Battle Analysis: Hamburger Hill

Mission Command Analysis: Hamburger Hill As one of the most famous battles of Vietnam, the battle of Dong Ap Bia provides a useful case study for the concept of mission command. Infamously known as Hamburger Hill, the high casualties and subsequent abandonment of the mountain caused critics to question the decision of military leaders. As with many battles in Vietnam, the commander, LTC Honeycutt, contended with the enemy while attempting to exert control with incomplete information in jungle-covered mountains. Although he was generally successful in fulfilling the six imperatives of mission command, it does not prove decisive to the U.S. Army’s ultimate victory. LTC Honeycutt’s approach to mission command is both lean and blunt, focused on success in combat. Battle Summary
The battle lasted for eleven days (10- 20 May 1969) while the 3/187th Battalion, Rakkasans, fought the 29th Regiment for control the Ap Bia Mountain in the A Shau Valley.
The deployment of the division reserve is a positive manifestation of shared understanding. Honeycutt synthesizes the reports of the FAC (forward air controller), Cobra gunships, and his soldiers to determine that he will require B Co. He effectively communicates this understanding to the BDE commander, COL Conmy, who approves their release (Zaffiri, p. 67-68). Honeycutt’s use of a light observation helicopter during the final two assaults (18 and 20 May) highlights the flow of information during the battle. This perspective affords him better understanding that he uses to employ fires and maneuver units on the ground. He also pulls information from his subordinate with questions such as, “Can you take the sonofabitch?” or “How’s it going? ... Can you make it?” (Zaffiri, p. 223).This technique drives his use of mission orders and commander’s