Battle of Ia Drang
Ia Drang Valley, Central Highlands, South Vietnam
What happened
U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore and Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDade led American troops against North Vietnamese Army forces. In November 1965 the U.S. Army was testing a new way of fighting, carrying soldiers into battle by helicopter. At a landing zone called X-Ray in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, Moore's soldiers were dropped among North Vietnamese troops and held off repeated attacks with the help of artillery, air strikes and B-52 bombers. Days later, an American column marching to landing zone Albany was ambushed at close range.
Why it matters
Result: See Effect and aftermath section. Leaders: Richard T. Knowles / Thomas W. Brown against Nguyễn Hữu An / Đặng Vũ Hiệp. Why it matters: It was the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnamese Army, and both sides claimed victory. It set a pattern for the war: Americans relied on helicopters and firepower, while North Vietnamese troops fought at very close range to avoid it.
What came next
Moore later wrote a book about the battle with the journalist Joseph Galloway, 'We Were Soldiers Once… and Young' (1992). It was made into the 2002 film 'We Were Soldiers'.
Did you know?
The North Vietnamese commander told his soldiers to 'grab them by the belt', meaning to fight so close that the Americans could not use their bombs and artillery.
Timeline
- 14 November 1965U.S. troops land by helicopter at LZ X-Ray.
- 18 November 1965The battle ends.
- 1992Moore and Galloway publish their book about the battle.
- 2002The film 'We Were Soldiers' is released.