CIA Archives: Vietnam War - Battle of Ia Drang Valley (1965 Documentary Film)

DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UWK7II/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=d...

http://thefilmarchive.org/

The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (referred to by U.S. fighting units as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) during the Vietnam War).

The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, 1965, at two landing zones (LZs) northwest of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam (approximately 35 miles south-west of Pleiku). The battle derives its name from the Drang River which runs through the valley northwest of Plei Me, in which the engagement took place. "Ia" means "river" in the local Montagnard language.

Representing the American forces were elements of the 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The North Vietnamese forces included the 66th and 1st battalion/33rd Regiments of the NVA as well National Liberation Front (NLF) (known world wide as the Viet Cong) of the H15 Battalion. The battle featured close air support by U.S. bombers. Both sides suffered heavy losses and both claimed victory. The U.S. lost 234 dead, with 242 wounded; November 17 was the deadliest ambush for Americans in the entire Vietnam War, with 155 men killed and 126 men wounded.

The battle is the subject of the critically acclaimed book We Were Soldiers Once... And Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In 2002, Randall Wallace depicted the first part of the battle in the film We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson and Barry Pepper as Moore and Galloway, respectively. The National Geographic Channel has also aired a program titled "Day Under Fire: Vietnam War" which focuses mainly on the battle of Ia Drang.

Throughout 1963 and 1964 a series of political and military mishaps had seriously affected the capabilities of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) main forces in South Vietnam. ARVN commanders were initially under direct orders by President Ngo Dinh Diem to avoid pitched combat at all costs, allowing the NLF (VC) forces (known around the world as the Viet Cong, or simply "VC") to train and grow without significant opposition, despite losing several leaders to CIA search and destroy squads which relied heavily on rocket attacks using attack helicopters. Even after Diem's overthrow in a 1963 coup, the new military leadership largely consisted of commanders put in place by Diem prior to the coup. They showed equal lack of interest in fighting the NLF, spending their time in a series of coups and counter-coups.

In this vacuum the NLF (VC) units were able to mount increasingly larger military operations. At first these were limited to building up larger formations (battalions and regiments) but by late 1964 they had evolved into an all-out war against ARVN units, which they outperformed in all ways. By early 1965 the majority of rural South Vietnam was under limited VC control, increasingly supported by NVA regulars from North Vietnam. By 1965 ARVN units in the field were hopelessly outclassed and being ambushed and slaughtered.

U.S. advisers in the field had long been pushing for the ARVN forces to be "taken over" by U.S. commanders. In addition to actually getting the men to fight (something they generally seemed willing to do when well-led) the better training and leadership of the U.S. command was expected to be more than enough to make up for the existing deficiencies in the ARVN command. However, the newly-appointed commander of the Vietnam efforts, General William Westmoreland, felt the direct application of U.S. forces was a more appropriate solution; perhaps the ARVN units would not fight, but the same was certainly not true of U.S. Army regulars. By early 1965 he had secured the commitment of upwards of 300,000 U.S. regulars from Lyndon B. Johnson, and was actively trying to get them into the field as soon as possible. Buildup of combat-ready forces took place throughout the summer of 1965.

By 1965, the VC forces were in nominal control of most of the countryside and had set up a major military infrastructure in the Central Highlands, to the northeast of the Saigon region. Vietnamese communist forces had operated in this area during the previous decade in their war against the French, winning a notable victory at the Battle of Mang Yang Pass in 1954. There were few reliable roads into the area, making it an ideal place for the communist forces to form bases that were relatively immune from attack by the generally road-bound ARVN forces. During 1965 large groups of North Vietnamese regulars of the PAVN moved into the area in order to conduct major offensive operations. Attacks to the southwest from these bases threatened to cut South Vietnam in two.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ia_Drang

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[sal5988]

@Dex1n You don't mention in which country you live, or from which country you are posting this nonsense. Perhaps you are from, and live in, the now Socialist Dictator country of Vietnam. What we owe China is our problem, not yours. Further, this is a GLOBAL economy, in case you aren't paying attention, and whatever harms the EU, USA, Canada, and other free-world countries will come to roost at your doorstep, leaving you in greater poverty than you are now in. I'd suggest you go bite rocks.

[CH3MTRAILS]

dont go to war idiots , you will go back in a box ! DEATH TO THE NEW WORLD ORDER !

[bigfishmadeira]

There are still deep feelings about this war,many many horrible things happened,but did they learn a lesson? The answer, unfortunately is a resounding `no´,in Vietnam it was the Tonkin fabrication,and in Iraq/Afganistan it was 911,which in itself was never properly investigated,a total cover up. And they removed all the evidence!I feel sorry for the citizens of these countries,why can,t we all just try to get along together instead ?And do something about the bastard bankers corrupt politicians

[Huginmunin08]

@sal5988: The economy isn't a global economy, it's a transamerican establishment built up upon the structures of Wall Street and the big business scene in the USA. Or why do the Chinese business men wear the same suits that the Americans do? The word "global" is an euphemism and nothing more. English is the new world language, because violence and American brutality have made it to that. Nonsense about a free-world and freedom is a really pitiful way of denial...

[BiGDochozerocinco]

Huh..

[colwellk2]

such anger in these comments. Yes, the US used a pretext that was fake to join a war with the goal of expanding US economic interests into other parts of the world. It is and always has been that way (read Smedley Butler's writings. He was the most decorated US soldier at the time he wrote them, so you can't call him ignorant or a coward). Young men who want acceptance and financial security are exploited by rich old men to make rich richer and use poor from one nation against poor of another.

[sexymalcom1970]

@bravotwoniner your correct the Nigerian JTF has been teaching USMC how to shoot from speedboats at moving targets. the vids on youtube.

[bravotwoniner]

ive heard of stories about US Special forces sending their "Green" fresh recruits to their third world allies, and have their soldiers trained by third world soldiers on guerrilla warfare, unconventional warfare, and terrain survival. I guess they are not so dumb and ignorant after all. They have to know that they have much to learn, and that other soldiers can do their job, with less technology and flashy equipment, and rely more on their crude warfare skills, instincts, & survival knowledge.

[bravotwoniner]

throughout the years america enjoyed TECHNOLOGICAL SUPERIORITY... but in todays warfare, technology could only get you so far. Americas enemies use crude unforgiving and savage tactics to hunt GI's. Millions worth of hardware and technology will be destroyed, a whole lot more GI's are gonna die... while the opponent only losses expendible pawns soldiers that theyve only trained probably a month. The terrorist figured you dont need to spend much on training and arming.. just ATTACK

[Dex1n]

@sal5988 God you Americans are so annoying little criminals... You cry for your soldiers who died in Vietnam... remember who attacked there... Who made fake excuse to start the war? Remember Tonkin Gulf incident? North-Vietnam never did attack US vessel, it was a fake, to justify the war against them. But now you boys are in deep shit, you owe much money to China ;D And soon you don't afford to have forces in Middle East. Your economy is sucking bad time... Your wars just keep sucking you dry.