Ernie Savage, 3rd Squad Leader, to assume by virtue of being close to the radio, and proceeded to call in repeated artillery support around the 2nd Platoon's position. It was Sunday, Nov.

There was also a smaller perimeter at the rear of the column about — yards due south: Capt. It was during this battle that Spec. The following day, a dozen dead NVA troops including one officer were found in the position. Knowles, 1st Air Cavalry Division Forward Command Post Commander, met with Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore the commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and told him "to conduct an airmobile assault the following morning" [26] and to conduct search and destroy operations through 15 November. The wounded at Albany were evacuated at around that evening, the helicopters receiving intense ground fire as they landed and took off. Army had not set up casualty-notification teams this early in the war. They planned to resume the advance at daybreak. The radios for air or artillery support were with the company commanders.

Ia Thrang Valley. NVA troopers contested their advance and the Americans came under fire from a wood line. The Americans divided their forces to launch a pincer attack against the NVA's positions. Rivera were severely wounded in the attack. The situation quickly disintegrated for Lt. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. You just do what you have to do, but you learn the real meaning of fear and life and death. It was I didn't run out of ammo — had about thirty magazines in my pack.

Within approximately 25 minutes, five men of 2nd Platoon were killed, including Lt. They then flew to the 3rd Air Cavalry Brigade commanded by Col. Bob Taft's 3rd Platoon, A Company, confronted approximately Vietnamese soldiers advancing down the length and sides of the creek bed from the south toward the battalion. William A. They split into two groups: One headed towards a landing zone for artillery, code-named "Columbus", and one marched towards Landing Zone Albany. Because the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry stealthily closed in the battlefield by foot instead of by heli-lift, B3 Field Front was unaware that the opponent troop ratio had switched from to Shortly after, Alpha and Bravo Companies began their advance from the creek bed toward 2nd Platoon, B Company and soon suffered casualties. In the late s, Gen.

There were two troopers — one black, one Hispanic — linked tight together. The Siege of Pleime. The small contingent of D Company took up position on A Company's left flank. Washington, D. Nam The North Vietnamese, owing to their guerrilla strategy and the fact that they lacked heavy weapons other than mortars, relied on surprise and mobility to overwhelm their enemy. Army Logistician. After the two were carried to the battalion's collection point at Lt. At around , Capt. The U.

New York: Harper Perennial. Moore and his men for the mission, with the explicit orders not to attempt to scale the mountain. Army Logistician. Delta Company, which comprised special weapons forces including mortar , recon , and machine gun units, was to be used as the battlefield reserve. With a longer-range perspective, the Battle of Ia Drang represented an encouraging development for Hanoi. At , Lt. Tom Metsker who had been wounded was fatally hit when helping Capt. Moore ordered his battalion's companies to put out reconnaissance patrols to probe for North Vietnamese forces.

Herrick expressed concerns that he might become cut off from the battalion if he tried to skirt the clearing and therefore would be leading his men through it in pursuit of the enemy. It was estimated that only eight UH-1 Hueys could fit in the clearing at a given time. Herrick who, before dying, radioed Capt. On the second day of this three-day battle, U. An AC gunship and UH helicopter light up the night as troops on the ground work a laser illuminator. The Americans at Albany then settled down for the night. Edwards was seriously wounded, and Lt. Savage later recalled of the repeated NVA assaults: "It seemed like they didn't care how many of them were killed. Countries With the Highest Population Growth.

February 24, Two M60 crews under Spec. It was during this lift that one Huey, having approached the landing zone too high, crash-landed on the outskirts of the perimeter near the command post those on board were quickly rescued by the battalion. American intervention The lifting of the siege by South Vietnamese ground forces and American air power was followed by the pursuit of retreating North Vietnamese units. The plan was to attack the camp with the 33rd Regiment while the 32nd Regiment would lie in wait to ambush the South Vietnamese relief force that would inevitably be sent from Pleiku. The Americans used air mobility, artillery fire and close air support to accomplish battlefield objectives. Savage's "lost platoon" survived the night without taking additional casualties.

July 20, Strategic Air Command B bombers were called in to "carpet bomb" PAVN positions; their first use ever in the role of tactical support for ground troops. It was The American forces were penetrating into the communist guerrillas' bases, deep into enemy territory. It was around this time, at , that Lt. The B3 Front commander, Maj. Galloway also noted "[a]t LZ XRay 80 men died and were wounded, many of them terribly", and that the death toll for the entire battle was Americans killed and perhaps as many as 2, North Vietnamese soldiers. Air Force liaison forward air controller was instructed by Lt. The latter force became strung out and, in the early afternoon, were badly mauled in an ambush before they could be reinforced and extricated. Colonel Edward C.

Bob Edwards arrived, taking up positions along the south and southwest facing the mountain. Each lift would take about 30 minutes. The blitzkrieg will transform itself into a war of long duration. The city of Pleiku was the location of the South Vietnamese II Corps headquarters, commanded by General Vinh Loc, who had at his disposal nine South Vietnamese battalions: four ranger, three airborne, and two marine. In the center of the LZ was a large termite hill that was to become Moore's command post. Meanwhile, the two remaining battalions abandoned LZ X-Ray and began a tactical march to new landing zones. When Moore refused to relinquish the command of his battalion, Brown contented to notify him before leaving that the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry would be withdrawn the next day. They then flew to the 3rd Air Cavalry Brigade commanded by Col.

Accessed April 17, They were to be shuttled by 16 Huey transport helicopters, which could generally carry 10 to 12 equipped troopers, so the battalion would have to be delivered in several "lifts" carrying just less than one complete company each time. Despite Lt. Washington, D. Lund's precision in ordering artillery strikes cut down scores of NVA soldiers, while Diduryk's men repelled those who survived using rifle and machine gun fire. Moore organized another effort to rescue 2nd Platoon, B Company. It is notable for being the first large scale helicopter air assault and also the first use of Boeing B Stratofortress strategic bombers in a tactical support role. It was Sunday, Nov. Herren B Company to attempt to fight through to Lt. Each lift would take about 30 minutes.

Arc Light Nadal A Company commander and his radio operator, Sgt. Retrieved May 7, The NVA then began to organize an assault on the American column. James Scott, wife of the battalion command sergeant major, performed the same duty for the dead of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry. Coleman, J. Retrieved Sep 21, Thomas Payne Medal of Honor. Tracy Black Enders. Tully, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry.

It was around this time, at , that Lt. Accessed April 17, Special Forces outposts in the region as a prelude to the drive on Pleiku. Tully, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry. Vietnamese communist forces had operated in this area during the previous decade in the First Indochina War against the French, winning a notable victory at the Battle of Mang Yang Pass in Palmer and Robert Stokes were also dead, leaving Sgt. In fact, the contrary happened as the U. Geoghegan was killed while attempting to rescue one of his wounded men, Pfc. As Hal Moore wrote in his memoir Hal Moore: A Soldier Once…and Always , Their peasant soldiers had withstood the terrible high-tech fire storm delivered against them by a superpower and had at least fought the Americans to a draw.

At around , through his Operations Officer flying above the battlefield Capt. McDade ordered a halt as he went forward from the rear of the column to interrogate the prisoners personally. A one-helicopter landing zone was secured and the wounded were evacuated. After the two were carried to the battalion's collection point at Lt. Five minutes later, Capt. William A. Strategic Air Command B bombers were called in to "carpet bomb" PAVN positions; their first use ever in the role of tactical support for ground troops. NVA troopers contested their advance and the Americans came under fire from a wood line. Silver Bayonet.

That plan failed. Joel Sugdinis, wondered where the aerial rocket artillery choppers were. Knowles, 1st Air Cavalry Division Forward Command Post Commander, met with Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore the commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and told him "to conduct an airmobile assault the following morning" [26] and to conduct search and destroy operations through 15 November. Map: The Columbus-bound unit reached the LZ without incident. Herren responded by ordering Lt. Other members of the NVA recon team may have escaped and reported to the headquarters of the 1st Battalion, 33rd Regiment. In the late s, Gen. Thus, the enemy will be caught in a dilemma: He has to drag out the war in order to win it and does not possess, on the other hand, the psychological and political means to fight a long-drawn-out war.

The NVA survivors made their way back to the creek bed, where they were cut down by fire from the rest of A Company. Kroger and Geoghegan. The battalion was being attacked in two directions. As the battle along the southern line intensified, Lt. The intention was to reassure the NVA side in seeing that the opponent troop ratio was reverting to Marm, 2nd Platoon, A Company, fired a light anti-tank weapon LAW at the machine-gun position, charged the position with grenades while under fire, and killed the remaining NVA at the machine-gun position with rifle fire. Download as PDF Printable version. Got it!

See Casualties section. This task took the better part of two days, as American and NVA dead were scattered all over the field of battle. The battle was ostensibly over. At the LZ, the wounded and dead were evacuated, and the remaining American forces dug in and fortified their lines. Beyond that clump of trees was another clearing. Surrounded and under heavy fire from a numerically superior force, the American forces at LZ X-ray were able to hold off and drive back the North Vietnamese forces over three days of battle, largely through the support of both air power and heavy artillery bombardment, which the North Vietnamese lacked. Aerial fire support was then called in on the NVA at close range — including those along Charlie Company's lines. The Americans divided their forces to launch a pincer attack against the NVA's positions.

Marm's 2nd Platoon, A Company new position, his men killed some 80 NVA troops with close range machine gun, rifle, and grenade assault. Archived from the original on March 15, Random House. Coleman, J. It was during this battle that Spec. Herrick's 2nd Platoon, which began taking casualties as the North Vietnamese attack persisted. Ed Freeman. Lefebvre passed command of D Company to SSgt. Some of them were stumbling, walking right into us. Part 4.

We had a strategy of people's war. Strategic Air Command B bombers were called in to "carpet bomb" PAVN positions; their first use ever in the role of tactical support for ground troops. American intervention At , patrols from Charlie Company's 1st Platoon under Lt. Rivera were severely wounded in the attack. On October 19, , a U. The intention was to reassure the NVA side in seeing that the opponent troop ratio was reverting to Moore, one of the two authors of We Were Soldiers Once.

McDade ordered a halt as he went forward from the rear of the column to interrogate the prisoners personally. We did. Doing so would effectively sever South Vietnam in two. Moore based on criteria established by the Air Force to transmit the code phrase "Broken Arrow", which relayed that an American combat unit was in danger of being overrun. Moore noting the PAVN's accurate shooting, well-placed ambushes and coordinated targeting of officers and overwhelmed U. American intervention Five minutes later, Capt. Wikimedia Commons. Within approximately 25 minutes, five men of 2nd Platoon were killed, including Lt.

Following orders, the other company commanders were moving forward to join Lt. Retrieved May 7, C Company, assembled along the south and southwest in full strength, was met within minutes by a head-on assault. The situation quickly disintegrated for Lt. The American forces were penetrating into the communist guerrillas' bases, deep into enemy territory. Map: The Columbus-bound unit reached the LZ without incident. At around , Capt. Having taken increasing casualties, 1st Brigade was relieved by 3rd Brigade, the handover being completed over the period November 7— The Major Religions In India. Our goal was to win the war.

Jimmy Nakayama of Rigby, Idaho who had been a 2nd Lt. LZ X-Ray was approximately the size of a misshapen football field, some meters in length east to west. McDade ordered a halt as he went forward from the rear of the column to interrogate the prisoners personally. There were several clearings in the area that had been designated as possible helicopter landing zones , typically named for a letter of the NATO phonetic alphabet. Bill Lund. The remainder of the battalion was in a dispersed column to the east of the LZ. We Were Soldiers Once An intense firefight quickly erupted in the clearing; during the first three or four minutes his platoon inflicted heavy losses on the North Vietnamese who streamed out of the trees, while his men did not take any casualties.

Since the heavy weapons of a normal combined-arms force could not follow, the infantry would be supported by coordinated close air support , artillery and aerial rocket fire, arranged from a distance and directed by local observers. Delta Company, which comprised special weapons forces including mortar , recon , and machine gun units, was to be used as the battlefield reserve. George Forrest. Harold Moore pt 2. The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, , at two landing zones LZs northwest of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam approximately 35 miles south-west of Pleiku as part of the U. Herrick's 2nd Platoon, which began taking casualties as the North Vietnamese attack persisted. As the outcome of the entire campaign, the ARVN claimed that the PAVN were unable to achieve their objectives of overrunning the camp and destroying the relief column at Plei Me, which is confirmed in the B3 Front commander's account, [74] as well as that the entire B3 Field Force strength had been wiped out and the survivors pushed over the Cambodian border. Military engagements during the Vietnam War.

The battle derives its name from the Drang River which runs through the valley northwest of Plei Me, in which the engagement took place. Courtesy link to full text. For his valiancy in the Battle of Ia Drang, where he suffered wounds while single-handedly engaging an enemy position, Walter Joseph Marm, Jr. History's first large scale deployment of light infantry forces by helicopter occurred here, and this battle is where the first use of B strategic bombers in a tactical support role was made. Following orders, the other company commanders were moving forward to join Lt. Too many men had died bravely and heroically, while the men who had witnessed their deeds had also been killed Military engagements during the Vietnam War. C Company, assembled along the south and southwest in full strength, was met within minutes by a head-on assault. The elephant grass was chest-high so visibility was limited. Coleman, J.

The plan was to attack the camp with the 33rd Regiment while the 32nd Regiment would lie in wait to ambush the South Vietnamese relief force that would inevitably be sent from Pleiku. Nguyen Vinh Loc, at the LZ X-Ray battle, the NVA did not have anti-aircraft weapons and heavy mortars and had to resort to "human wave" tactics: "The enemy has lost nearly all their heavy crew-served weapons during the first phase Galloway would later share how that same week Nakayama became a father. The word was wrong". Bruce P. Geoghegan was killed while attempting to rescue one of his wounded men, Pfc. McDade's command group had reached the Albany clearing. He wanted to withdraw the units but Gen. Moore and his 1st Battalion command group.

C Company's commander, Capt. At LZ Albany, however, an American battalion was ambushed in close quarters. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Frank Henry, the wife of the battalion executive officer, and Mrs. Many NVA soldiers were burned to death as they scrambled from their bunkers in a hasty retreat, while others were caught in a second barrage of artillery shells. Check out Military. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Rivera were severely wounded in the attack.

As Hal Moore wrote in his memoir Hal Moore: A Soldier Once…and Always , Their peasant soldiers had withstood the terrible high-tech fire storm delivered against them by a superpower and had at least fought the Americans to a draw. March—April The heavy casualties suffered in Ia Drang shocked the public opinion and the high command alike. President Donald Trump Awards Sgt. By their yardstick, a draw against such a powerful opponent was the equivalent of a victory. At , Lt. In pursuit of the North Vietnamese on his right flank, Lt. Thus, the enemy will be caught in a dilemma: He has to drag out the war in order to win it and does not possess, on the other hand, the psychological and political means to fight a long-drawn-out war. McChristian, J. It looked like they had died trying to help each other.

Nguyen Vinh Loc, at the LZ X-Ray battle, the NVA did not have anti-aircraft weapons and heavy mortars and had to resort to "human wave" tactics: "The enemy has lost nearly all their heavy crew-served weapons during the first phase For the next two hours I was alone on that gun, shooting at the enemy. Retrieved May 7, Tony Nadal's A Company. In so doing, Lt. McChristian, J. Making use of four artillery batteries, Lund organized fire into separate concentrations along the battlefield with devastating consequences for the waves of advancing NVA. Archived from the original on March 15, Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Shortly after a third attack was launched against B Company, which was repelled by Lt.

The U. At , C Company under Capt. You just do what you have to do, but you learn the real meaning of fear and life and death. The Americans divided their forces to launch a pincer attack against the NVA's positions. Again B bombers arrived to save the day, although due to the close-quarters fighting, air and artillery strikes at LZ Albany are believed to have killed North Vietnamese and American soldiers indiscriminately. Fear like I had never known before. At , the last of the 1st battalion arrived, and Lt. We had a strategy of people's war. Had the NVA forces circled around to the north of the U. Air Force liaison forward air controller was instructed by Lt.

Ladner, and Pfc. Galloway also noted "[a]t LZ XRay 80 men died and were wounded, many of them terribly", and that the death toll for the entire battle was Americans killed and perhaps as many as 2, North Vietnamese soldiers. Palmer and Robert Stokes were also dead, leaving Sgt. Kinnard, William Date November 14—18, They were briefed by Lt. The reconnaissance platoon and 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, provided initial defense at the position. Retrieved February 10, Herrick replied that there was a large enemy force between his men and 1st Platoon.

At , C Company under Capt. Archived from the original on February 6, Doing so would effectively sever South Vietnam in two. Ladner, and Pfc. In preparation for a defensive position to last the night, Lt. At around , the relief force started to encounter sniper fire and began carrying the wounded and dead of the lost platoon back to X-Ray. The NVA survivors made their way back to the creek bed, where they were cut down by fire from the rest of A Company. Marm, 2nd Platoon, A Company, fired a light anti-tank weapon LAW at the machine-gun position, charged the position with grenades while under fire, and killed the remaining NVA at the machine-gun position with rifle fire. Geoghegan's lines. Alpha Company came upon some grass huts, which they were directed to burn.

That would put them in position to gain control over Highway 19, which led from Pleiku east to the South China Sea coastline. The 33rd Regiment's battalions were under strength from casualties incurred during the battle at the U. Having taken increasing casualties, 1st Brigade was relieved by 3rd Brigade, the handover being completed over the period November 7— We Were Soldiers Once The last Vietnamese assaults on the position were repulsed on the morning of the 16th. Herrick ordered his men to form a defensive perimeter on a small knoll in the clearing. Nadal A Company commander and his radio operator, Sgt. Moore organized another effort to rescue 2nd Platoon, B Company. Pribbenow, Merle. Savage later recalled of the repeated NVA assaults: "It seemed like they didn't care how many of them were killed.

A firsthand account from Pvt. Leg Tuck Challenge: Gen. On November 18th, the Vietnamese retreated after having suffered confirmed kills, and another 1, presumed dead or wounded. Around midnight, Lt. While they were doing this, Bass heard Vietnamese voices and the interpreter confirmed that these were NVA talking. It was estimated that only eight UH-1 Hueys could fit in the clearing at a given time. The battle of Ia Drang was an engagement of the Vietnam War. Countries With the Highest Population Growth. Marm, 2nd Platoon, A Company, fired a light anti-tank weapon LAW at the machine-gun position, charged the position with grenades while under fire, and killed the remaining NVA at the machine-gun position with rifle fire. Herrick who, before dying, radioed Capt.

The Largest Cities in Canada. By Ben Loudermilk on April 25 in Society. The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, , at two landing zones LZs northwest of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam approximately 35 miles south-west of Pleiku as part of the U. At the LZ, the wounded and dead were evacuated, and the remaining American forces dug in and fortified their lines. Alpha Company noticed the sudden absence of air cover and their commander, Capt. Moore selected:. Delta Company, which was next in the column following Alpha Company, was holding in place; so was Charlie Company, which was next in line. Ernie Savage.

Lz Xray. Related Topics Army Vietnam War. At the end of these attacks, with daybreak approaching, Diduryk's Company had only six lightly wounded men among its ranks — with none killed. Savage, suffered three sizable assaults of the night one just before midnight, one at , and one at Larry Litton assumed command of D Company. LZ Xray - Vietnam War. Melyan, Wesley R. Lund's skilled organization of artillery strikes.

As Hal Moore wrote in his memoir Hal Moore: A Soldier Once…and Always , Their peasant soldiers had withstood the terrible high-tech fire storm delivered against them by a superpower and had at least fought the Americans to a draw. Accessed April 17, There were several dead NVA around his platoon command post. Archived from the original on May 16, Wikimedia Commons. New York: Harper Perennial. Surrounded and under heavy fire from a numerically superior force, the American forces at LZ X-ray were able to hold off and drive back the North Vietnamese forces over three days of battle, largely through the support of both air power and heavy artillery bombardment, which the North Vietnamese lacked. The situation quickly disintegrated for Lt. Tracy Black Enders.

Edwards was seriously wounded, and Lt. At the time the U. In this session, with Col. The assault was instead launched October 19 with only two Regiments, the 32nd and 33rd, instead of the planned three, before the Air Cavalry troops were combat ready. Because the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry stealthily closed in the battlefield by foot instead of by heli-lift, B3 Field Front was unaware that the opponent troop ratio had switched from to Retrieved Feb 15, McDade's command group had reached the Albany clearing. As Hal Moore wrote in his memoir Hal Moore: A Soldier Once…and Always , Their peasant soldiers had withstood the terrible high-tech fire storm delivered against them by a superpower and had at least fought the Americans to a draw. Savage, suffered three sizable assaults of the night one just before midnight, one at , and one at Had the NVA forces circled around to the north of the U.

By their yardstick, a draw against such a powerful opponent was the equivalent of a victory. There were two troopers — one black, one Hispanic — linked tight together. D Company's reconnaissance platoon commanded by Lieutenant James Rackstraw was positioned along the north and east of the landing zone, establishing a degree perimeter over X-Ray. Head, William Delta Company, which comprised special weapons forces including mortar , recon , and machine gun units, was to be used as the battlefield reserve. Meanwhile, an ARVN intelligence source by intercept of radio communication indicated that some NVA B3 Field Front recon elements and transportation units had already moved out of their assembly areas to attack the Pleime camp. James Comer and Spec. An intense firefight quickly erupted in the clearing; during the first three or four minutes his platoon inflicted heavy losses on the North Vietnamese who streamed out of the trees, while his men did not take any casualties. Martin's Press.

Six NVA were captured. Edwards C Company ordered SSgt. Related Videos. We Were Soldiers Once Five minutes later, Capt. July 20, A close quarters battle ensued, lasting for 16 hours. Got it! He wanted to withdraw the units but Gen. By , the North Vietnamese had begun to withdraw from the battle, although sporadic fire still continued to harass the Americans.

The reconnaissance platoon and 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, provided initial defense at the position. Thus, the enemy will be caught in a dilemma: He has to drag out the war in order to win it and does not possess, on the other hand, the psychological and political means to fight a long-drawn-out war. The size of the clearing at LZ X-Ray meant that troops had to be shuttled in, the first lift landing at Jimmy Nakayama of Rigby, Idaho who had been a 2nd Lt. Special Forces outposts in the region as a prelude to the drive on Pleiku. General Knowles stated that he had selected the initial landing zone used by Hal Moore and his troops, [28] knowing quite well that the enemy lacked anti-aircraft guns and heavy mortars that had been destroyed during the attack on the Plei Me camp and that the enemy could have positioned on the hillsides overlooking the landing zone to gun down the helicopters and to decimate the cavalry troops landing on the ground. C Company's command then passed to Platoon Sgt. James Scott, wife of the battalion command sergeant major, performed the same duty for the dead of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry. Aerial fire support was then called in on the NVA at close range — including those along Charlie Company's lines. The M60 gun crews, tactically positioned around the perimeter to provide for multiple fields of fire, were told to hold their fire until otherwise ordered so as to conceal their true location from the NVA.

Fought between November 14th and 18th of , around the hills surrounding the valley of Ia Drang, on the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. Once the relief force was destroyed, the two regiments were to join and take the camp. The North Vietnamese had believed that field artillery would be unable to deploy and operate effectively in that roadless, jungle-covered region. In the first few minutes of that battle, 70 men were lost to two American companies at the scene. While they waited for air support, the Americans holding LZ Albany drove off any NVA assaults on them and sniped at the exposed enemy wandering around the perimeter. Matt Dillon , Lt. Savage, suffered three sizable assaults of the night one just before midnight, one at , and one at By , the North Vietnamese had begun to withdraw from the battle, although sporadic fire still continued to harass the Americans. Having taken increasing casualties, 1st Brigade was relieved by 3rd Brigade, the handover being completed over the period November 7—

The PAVN learned that they could neutralize that firepower by quickly engaging American forces at very close range. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. By the attack had been stopped, and one hour after launching the assault the NVA forces withdrew. The M60 gun crews, tactically positioned around the perimeter to provide for multiple fields of fire, were told to hold their fire until otherwise ordered so as to conceal their true location from the NVA. Retrieved Related Topics Army Vietnam War. Have you ever wondered what helicopter pilots carry on them? By , they had been cut off from the rest of the column; the area whence they had come was full of NVA soldiers. Marm's 2nd Platoon, A Company new position, his men killed some 80 NVA troops with close range machine gun, rifle, and grenade assault. The handle was blown off my entrenching tool and one of my canteens had a hole blown through it.

The notification telegrams at this time were handed over to taxi cab drivers for delivery to the next of kin. Moore's plan was to move Bravo and Alpha Companies northwest past the creek bed, and Charlie Company south toward the mountain. Soon, Lt. It was James Lane's platoon within 30 minutes. Jack Gell, brought his and the bodies of other Americans back to the creek bed under heavy fire. The U. Moore responded that he had plans to send in 1st Cav, however at the present time all units are engaged.

Archived from the original on July 16, Edwards was seriously wounded, and Lt. Fear like I had never known before. There were several clearings in the area that had been designated as possible helicopter landing zones , typically named for a letter of the NATO phonetic alphabet. Part 4. Herren ordered his 1st Platoon under Lt. The troops were inserted about meters from the position of the NVA 9th Battalion belonging to the 66th Regiment. Five days of B bombing runs explain the need to estimate casualties on the other side, as well as the high estimate. The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, , at two landing zones LZs northwest of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam approximately 35 miles south-west of Pleiku as part of the U.

Retrieved Sep 21, McDade and his group walked across the clearing and into a clump of trees. During , large groups of North Vietnamese Army regulars moved into the area to conduct offensive operations. At , General Knowles wanted the cavalry units on the ground to organize an exploitation of B strike target operation. Delta Company, which comprised special weapons forces including mortar , recon , and machine gun units, was to be used as the battlefield reserve. The impasse lasted between 20 and 30 minutes before Capts. Geoghegan's lines. Alpha Company came upon some grass huts, which they were directed to burn. At , the last of the 1st battalion arrived, and Lt. The next morning the PAVN's 33rd Regiment joined the fight but constant air strikes forced the communists to retreat.

Namespaces Article Talk. Herrick to attempt to link back with Devney's 1st Platoon. Herrick ordered his men to form a defensive perimeter on a small knoll in the clearing. Retrieved May 7, Frank Henry, the wife of the battalion executive officer, and Mrs. Harold Moore pt 2. Herrick soon radioed in that the enemy were closing in around his left and right flanks. Tully, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry. Donald J. Given the situation there was no reason for U.