Battle of Ia Drang, November 14-18, 1965
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between regular U.S. and North Vietnamese forces; it includes two major engagements, one between North Vietnamese forces and the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry and the other between North Vietnamese forces and the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry and 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry. These were the communist North Vietnamese, the Communist People’s Army of Vietnam or PAVN, rather than the Viet Cong. The first took place on November 14 and 15, and the second of these somewhat further north on November 17, 1965.
On the morning of November 14, 1965, the U.S. conducted a helicopter-led assault in an area near the Chu Pong hills, called Landing Zone X-Ray. North Vietnamese troops, the 33rd Regiment, responded later that day, with the fight continuing through the night and into the following day.
Thanks to air strikes and artillery support, the U.S. forces, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore, held their ground, even as additional North Vietnamese forces joined the fight. Around noon on the 15th of November, additional U.S. troops, including the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry arrived to support the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry who had been at Ia Drang since the battle began. By November 16, American troops had secured LZ X-Ray; North Vietnamese troops had lost hundreds, and the U.S. 79 men, with many more wounded.
On November 17, many of the troops at LZ X-Ray began a tactical march to another landing zone. The 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry was ambushed on the march, receiving aid and support from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry after the fight began. The fighting was intense, and American losses were relatively high. In total, 234 men were killed between November 14 and November 18, and 242 men wounded. This early in the war, the army was not yet well-prepared with notifications. Telegrams were delivered by cab drivers, and the wives of the commanding officers provided support to grieving families.