American Military News by Ryan Morgan November 14, 2020
The Battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam began on November 14, 1965, and saw around 1,000 U.S. Army soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) fight for four days with about 2,500 North Vietnamese troops.
The four days of fighting formed what became the first major battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces of the Vietnam War. The battle consisted of two engagements in the valley, with the first taking place between Nov. 14 to 16, with members of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, led by Lt. Col Hal Moore and the second engagement taking place on Nov. 17 with members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, led by Lt. Col Robert McDade.
According to a U.S. Army history, the battle of Ia Drang came after three enemy Vietnamese regiments totaling 6,000 men attacked a Civil Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) – U.S. Special Forces at Plei Me near the entrance to the Ia Drang Valley, in what the Army described as North Vietnam’s initial effort to cut the country in half.
Moore wrote about the fighting at LZ X-RAY, along with war journalist Joseph L. Galloway, in their book “We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young.†Their book was later adapted into the 2002 film, “We Were Soldiers,†with Mel Gibson playing Moore and actor Barry Pepper playing Galloway.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/11/battle-of-ia-drang-valley-first-major-battle-of-the-vietnam-war-began-55-years-ago/
