Ia Drang 1965

The Struggle for Vietnam’s Pleiku Province

Ia Drang 1965 cover

Ia Drang 1965

The Struggle for Vietnam’s Pleiku Province

Description

A highly illustrated account of the Ia Drang campaign of 1965, a key event in the Vietnam War, which was immortalized in the film We Were Soldiers Once… and Young.

The Pleiku campaign of October–November 1965 was a major event in the Vietnam War, and it is usually regarded as the first substantial battle between the US Army and the People's Army of Vietnam. The brigade-sized actions involving elements of the US 1st Cavalry Division at Landing Zones X-Ray and Albany in the valley of the river Drang have become iconic episodes in the military history of the United States.

In 1965, in an effort to stem the Communist tide, the Americans began to commit substantial conventional ground forces to the war in Vietnam. Amongst these was the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), a new type of formation equipped with a large fleet of helicopters. On 19 October, North Vietnamese forces besieged a Special Forces camp at Plei Me, and after the base was relieved days later, the commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, General Harry Kinnard, advocated using his troops to pursue the retreating Communist forces. A substantial North Vietnamese concentration was discovered, but rather than the badly battered troops the US expected, these were relatively fresh troops that had recently arrived in the Central Highlands. On the morning of 14 November 1965, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, commanded by Lt. Col. Hal Moore, landed at LZ X-Ray to start the first major set-piece battle of the Vietnam War.

This title explores the events of the campaign that followed, using detailed maps, specially-commissioned bird's-eye views, and full-colour battlescenes to bring the narrative to life.

Table of Contents

The strategic background

Chronology
Opposing commanders
Opposing forces
Opposing plans
The campaign
Aftermath
The battlefields today

Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published 23 Jan 2020
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781472835130
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Series Campaign
Short code CAM 345
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

J. P. Harris

J. P. Harris is a senior lecturer in war studies a…

Author

J. Kenneth Eward

Kenneth Eward teaches at American Military Univers…

Illustrator

Edouard A. Groult

Edouard Groult grew up inspired by watching histor…

Resources

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