On November 14, 1965, the 1st battalion of the 7th Cavalry was ordered to the Ia Drang Valley of South Vietnam with a simple mission _ find and kill the enemy (search and destroy). The 450 man battalion, led by Lieutenant ColonelHal Moore, was pitted against over 2000 North Vietnamese regulars entrenched in the valley. There was a lack of reliable roads into the area, so the companies of the battalion were flown in and out on Huey helicopters. The soldiers deployed at a clearing designated Landing Zone X-Ray. The Hueys were also used to bring in ammunition and extract the wounded and dead.
The battle lasted November 14 - 16 until the PAVN withdrew. The U.S. lost 79 Soldiers with 121 wounded. The PAVN lost 634 fighters with an estimated 1215 wounded.
While technically an American victory and proof that "search and destroy" missions could be successful, the battle helped to shape the North Vietnamese strategy for years to come. Engaging the Americans close up, they learned, reduced America's ability to use its powerful air power on the battlefield.
The battle was the subject of the filmWe Were Soldiers (2002) which was based on Moore's book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young. The book was co-written by Joseph L. Galloway, the only reporter on the field during the battle.
At the same time, and setting the stage for IaDrang, are Hanoi's military planners who envision a classic conventional campaign to crush the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in October 1965.
IaDrang was a response to the nearly successful October, 1965 attack on Plei Me, which was thwarted when the U.S. unexpectedly brought in U.S. troops as reinforcements.
Tactically and strategically, this battle was a disaster, for though both sides ultimately claimed victory -- the North Vietnamese Army with a casualty rate of at least 10:1 -- the NVA lost their fear of the helicopter and developed the techniques to defeat it at the moment of its introduction.
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