times out of 10, where as with US it was 3 times out of 10.
It is traditional to play The Ride of the Valkyrie when showing Rakkasan in Flight.
Lessons learned none. Lose troops attacking a hill, capture hill, then leave hill to be recaptured.......
Rakkasan!!!!
Actually,that was the wrong hill. They made a mistake on the point element, and went up the wrong mountain. But they were already in contact by then,so ip they were ordered to go. It was a damn good read for anyone who reads
You forgot all the friendly fire casualties from the helicopters firing on our troops
It’s disheartening the way the Vietnam vets were treated at home all my uncles served in army and airforce besides my uncle Keith they don’t speak about it every one of my uncles was a Purple Heart medal uncle Bob was hit by scrap medal from a tank all of them have that red white and blue flag flying out their front yard
R.I.P. to those that never came home!
when i was in the 82nd in 1980 we listen to the vets like our lives depended on it and as it turned our asses were saved on several occasions
My dad was in Vietnam and his friend bubba was at hamburger Hill when they get together they used to drink a whole bunch and talk about the good old days
We're doing unnecessary obnoxious red circles/ arrows in thumbnails now?
Politicians and media are the death nail of brave Americans
Clear case: cameraman never dies
I'm so sorry for how they were treated when they came home they were cursed and spit upon that's so messed up
i love this movie i dont no if i want to see a new one
That w as a 1/73 patch on that soldiers left shoulder
I didn't know untill today when I saw an Infographics video about fragging!
Did Laos not have an army or backbone to tell the Vietnamese to stay out of their country
As a grunt in Viet Nam I never understood why air strikes by B-52s were not used.
ya as a kid i read alot about this battel it had a huge amout of groin hits
These are missing easy to add information that would make the video more enjoyable. (For example what are the units and how many people are in them and if the info is possibly causality’s per engagement ( for example end of day 1, 15 estimates killed on X side and estimated causality’s number X on Z side))
-Great video thanks
Correction needed at end of clip where reference is wrongly made to 173rd Airborne Brigade instead of 101st Airborne Division “screaming eagles”.
I was there…it wasn’t that bad
1:08 is that a General? Is that right? At Hamburg Hill? In a combat situation? Gezzus I watched this 3 times. Some great pictures and film in this. Nice.
I had an old school SF guy for my platoon SGT on Fort Bragg. He said once the Vietnam Cong were defeated and started toward the border, SF A TEAMS HAD SET UP AMBUSHES ON LIKELY TRAILS BACK TOWARD LAOS. They massacred them
To all the native American's who served in this conflict......truly an awesome upbringing under your tutiledge!
@@jonathanschadenfreude9603 Tutelage, Gomer Pile. Keep bangin' those books.
@@GreyTapez go put your 5 inch lift heels on like your dad Bobby de Niro
@@jonathanschadenfreude9603 That was good. You got me so good there. You're a savage. Your tutelage is pretty invaluable. Keep bangin' them books, Pile.
What’s sad, they took a lot of the high land county having so many men die for it only to leave soon after. The VC could not believe the Americas would be so stupid. Dad said men became so pissed off, they would shot at anything they seen on the ground when flying in choppers, killing women and children working in the fields because they would not know who pulled the trigger. It was easier to get away with. Dad said when he was a gunner on the first cobra’s, they would mow people down on the roadway. Hundreds of them before flying off