THE BATTLE OF THE IA DRANG VALLEY 1965 Vietnam War map

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U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS MAP Battle of Ia Drang From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia On the morning of November 14 , 1965, the 1st Battalion/7th Cavalry, approximately 450-men strong under Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore , began operations in the Ia Drang Valley approximately 14 miles (22.4 KM) northwest of Plei Me in South Vietnam . The mission was simple: engage the enemy. Helicopter air mobility tactics had only recently been developed, and the 7th Cavalry was derived from the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) for the specific purpose of testing and developing these tactics. Air mobility called for battalion-sized forces to be delivered into, supplied, and extracted from an area of action using helicopters. For the Americans, the operation was to be an early test for air mobility tactics and the coordination of heavy ordinance support (air, artillery , and aerial rocket strikes) with infantry units. For the PAVN, who hoped to split South Vietnam in two and were massing their forces in the Valley, the arrival of the Americans was an opportunity to test their tactics for weaknesses. T were few reliable roads into the area, making it an ideal place for the communist forces to form bases as well as for U.S. forces to test their new air mobility tactics. Moore's battalion was to be shuttled by 16 Huey transport helicopters into LZ X-Ray , a flat clearing surrounded by low trees at the northern base of the Chu Pong Mountain. X-Ray was approximately the size of a misshapen football field, some 100 yards in length (east to west) and bordered by a dry creek bed on the northwest. It was estimated that only eight Hueys could fit in the clearing at a given time. Given that 16 Hueys were available to the battalion, American forces would have to be delivered at a rate of just under one company per lift. Arrival at Landing Zone X-Ray At 10:48 a.m. of 14 November , the first elements of Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion/7th Cavalry touched down at LZ X-Ray , following around 30 minutes of bombardment via artillery, aerial rocket artillery, and air strikes. Accompanying Captain John Herren's Bravo Company were Moore and his command group. Alpha Company was to arrive next, followed by Charlie and then Delta companies. Moore's plan was to move Bravo and Alpha northwest past the creek bed, and Charlie south toward the mountain. Delta Company, which comprised special weapons forces including mortar , recon , and machine gun units, was to be used as the battlefield reserve. In the centre of the LZ was a small group of trees that was to become Moore's command post. Following their arrival, Herren ordered his men to move west past the creek bed. Within approximately 30 minutes, one of his squads under Sergeant John Mingo surprised and captured an unarmed PAVN soldier of the 33rd PAVN Regiment. The prisoner revealed that t were three North Vietnamese battalions on the Chu Pong Mountain -- an estimated 1,600 communist forces compared to less than 200 American forces on the ground at that point. At 11:20 a.m., the second lift of the battalion arrived, with the rest of Bravo Company and one platoon of Alpha Company, commanded by Captain Tony Nadal. At 12:10 p.m., the third lift of American forces arrived, consisting of most of Alpha Company. Alpha took up positions to the rear and left flank of Bravo along the dry creek bed, and to the west and to the south (facing perpendicular down the creek bed). At 12:15 p.m., the first shots were fired on Bravo Company's three platoons that were patrolling the jungle northwest of the dry creek bed. At 12:20 p.m., Herren ordered his 1st Platoon under Lieutenant Al Devney and 2nd Platoon under Lieutenant Henry Herrick to advance abreast of one another, and the 3rd (under Lieutenant Dennis Deal) to follow as a reserve unit. Devney's platoon led approximately 100 yards west of the creek bed, with Herrick's men to his rear and right flank. Just before 1:00 p.m., Devney's platoon was heavily assaulted on both flanks by the North Vietnamese, taking... read more

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