"Summary Of Hamburger Hill"
Brandon Cunningham
World Civ 111
Extra Credit Assignment
"Hamburger Hill"
"War at its worst. Men at their best"
The movie "Hamburger Hill" takes places between May 10th, 1969 and May 20th, 1969. The plot revolves around a mountain of sorts, named by the Vietnamese, called Dong Ap Bia, or more commonly known to the troops as hill 937, in reference to its height in meters. Another name for this infamous hill is "Hamburger Hill", which refers to its notorious slaughter of soldiers, chewing them up like "hamburger meat". The events in the movie are based upon the activity that occurred at A Shau Valley, a very important place to the NVA (North Vietnamese Army). This valley was a means of transportation of goods and supplies in and out of South Vietnam, thus heavily guarded by NVA troops. Due to its importance to the NVA, it was a heavily targeted location by allied forces, the most famous encounter being "Operation Apache Snow", which commenced on May 10th, 1969. Major characters in the film are Langwilli played by Anthony Barrile, and Frantz, played by a more notable actor, Dylan McDermott. The most important character in terms of relevance to history would be Lt. Eden, who seems to be based on the actual lieutenant, Lt. Colonel Honeycutt, who played a huge role in "Operation Apache Snow".
After the opening credits, the movies starts off with the soldiers fighting in the A Shau Valley, which isn't seeing too much bloodshed at that point. Upon returning to camp, the base is mortared, leaving soldiers and civilians dead. The next day, May 10th, 1969, "Operation Apache Snow" begins. En route, they are attacked in the jungles of the A Shau Valley, leaving a soldier dead. They continue on, and the next day commence the attacks upon Dong Ap Bia, and are eventually saved by the AHC (Assault Helicopter Company) due to heavy attacks on the part of the NVA. After a long rainy night, the troops...
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