Fearful Odds is about a series of skirmishes in August 1968 during a
reconnaissance in force of the Dong So ridgeline in the A Shau Valley. The Dong
So was connected to the Dong Ap Bia or Hill 937, often referred to as Hamburger
Hill. If anyone had listened to us, the battle of Hamburger Hill would have been
fought in a different manner. It was there in May 1969 that three battalions
from the 101st Airborne Division had 72 killed and 370 wounded. That bloody
battle changed the war and led to Vietnamization — having the Vietnamese,
supported by U.S. air power, do the bloody fighting.
The following galleries include copies of the official records of combat actions
in the A Shau Valley in August 1968 directly from the Army archives.
| File |
Size (KB) |
Download |
| 101st AIRBORNE - 1st ARVN DIV TASK FORCE AAR.pdf |
6,915 |
|
| Daily Staff Journal 01-05 AUG 1968.pdf |
7,764 |
|
| Daily Staff Journal 06-08 AUG 1968.pdf |
6,917 |
|
| Daily Staff Journal 09-11 AUG 1968.pdf |
6,803 |
|
| Daily Staff Journal 12-15 AUG 1968.pdf |
5,635 |
|
| Daily Staff Journal 16-23 AUG 1968.pdf |
5,464 |
|
| Operation Somerset Plain 04 - 20 AUG 1968.pdf |
2,150 |
|
| Operation Somerset Plain After Action Report.pdf |
2,951 |
|