Fight in the valley of Ia Drang. The battle at the X-Ray landing zone has ended
Half a century ago, on November 14, 1965, in the Vietnamese Ia Drang Valley, US regular units first met in a major battle with the regiments of the Vietnamese People's Army. This battle (according to its veterans) became for the Vietnam War what civil war in Spain for World War II - a rehearsal site where it was tested new technology, tactics and weapons.
1965 turned out to be another watershed in long history wars in Vietnam. On July 28, US President Lyndon Johnson officially announced the deployment of the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division to Vietnam. It was created in February 1963 as the 11th experimental air assault and worked for two years combat use using helicopters. The division, which received the number and regalia of the oldest American combat unit, theoretically had no disadvantages of either traditional ground forces or airborne troops, surpassing the former in mobility, and the latter in safety and ease of landing.
Helicopter landing, X-ray landing zone
Basic " workhorse» the division was multi-purpose army helicopter UH-1 "Iroquois", aka "Huey", manufactured by Bell. It was unpretentious in maintenance and, in its transport modification, could lift 10–12 soldiers in full equipment into the air. Other variants of the Huey were a medical, which could accommodate six stretchers, and a strike.
The pilots were taught to fly a helicopter at low level, which in theory was supposed to minimize the risk of fire from the ground. Helicopter pilots also had to be able to fly in a tight V formation, although this was not officially encouraged because it was too dangerous.
The infantry was armed with the latest M16 automatic rifles, M60 machine guns, M79 and M72 grenade launchers. Each company consisted of 164 soldiers and six officers, three companies forming the backbone of the battalion. The company had three riflemen and one mortar platoon(three 81 mm mortars). Each platoon consisted of three squads, which were provided with two M-60 fire support. A separate fourth company consisted of a reconnaissance platoon, a mortar platoon and an anti-tank platoon - for Vietnam it was replaced with machine gunners. The battalion headquarters and the support company attached to it (control, communications, supply, first aid) - another 14 officers, a warrant officer and 119 privates.
Some of the soldiers were conscripts, some joined the army to avoid prison, but the vast majority were volunteers aged 19–20. Some sergeants still remembered the landing in Normandy, many fought in Korea. In the spring and summer of 1965, during the shuffling of personnel, the division lost many platoon commanders and other officers, whose place was taken by newcomers.
Colonel Harold Moore (left) and Sergeant Major Basil Plumley during the Battle of Ia Drang
http://www.worldwar2guys.com
To transfer the division to the other end of the earth, an entire fleet was required - four old aircraft carriers, six troop transports from the Second World War and seven dry cargo ships. The advanced units, about a thousand people, were airlifted.
Meanwhile, the flywheel of the Vietnam War was gaining momentum more and more rapidly. The United States wanted to finish off the enemy as quickly as possible and increased the number of troops. Instead of South Vietnamese forces working with American advisers during Operation Starlight, the Americans used their Marines. In turn, North Vietnam, not limiting itself to supplying weapons to the Viet Cong, sent the first regular regiments to the south. Their strike in the area of the central plateaus and further along Highway 19 to the sea was supposed to cut South Vietnam in half.
Upon arrival in Vietnam, the 1st Cavalry was stationed at a hastily constructed base near An Khe that could accommodate more than 400 helicopters. It was assumed that from there the mobile units would quickly and effectively strike the enemy, wherever he was. Unlike traditional troops, helicopters could not hold up jungles, ambushes, mines, or blown-up bridges. However, some soldiers became victims of mines installed in the area of the airfield in the early 50s by the French. Local conditions could not be called comfortable even by a stretch. Even the pilots did not have tropical uniforms or shoes - and the usual ones quickly rotted. In the stifling heat of Vietnam, it was possible to take a shower once a month, and the rest of the time I had to sponge myself off. In only one battalion, malaria, despite the pills, short term disabled 56 people.
Helicopters constantly came under fire from the ground, sometimes even encountering bursts of 12.7 mm DShK machine guns. When planting, one had to be wary of three-meter bamboo stakes. In theory, helicopter pilots were prohibited from flying more than four hours a day, but in practice they flew until they were exhausted.
Camp Plamey
http://www.stripes.com
On October 19, the small fort of Plei Mee (a dozen advisers and more than 400 South Vietnamese) in the Ia Drang Valley came under siege. The northerners did not destroy the garrison, hoping to attack the forces of the southerners going to the rescue of the besieged, and see what the Americans were capable of in battle. The fort, built on the site of French fortifications of the last war, was constantly bombarded with mortars and recoilless rifles, repelling more and more attacks. As a result, a week later, with the support of aviation and artillery, the siege was lifted, and the decision was made to pursue the retreating Vietnamese.
On November 14, 16 Hueys, accompanied by four fire support helicopters, began transporting the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment to the X-Ray landing zone. In the first wave (at about 10:48) there were about 160 people on the ground. It was supposed to attack the Vietnamese base half a mile from the landing site, but the landing took place right in the middle of the positions of the resting 66th Vietnamese regiment, numbering about 1,600 soldiers. The Vietnamese have been preparing for future battles in this area since September - they took away local population, dug shelters, prepared warehouses with food and ammunition.
Map of the Battle of Ia Drang Valley
weaponsandwarfare.com
Two more Vietnamese regiments, recently transferred from the north, were nearby. They were commanded by veterans of the fight against the French, and the overall operation was led by Brigadier General Thu Huy Man.
The Vietnamese immediately spotted the landing and went to meet it. At about 12:05 the first shots were fired. Bursts of machine guns and machine guns, 60-mm and 82-mm mines, and RPG-2 grenades flew at the paratroopers. For the Americans, the battle followed the worst-case scenario - not only did the battalion enter the battle without having time to fully land, but also one platoon disappeared to God knows where.
Fortunately for the landing party, they had radio communications for adjustments, and soon fire support appeared. Two six-gun batteries of 105-mm howitzers, transferred by Chinook helicopters to a special bridgehead, fired non-stop - shell casings lay in piles up to three meters high. The shells at times fell no further than 50 meters from their leading edge. In addition, aviation appeared - attack aircraft and fighter-bombers dropped 250- and 500-pound bombs and napalm tanks. At about two o'clock in the afternoon one of the Skyraiders was shot down and the pilot died.
Typical landscape
http://www.history.army.mil
The hilly valley was covered with thick elephant grass as tall as a man and dotted with termite mounds, so that many firefights broke out suddenly at a distance of only a few meters, pistols and hand grenades. To help the battalion, reinforcements, ammunition, and water were transferred by helicopter, and the wounded were also taken away on them - and the helicopter pilots could not shoot for fear of hitting their own. Sappers blew up trees to clear new landing areas.
After the battle, when analyzing data from the Vietnamese side, it turned out that the paratroopers, without knowing it, several times closed gaps in the defense literally within last minute. The Vietnamese did not have time to encircle the landing party in time before it took up a perimeter defense on a patch of tree-free terrain. But the landing party also had a hard time - only the platoon of 29 people, cut off from its own, lost 8 killed and 13 wounded. The survivors survived the night only by adjusting artillery and aviation. Some of the soldiers were wounded more than once, but continued to fight.
In the morning new, exceptionally persistent attacks began. The Vietnamese had an unusual style of shooting - at ground level, when the bullets hit either the legs of those standing or the heads of those leaning out of shelters. Attempts by the paratroopers to rescue the encircled platoon failed; on the contrary, even more infantrymen were almost cut off. The third company lost 42 out of 111 people killed in 2.5 hours, and another 20 were wounded. It came down to hand-to-hand combat. In one of the skirmishes, Sergeant McManus covered a grenade with himself.
The situation became so critical that the aircraft controller transmitted the code "Broken Arrow" - a signal that the unit could be destroyed. According to it, every free fighter-bomber in Vietnam dropped what they were doing and rushed to the aid of the paratroopers. The planes lined up for bombing in several echelons - free space it just wasn't there. Bombs, napalm and white phosphorus shells were used to push back the Vietnamese, but the leader of the F-100 pair dropped napalm on his troops. Desperate screams on the radio forced the wingman to turn away in time - otherwise he would have covered the battalion headquarters with napalm.
Mel Gibson as Harold Moore in We Were Soldiers
http://rsfb.static.gamesradar.com
Shortly after noon, for the first time in Vietnam, B-52 strategic bombers were used to support troops on the battlefield - 18 aircraft dropped half a thousand 500-pound bombs. By evening, the surrounded platoon was brought back to its own. On the morning of November 16, two fresh battalions replaced soldiers exhausted by continuous fighting.
On the morning of November 17, B-52 bombers dropped 800 500-pound bombs in one blow—about two hundred tons (!). Under such impressive cover, the ground forces carefully retreated to the Albany zone. It would seem that the battle has already been won – and with a devastating score. US soldiers lost 79 killed and 121 wounded - and 634 enemy corpses were found on the battlefield. It was assumed that more than a thousand more were killed by artillery and aircraft.
But, making their way through the thick grass, the soldiers involuntarily crowded together. The Vietnamese used a fresh battalion to carefully prepare an "L" shaped ambush. They worked out the tactics of such actions against the French - when the enemy, encountering sudden fire, turned his front towards the ambush, he came under flanking fire from another “crossbar” L. Already in the first minutes of the battle, the Americans lost dozens of people - including those who quickly left officers, sergeants and radio operators are out of action. The 3rd Company of the 2nd Battalion alone suffered 45 killed and over 50 wounded out of 112 men who entered the battle. For a long time, they could not even provide support to those who were ambushed - friend and enemy were so mixed up, and there was simply no one to correct the attacks.
Finally, having more or less understood the situation, aviation and artillery began to hit places where there seemed to be no living Americans. By this time, the survivors were seriously prepared to accept death at the hands of their own rather than at the hands of the enemy. How many of them died from “friendly fire” of all kinds remains unknown. On the other hand, a napalm strike often saved someone from certain death. The survivors, individually and in groups, made their way wherever they could. The last survivor reached his family only after a week of wandering.
The command received the first message about the incident from... a civilian photographer. What the Americans saw after the battle was most often described as “massacre.” After shelling and bombing of the surrounding area, the corpses had to be collected using shovels and ponchos, and then literally stuffed into helicopters with them.
As often happened in the Vietnam War, both sides claimed victory—and both had good reason. In four days of fighting at Albany and X-Ray, 234 Americans died - more than any regiment of southerners or northerners lost in the bloodiest battle of Gettysburg and much more US losses during the entire war in Persian Gulf. Another 70 people died elsewhere. The Air Force lost one attack pilot. Four helicopters were shot down and 55 were damaged. The Vietnamese admit, for their part, 559 killed.
Harold Moore, Ed Freeman and Joseph Galloway at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 2005
http://www.stripes.com
Reporter Joseph Galloway also took part in the battle, pulling the wounded out of the fire. Together with Harold Moore, they wrote the book “We Were Soldiers,” which was later adapted into a film of the same name. The book is dedicated to both the US military and the fallen soldiers of the 320th, 33rd and 66th regiments of the Vietnamese People's Army. They were all soldiers.
List of used literature:
- Website dedicated to the battle in the Ya Drang Valley (http://www.lzxray.com)
- Harold G. Moore, Joseph L. Galloway. We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang – The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam. Presidio Press, 2004
- Shelby L. Stanton. Anatomy of a Division: The 1st Cav in Vietnam. Presidio Press, 1987
- Mason Robert. Chicken and the Hawk (
Battle of Ya Drang Valley is the common name given to two battles fought between the American and North Vietnamese armies in 1965 during the Vietnam War. It is one of the most fierce, bloody and often mentioned battles of the Vietnam War.
Prerequisites
In the spring and summer of 1965, the United States sent its regular military units to South Vietnam, where at that time there was a guerrilla war actively supported by communist North Vietnam, to support the country's government. In July-September, American forces conducted their first offensive operations, generally successfully operating against the partisans National Front liberation of South Vietnam. However, significant concern among the American command was caused by the units of the regular North Vietnamese army that had not yet entered into battle, which were believed to be superior to the partisan units in terms of combat effectiveness due to better organization and weapons. The North Vietnamese command also feared a new enemy, not being sure that the Vietnamese soldiers would be able to effectively resist the Americans. The desire of both sides to test the capabilities of their enemy in battle led to the inevitability of a major clash.
BATTLE
First operations
In October 1965, North Vietnamese troops with a division-sized force launched an operation on the Taing Guen Plateau (Central Highlands), laying siege to the American special forces camp Plei Me in Pleiku Province. Their goal was to take the camp and develop an offensive against Pleiku and Qui Non on the coast, which would cut South Vietnam in two, a major strategic victory for North Vietnamese forces. But the South Vietnamese army, with the support of US aircraft and artillery, managed to lift the siege from the Plei Me camp. The North Vietnamese units that suffered losses began to withdraw to Cambodia, where they could regroup and replenish personnel. Having received intelligence information about the enemy’s retreat, the American command launched Operation Silver Bayonet. Units of a newly arrived Vietnamese force were deployed to the Pleiku area. 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division, who were tasked with detecting and destroying retreating scattered groups of North Vietnamese.
In the X-Ray landing zone
X-Ray
The first two weeks of the operation were characterized by violent, sporadic skirmishes. North Vietnamese troops were constantly on the move, avoiding major combat and continuing to withdraw along the Ia Drang River. Finally, the command of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, to which the operation was transferred, received information about the alleged presence of the main part of the enemy troops in the Chu Pong mountain range near the border. November 14, 1965 in the Landing Zone (LZ) "X-Ray" ( During the Vietnam War, the concept of a "landing zone" was used by the US military to define any area of terrain suitable for landing helicopter troops and used for this purpose during combat operations. Typically, each landing zone was given a name or designation) landed 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry(commander - Lieutenant Colonel Moore), who began advancing towards Chu Pong in search of the enemy.
Fight in the X-Ray landing zone
Very soon the battalion was attacked by North Vietnamese units, which had many times superior numbers, and was forced to stop advancing, taking up defensive positions. During the first Vietnamese attack was completely cut off from his powers one of the American platoons. The battle immediately became fierce and stubborn. Moore's battalion repelled all enemy attacks, but could not leave the battle and took up a perimeter defense for the night. The battle of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment continued throughout the day on November 15th. Having received reinforcements in the form of several companies from the other two battalions and taking advantage of significant artillery and air support provided after the signal was broadcast "Broken Arrow" (IN American army during the Vietnam War, the "Broken Arrow" signal ( Broken Arrow) meant that the unit was in a critical situation. Upon receipt of such a signal, all aircraft in a given area are removed from their combat missions and sent to support this unit.), the 1st battalion managed to connect with its encircled platoon. In the morning of November 16, the Vietnamese attacks stopped.
Advance along the edge of the defensive perimeter. "X-Ray"
Having exhausted reserves and failed to destroy the American battalion, parts of the North Vietnamese army began to retreat from the X-Ray landing zone. Depleted by losses, Moore's battalion was evacuated under the cover of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, who had landed in full force. The first phase of the Battle of Ya Drang is over.
Defensive perimeter of the 1st Battalion, night of November 14
Albany
The American command considered that the defeated North Vietnamese division had finally lost its combat capability and left the Ia Drang area. In fact, American intelligence lost sight of one enemy regiment, which did not take part in the battle and therefore retained its combat effectiveness. Both battalions landing at X-Ray were ordered to move north and northeast to two other landing zones, where they were to be picked up by helicopters - the entire area at the foot of Chu Pong was planned to be "treated" by B-52 strategic bombers.
2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment (commander - Lieutenant Colonel McDade) stepped towards landing zone"Albany". During the march, the battalion was greatly stretched, and by the time the lead units reached the Albany in the middle of the day on November 17, the soldiers were tired from the long march. The battalion made a halt; it was assumed that there was no enemy in the area, and security was not organized. As a result, when the fresh North Vietnamese regiment began attacking, all communication between American units was lost. The battalion was dismembered by the enemy into several parts and by the end of the day ceased to exist as a combat unit. The next day, the battle in the Ia Drang Valley ended with the evacuation of the surviving and dead soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Regiment.
Bottom line
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major engagement between U.S. regular units and Northern Vietnam. At that time it was the largest battle of the Vietnam War. As a result, both parties came to the conclusion that capable of withstanding the enemy in open combat, which had a direct impact on their strategy and tactics in the following years.
Lieutenant Colonel Moore next to the body of a dead North Vietnamese soldier
Although the battle had a great resonance back in 1965, it really became widely known in the United States and a number of other countries decades later. In 1992, a book dedicated to the battle was published. "We were soldiers... and young", written former commander 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment by Moore and a journalist Joseph Galloway, who witnessed the battle in the X-Ray landing zone. Based on the book, the big-budget feature film We Were Soldiers was made in 2002 (Moore was played by Mel Gibson), which, however, did not mention the battle in the Albany landing zone.
Both sides of the battle believe that they won it ( It is noteworthy that Moore in his book assesses the overall outcome of the battle as a draw ) . It should be noted that the North Vietnamese command failed to carry out the strategic plan of its offensive (taking Plei Me, Pleiku and access to the coastal areas), primarily due to the actions of the 1st US Cavalry Division. The losses on both sides were very heavy. American troops lost killed 79 people in and around the X-Ray drop zone 150 (The largest loss of US armed forces in a single battle during combat operations in Vietnam ) - at the Albany landing zone. The official figure for Vietnamese casualties is classified (if it exists at all), but according to American data, it is more than 1000 (possibly until 2000 ) killed.
Books:
Davidson F. The Vietnam War (1946-1975) = Vietnam at War: The History 1946-1975. - M.: Isographus, Eksmo, 2002. - P. 816.
Website: http://www.lzxray.com/
Plan
Introduction
1 Prerequisites
2 Battle
2.1 First operations
2.2 X-Ray
2.3 Albany
3 Summary
References
Introduction
The Battle of Ia Drang Valley is the common name given to two battles fought between the American and North Vietnamese armies in 1965 during the Vietnam War. It is one of the most fierce, bloody and often mentioned battles of the Vietnam War.
1. Prerequisites
In the spring and summer of 1965, the United States sent its regular military units to South Vietnam, where at that time there was a guerrilla war actively supported by communist North Vietnam, to support the country's government. In July and September, American forces conducted their first offensive operations against the guerrillas of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. However, significant concern among the American command was caused by the units of the regular North Vietnamese army that had not yet entered into battle, which were believed to be superior to the partisan units in terms of combat effectiveness due to better organization and weapons. The desire of both sides to test the capabilities of their enemy in battle led to the inevitability of a major clash.
2.1. First operations
In October 1965, North Vietnamese troops with a division-sized force launched an operation on the Tainguyen Plateau (Central Highlands), laying siege to the American special forces camp of Pleime in Pleiku Province. But the South Vietnamese army, with the support of US aircraft and artillery, managed to lift the siege from the Pleime camp. Having received intelligence information about the enemy’s retreat, the American command decided to pursue him. Units of the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division, which had recently arrived in Vietnam, were transferred to the Pleiku area and were tasked with detecting and destroying retreating isolated groups of North Vietnamese.
The first two weeks of the operation were characterized by violent, sporadic skirmishes. North Vietnamese troops were constantly on the move, avoiding major combat and continuing to withdraw along the Drang River. Finally, the command of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, to which the operation was transferred, received information about the alleged presence of the main part of the enemy troops in the Chupong mountain range near the border. November 14, 1965 at the landing zone (Landing Zone, LZ)
"X-Ray" landed the 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Moore), who began advancing towards Chu Pong in search of the enemy. Very soon the battalion was attacked by North Vietnamese units and was forced to stop advancing, taking up defensive positions. During the first Vietnamese attack, one of the American platoons was completely cut off from its forces. The battle immediately became fierce and stubborn. Moore's battalion repelled all enemy attacks, but could not leave the battle and took up a perimeter defense for the night.
The battle of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment continued throughout the day on November 15th. Taking advantage of significant artillery and air support provided by the Broken Arrow signal, the 1st Battalion managed to link up with its encircled platoon. In the morning of November 16, the Vietnamese attacks stopped. Depleted by losses, Moore's battalion was evacuated under the cover of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, who had landed in full force. The first phase of the Battle of Ya Drang is over.
Both battalions landing at X-Ray were ordered to move north and northeast to two other landing zones, where they were to be picked up by helicopters - the entire area at the foot of Chupong was planned to be "treated" by B-52 strategic bombers. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel McDade) advanced towards the Albany landing zone. During the march, the battalion was greatly stretched, and by the time the lead units reached the Albany in the middle of the day on November 17, the soldiers were tired from the long march. The battalion made a halt. At this moment, he was suddenly attacked by the enemy. The next day, the battle in the Ia Drang Valley ended with the evacuation of the surviving and dead soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Regiment.
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major clash between US and North Vietnamese regular units. At that time it was the largest battle of the Vietnam War.
Although the battle had a great resonance back in 1965, it really became widely known in the United States and a number of other countries decades later. In 1992, a book dedicated to the battle, We Were Soldiers... and Young, was published, written by former commander of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment Moore and journalist Joseph Galloway, who witnessed the battle at the X-Ray landing zone. Based on the book, a big-budget film was made in 2002. feature film"We Were Soldiers" (Mel Gibson played Moore), which, however, did not mention the battle in the Albany landing zone.
Both sides of the battle believe that they won it. It should be noted that the North Vietnamese command failed to carry out the strategic plan of its offensive (taking Pleime, Pleiku and entering the coastal areas). The losses on both sides were very heavy.
References:
1. In Soviet literature, this battle was mentioned quite rarely, so there is no stable tradition of writing the name of the river. There were options Yadrang
and just Drang River
. Russian publications usually use different transcriptions of English Ia Drang
.
2. During the Vietnam War, the concept of “landing zone” was used by the US military to define any area of terrain suitable for helicopter landings and used for this purpose during combat operations. Typically, each landing zone was given a name or designation.
3. In the American army during the Vietnam War, the “Broken Arrow” signal (Broken Arrow)
meant that the unit was in a critical situation. Upon receipt of such a signal, all aircraft in a given area are removed from their combat missions and sent to support this unit.
4. It is noteworthy that Moore in his book assesses the overall outcome of the battle as a draw.
Invading Vietnam, the US authorities were counting on a successful air operation, which was supposed to break the enemy’s morale by destroying strategic targets and peaceful settlements.
But this did not happen, then the United States began to introduce a regular army and the land war, last peak at the end of 1964
The US 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division, while continuing to pursue VNA units retreating from Plame, made its first serious contact with the enemy.
1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment ( intelligence unit division) discovered and captured the field hospital of the 33rd VNA regiment.
After this, the Americans engaged in battle with the North Vietnamese battalion, which was probably going to recapture the hospital. The battle continued until evening, when the battalion retreated.
American losses for the day amounted to 11 killed and 47 wounded. 7 helicopters were damaged by anti-aircraft fire.
VNA losses amounted to 99 dead (according to body counts), 183 dead (presumably), about 200 wounded (presumably), 44 prisoners, and large supplies of medicine were captured.
On November 3-4, the 66th Regiment of the 304th VNA Division, which had arrived in South Vietnam just two days earlier, encountered US forces for the first time.
On the evening of November 3, one of the regiment's units was ambushed by a patrol of the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment. By inflicting on the enemy big losses, the patrol retreated to its temporary base, which was soon attacked by a VNA battalion.
The battle continued throughout the night. Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, was deployed from Duc Co to assist the defenders. The VNA attacks were repelled.
On November 4, units of the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division fought two more battles with VNA forces. In total, the division's losses over two days in the Ia Drang valley were 14 killed and 64 wounded.
In addition, on November 4, two UH-1 helicopters collided in the air in the An Khe area, resulting in the death of 9 servicemen of the division. VNA losses for these days were estimated as follows: 111 dead (according to body counts), 92 dead (estimated), approximately 100 wounded (estimated), 22 prisoners.
On the second day of Operation Black Ferret south of Tyulai, a lieutenant who was part of a patrol of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment Marine Corps, tripped a booby trap consisting of an M26 grenade and an 81mm mortar shell.
Six were injured in the explosion Marines and war journalist Dickie Chappelle, who covered the operation for the National Observer and radio station WOR. She died on board the ambulance helicopter. Chappelle began her career as a photojournalist during World War II and covered conflicts in Cuba, Korea, Kashmir, Hungary, Algeria, and the Dominican Republic.
She became the fourth journalist (and the first woman) to die in the Vietnam War.
November 6 - throughout the day, two companies of the 2nd battalion of the 8th cavalry regiment fought with two battalions of the 33rd regiment of the VNA near the Yameur River (Ia Meur). The Americans lost 26 people killed and 53 wounded. VNA casualty estimate: 77 dead (according to body count), 121 killed (presumed), 271 wounded (presumed).
American intelligence discovered a large NLF force in Military Zone D, and on November 5, the 173rd Airborne Brigade launched Operation Hump in the area. The first three days of the operation passed without any significant events.
On the morning of November 8, the American company was unexpectedly attacked by the enemy near Hill 65.
The fierce battle involved the entire 1st Battalion of the 503rd Infantry (Airborne) Regiment on the American side, and one or two battalions of the 1st Binh Regiment (also known as the 271st Regiment) of the 9th NLF Division on the Vietnamese side. The Vietnamese tried several times to encircle the American units and attacked them with a “human wave.” In the afternoon, the battle was practically over - the Vietnamese retreated.
The paratroopers left the battlefield the next day, November 9. American losses were 49 killed and 83 wounded. The losses of the NLF were estimated at approximately 400 killed, according to some assumptions even 600-700 killed, which is unlikely.
Some means mass media The Battle of Hill 65 was reported as the largest engagement of the war (for US forces) to that point. The Vietnamese claim the destruction of an American battalion and four aircraft at Dat Quoc.
While American paratroopers fought on Hill 65, nearby units of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, also participating in Operation Hump, were fired upon by the enemy from prepared defensive positions.
The battle lasted about two hours and went down in the history of the Australian army as the Battle of Gang Toi. The Australians were forced to retreat, losing two men missing and four wounded.
According to American intelligence reports, the 33rd VNA Regiment finally brought together all its units retreating from Pleime.
During three weeks of fighting (the siege of Pleime and the retreat under continuous attacks by the 1st Cavalry Division), the regiment lost 890 people killed and more than 100 missing, that is, approximately 45% of its personnel.
On November 9, the Battle of the Iadrang Valley continued as control of the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division's operation passed from the 1st Brigade to the 3rd. Operation name changed from All the Way to Silver Bayonet I.
Four bloody days that culminated the Battle of Ya Drang Valley. By mid-November, the 33rd and 320th VNA regiments had regrouped after retreating from Pleime and, according to American intelligence, were preparing for a new assault on the American special forces camp. They suffered heavy losses, but still retained combat effectiveness. They were joined by the fresh 66th Regiment of the 304th VNA Division, which had just arrived in South Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Lieutenant Colonel Moore next to the body of a dead North Vietnamese soldier
On November 10, North Vietnamese General Chu Huy Man, far from disheartened by the heavy defeat that resulted from the failed attempt to capture Plei Me, decided to plan a new operation for November 16.
The area proposed by his headquarters for the deployment of troops and preparation for attack included the territory that Colonel Brown had chosen as the target of his search.
The condition of the 33rd Regiment of the North Vietnamese Army, which initially had a strength of 2,200 people, after the defeat at Plei Me at that time was extremely difficult - losses amounted to 890 people killed, 100 missing and 500 wounded.
The regiment had just begun to replenish its depleted ranks, regrouping in the valley between the Ia Drang River and Hill 542, the high point Chu Pang Ridge in the area.
Thirteen kilometers to the west, on the northern bank of the river, the 32nd regiment of the North Vietnamese army was located, which was still an effective combat unit, despite some losses suffered during the last battle.
Soon the 66th Regiment of the North Vietnamese Army was also transferred to this area. By November 11, three of his battalions occupied positions on both banks of the river, several kilometers east of the 33rd regiment.
General Chu Huy Man intended to reinforce these three regiments with a battalion armed with 120mm and 14.5mm mortars. twin-barrel anti-aircraft guns, but by this point both of these units were still on the Ho She Minh Trail in Cambodia.
On November 14, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division, began a routine search and destroy operation to locate and destroy enemy forces north of the Tupong Mountain range.
The battalion was staffed at approximately 70% strength staffing level(mainly due to malaria and the end of service for a number of military personnel) and numbered about 450 people.
In the first half of the day, he was dropped off by helicopters at the X-Ray landing zone and began combing the area.
The 1st platoon of the company began probing the area.
At 11:20, Lieutenant Danvey's troops made an unpleasant discovery: while searching the bushes, the private was surprised to find an enemy soldier positioned only 50 meters from the landing zone. The Vietnamese tried to hide in the thicket, but the Americans managed to capture him quite quickly.
The man caught was unarmed, wearing trousers and a dirty khaki T-shirt with a serial number on one shoulder, and of all his equipment he had only one empty flask.
When Commander Moore was notified of the captured soldier, the colonel immediately ordered the intelligence officer, Captain Thomas S. Metzker, and interpreter Mr. Nika.
After interrogating the prisoner, they found out that he had deserted from the North Vietnamese Army and had been hiding in the jungle for five days. He also reported that there were 3 North Vietnamese battalions located in the Chu Pong mountains, which had received orders to destroy American troops.
Indeed, in this area there were the 7th, 8th and 9th battalions of the 66th VNA regiment with a total strength of about 1,500 people.
With encouragement, but not without a certain amount of caution—the safe delivery of the remainder of the battalion to the landing zone had become the first priority—Colonel Moore ordered Captain Herren to intensify the search for the enemy and prepare to take over the mission of Company C and sweep the foothills of Chu Pong from the northwest.
Moore then radioed his S-3, Captain Dillon, who was circling the landing zone in a helicopter, ordering him to land and take the prisoner with him to main headquarters 3 Teams for further interrogation.
Almost immediately after Moore assigned Herren a new mission, a message arrived from the commander of Company A, Captain Ramon A. Nadal. Former military officer special purpose, who was in Vietnam for the fourth time,
Nadal asked permission to send his men to search for the Vietnamese, who may still be hiding near the landing zone. However, Moore had already assigned Herren to continue the search, whose men knew the local landscape better and were prepared for the upcoming battle;
He ordered Nadal to continue to guard the perimeter of the territory.
To advance to the northwest, Captain Herren chose the 1st platoon of Lieutenant Daveney, on the right they were to be covered by the 2nd platoon of the 2d Lt. Henry Herrick. According to the order received, both platoons were to move simultaneously in one line. Having positioned the 3rd Platoon, 2d Lt. Dennis Deal behind the 1st as reserve, Captain Herren gave the order to proceed.
Fight in the X-Ray landing zone
Crossing the dry riverbed, Deveny's men found themselves ahead of the rest of the group, well ahead of Herrick's platoon. At 12:45, his platoon came across a large, approximately equal number of enemy troops, who attacked the Americans from both flanks, covering them with machine gun fire. Unable to escape the fire zone and suffering casualties, the platoon requested assistance.
In an attempt to distract some of the attackers from them, Captain Herren radioed the order to Lieutenant Herrick to cover the right flank of 1st Platoon.
In an effort to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, Herrick immediately sent 27 of his men in that direction. Just a few minutes after receiving the order, the head of his 2nd Platoon suddenly encountered a squad of Vietnamese who were moving towards X-RAY along a well-trodden path. Having opened fire, the 2nd platoon began pursuing the enemy.
Soon the platoon began to be shelled from the right with longitudinal fire; the shots were isolated and not very accurate. Thus, the head squad ended up at the foot of Chu Pong Mountain, a hundred meters from the riverbed, and the 3rd squad was to the right and lower down the slope.
Lieutenant Herrick intended to continue clearing the area, forming all three of his squads in a line with machine gunners on the flanks.
Although he could no longer see the enemy soldiers, he knew that they were somewhere right in front of him. Herrick was just about to give the signal to continue moving when one of his 3rd Squad men spotted about 12 Vietnamese sneaking up on the Americans from the left flank. As soon as they were all in sight, the 3rd squad opened fire.
The Vietnamese tried to fire back, but the grenade launcher pinpointed their location and within a minute dropped shell after shell at that point. The screams of the wounded mixed with the sounds of explosions.
Suddenly, completely unexpectedly, the enemy opened a hurricane salvo of weapons on the right flank. In the firefight, the grenade launcher was instantly killed, and the rest of the squad was pinned to the ground by heavy fire.
Turning his two M60 machine guns towards the attackers, Herrick gave the order to the commander of the 3rd squad, St. Sgt Clyde Savage withdraws his men using machine gun fire as cover. But the machine gunners did not have time to reach firing positions and Herrick radioed in about his plight as the situation worsened further. Within minutes, 3 Platoon found itself under enemy fire from all sides.
Covered by the incessant bursts of M60s, Sergeant Savage attempted to lead his squad toward the platoon's position, carrying with him the M79 of the deceased grenade launcher, who was found where he had been mowed down by enemy fire, still holding his pistol in his hand. Under ever-increasing fire from all guns, including mortars and rockets, the squad reached the main body of the platoon and joined it, quickly forming a 25-meter defensive perimeter.
The American landing came as a complete surprise to the Vietnamese; The regiment commander and the commander of the 9th battalion closest to the X-Ray landing zone were absent from the field at that time, conducting reconnaissance of the area several kilometers from their troops. Worse yet, the political instructor of the 9th battalion panicked and fled from headquarters, leaving the unit without command.
However, the battalion officers were not at a loss and began to attack the Americans on their own initiative.
According to American data, the first fire contact with the enemy occurred at 12:30. Company B then encountered a large VNA force and one of its platoons (27 men) became completely cut off from its own. Until the end of the day, the battalion made two unsuccessful attempts break through to him.
By evening there was a calm. The 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry dug in, received ammunition, food, water, medicine and reinforcements in the form of one company of the 2nd Battalion, and evacuated all the wounded.
The night passed relatively calmly.
The platoon, cut off from its battalion, continued to hold out.
At dawn on November 15, VNA soldiers launched a new attack on the American positions, in which the 7th and 9th battalions participated. The Vietnamese managed to get close to the positions of Company C, and it came down to hand-to-hand fighting. The sector defended by D Company also came under attack.
The position of the American battalion became critical; An example is given when a 50-meter section of the perimeter was defended by only one soldier, who personally killed or wounded 10-15 VNA soldiers. The aircraft controller broadcast the code signal "broken boom", which gave the unit priority in receiving air and artillery support.
As he recalled, airspace from 7,000 to 35,000 feet (2,100 to 10,500 meters) at altitude intervals of 300 meters were occupied by aircraft waiting their turn to drop bombs.
By about 10 o'clock the Vietnamese attack was repulsed.
This was the bloodiest battle of the entire battle at the X-Ray landing zone, with both sides suffering heavy losses. After its completion, the American battalion received new reinforcements - another company of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry was landed by helicopters, and the entire 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry arrived at X-Ray by land. According to one of the soldiers of the newly arrived battalion,
"Lord, there are enemy corpses all over the valley. We spent the last 30 minutes walking past corpses, over corpses and over corpses."
In the afternoon, the Americans made another attempt to link up with the lost platoon and this time succeeded, encountering only minor enemy resistance. Of the 27 people in the platoon, 8 were killed and 12 were wounded.
Advance along the edge of the defensive perimeter. "X-Ray"
According to Vietnamese documents, the 66th did not attempt to destroy the platoon simply because it did not know of its existence.
In the pre-dawn hours of November 16, the Vietnamese launched a final attack, which involved mainly units of the 7th Battalion, which by this time had already suffered more casualties.
The Americans recaptured it quite easily, and they didn’t even have any casualties. Early in the morning they staged a “mad minute” (during the “mad minute” all the soldiers of the unit suddenly open unaimed fire on the surrounding area.
In Vietnam, "crazy minutes" were a standard measure for defense against an enemy attempting to covertly approach a unit's positions) and caught a small group of Vietnamese soldiers by surprise; The Americans assumed that she was trying to sneak up on them to attack, but Vietnamese sources indicate that she was collecting the dead and wounded.
Shortly thereafter, American units began clearing the surrounding area, during which they had small contact with another group of VNA soldiers.
The battle at the X-Ray landing zone has ended.
Over three days of fighting, US casualties were 79 killed and 121 wounded. One US Air Force A-1 attack aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, killing its pilot (probably not included in the total loss figures).
Two UH-1 helicopters made an emergency landing with battle damage, but both vehicles were repairable and were evacuated by other helicopters. On the battlefield, the Americans counted 634 corpses of VNA soldiers, another 1,200 were allegedly put out of action (killed or wounded), 6 people were captured.
On November 16, three American battalions were at X-Ray—the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Cavalry, and the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry. The 1st Battalion, which suffered the greatest losses, was transported by helicopter to its base on the same day.
The entire area adjacent to the Tupong mountain range was decided to be "treated" by B-52 strategic bombers, so the two remaining battalions had to leave this area, and the next day they were also supposed to be evacuated from the Ya Drang Valley.
The battalions spent the night in X-Ray and set out on the morning of November 17. The 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, reached the Columbus landing zone without incident, but the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, heading to the Albany landing zone, was much less fortunate. The Americans believed that the VNA forces were completely defeated and retreated, and therefore lost their caution. At the same time, the North Vietnamese command did not consider the battle over.
Although the 7th and 9th battalions of the 66th Regiment were no longer operational, there was still the 8th Battalion, which was stationed too far from X-Ray and did not take part in the fighting. The Vietnamese mistakenly thought that one US battalion was still at X-Ray and had suffered heavy casualties (they were unaware that two other battalions had arrived there), and sent their 8th Battalion to finish off the enemy.
As the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry approached the Albany landing zone from which it was to be picked up by helicopters, the forward elements captured two North Vietnamese scouts and another escaped. The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDade, called all company commanders to participate in the interrogation, leaving the units without command.
The 2nd Battalion of the 7th Regiment (commander - Lieutenant Colonel McDade) set out towards the Albany landing zone, they were the ones who would be ambushed and almost all would die
The battalion column stopped for a break, its head part was in the Albany landing zone. Meanwhile, the escaped scout informed the commander of the 8th battalion of the 66th regiment, who was very close by, that he had met the Americans.
The battalion went on the attack and was joined by some units of the 1st Battalion of the 33rd Regiment.
The attack came as a complete surprise to the Americans. There was almost no organized defense, each platoon and each section simply fought for their survival. The battalion column was dismembered into several parts, Vietnamese units were mixed with American ones, and complete chaos reigned on the battlefield. The battle took place at minimal distances, with hand-to-hand combat breaking out in places.
105-mm M101 howitzer at the firing line (Vietnam, Ia Drang River valley
Due to the nature of the battle, providing artillery and air support was extremely difficult.
Lieutenant Larry Gwin:
"When you call napalm on yourself (which is what we did), you will take casualties. I don't know if I could have called it on myself, but someone did and he saved my life. I think we killed a lot of our people.<...>Maybe five or ten, trying to save themselves."
By evening the battle was largely over, and the remnants of the VNA units retreated into the jungle. At the end of the day, the American battalion received reinforcements - two companies. Sporadic skirmishes with Vietnamese snipers continued throughout the night. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, survived, although incapacitated.
The battlefield was once again left to the Americans. Casualties on both sides at the Albany landing zone were very heavy.
The cavalry lost 155 people killed and missing, and 121 people wounded. In terms of death toll, this was the largest loss of US forces in a single battle during the Vietnam War. A
The Americans counted 403 corpses of VNA soldiers, and approximately 100 more Vietnamese were considered presumed dead.
Among the dead were the commanders of both North Vietnamese battalions participating in the battle. It is characteristic that not a single American soldier was captured, although all the conditions for this were available.
Subsequently, the Vietnamese admitted “mistakes” in the implementation of the VNA policy regarding the taking of prisoners during this battle. North Vietnamese soldiers simply did not take anyone prisoner and methodically finished off the wounded Americans.
The battle in the Yadrang Valley was coming to an end.
Battle of Ya Drang Valley: The South Vietnamese army joined in the pursuit of VNA forces retreating to the Cambodian border. The ARVN Airborne Brigade was deployed to Pleiku to participate in an operation called Than Phong 7.
The decisive battle took place in the Dykko area on November 20, when South Vietnamese paratroopers encountered two battalions of the VNA 320th Regiment.
The commander of one of them, who had suffered heavy losses at Plame a month earlier, ordered his unit to leave the battlefield without permission from higher command. The South Vietnamese operation ended on November 24. ARVN casualties - 21 killed, 58 wounded; VNA losses - 256 dead (according to body counts), 12 prisoners.
The US 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division completed operations in the Ya Drang Valley. Over the course of about a month, the Battle of the Central Highlands involved division-equivalent forces on both sides: three Vietnamese People's Army regiments and three U.S. airmobile brigades, as well as a number of South Vietnamese units.
For American troops it became the largest battle of 1965 and one of the largest battles of the entire war. Both sides claimed victory, and both sides had certain reasons for this. US and South Vietnamese forces managed to disrupt the plans of the North Vietnamese command; the Plame special forces camp survived, but all three VNA regiments lost their combat capability for some time.
The concept of airmobile warfare has passed its first serious test.
The Vietnamese People's Army considered it a success that it was able to inflict heavy losses on the enemy - the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division (it had only two battalions - the 1st and 2nd 7th Cavalry Regiments) really suffered seriously, although the losses were not as high as the Vietnamese had hoped.
The most important thing is that the northerners became convinced that they could effectively resist the Americans; before Jadrang they had serious concerns about this.
According to the 1st Cavalry Division's combat report, during the Pleiku Campaign (October 23 – November 26, 1965), it suffered exactly 300 dead, 4 missing, and 524 wounded. Two thirds of all losses fell on the 3rd Brigade.
VNA losses were estimated as follows: 1,519 dead according to body count, another 2,042 presumed dead, 1,178 presumed wounded, 157 captured. More than 1,000 weapons were captured or destroyed.
In turn, the VNA assessed the enemy’s losses as follows (taking into account the battle for the Pleime camp): approximately 2,970 military personnel were disabled, including 1,700 Americans, 89 military vehicles were destroyed, and 59 aircraft were shot down.
Self-immolation
On November 2, 31-year-old Baltimore Quaker Norman Morrison self-immolated in front of the Pentagon while protesting the Vietnam War.
He set himself on fire in the presence of his daughter, one-year-old Emily, whom he had either placed on the ground or handed over to someone in the crowd; according to another version, he continued to hold it in his hands after he set himself on fire, and it was snatched from the fire by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Johnson.
Self-immolation of Norman Morrison
Morrison was probably inspired to take this action by an article in the newspaper I.F. Stone's Weekly (a weekly publication published by journalist Isidore Stone), which described an accidental blow American aviation by church in South Vietnam.
This was the second case of self-immolation in the United States associated with Vietnam War. In March, Alice Hertz did a similar thing, inspired by the example of Buddhist monks in Vietnam. Morrison did not warn his wife Anne in advance - perhaps because he made the decision spontaneously - and only left her a farewell letter.
Morrison's self-immolation made a deep impression on US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, which he later wrote about in his memoirs. After reading his book, Anne wrote him a letter and he called her. She said: "We had a surprisingly relaxed and candid conversation, as if we knew each other. Norman's death was traumatic for both of us."
Morrison's death resonated throughout North Vietnam. Was released postage stamp with his image, and in Hanoi one of the streets was named after him. Ho Chi Minh sent his condolences to his widow and invited her to visit the country, but Ann did not visit Vietnam until 1999.
On the same day, a week after Norman Morrison’s self-immolation, 22-year-old student and activist of the Christian-anarchist Catholic Worker Movement Roger Laporte committed a similar act.
Early in the morning, he sat in the lotus position (imitating Vietnamese Buddhist monks) in front of the UN headquarters in New York and set himself on fire. Laporte was knocked out by police and building security and sent to the hospital, where he died 33 hours later.
Before his death, he stated that he opposed all wars and that his self-immolation was a religious act. He also said that he wants to live.
L Aport did not receive as much fame as Morrison: he was not the first and, apparently, did not tie his action specifically to the Vietnam War.
In addition, on the same day, November 9, a major power failure occurred in the northeastern United States, leaving all of New York and a number of other cities in the United States and Canada without power for several hours; this event to a certain extent diverted media attention from another self-immolation.
November 27 in Washington, 35,000 anti-war demonstrators surround the White House, then march to the Washington Monument for a rally.
On November 30, after visiting Vietnam, Secretary of Defense McNamara unofficially warns that up to 1,000 American deaths per month are likely.
END OF THE YEAR
On November 28, US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, accompanied by Joint Chiefs of Staff Earl Wheeler, head of the Pacific Command Ulysses Grant Sharpe and other persons, visited South Vietnam on another visit.
McNamara's main goal was to clarify how many troops Westmoreland needed to implement the second phase of his strategic plan. McNamara was informed that by the end of 1966, 97 foreign infantry battalions were required, of which 51 were intended for defensive missions and 46 for offensive operations.
Following the visit, McNamara drafted a memorandum for President Johnson recommending the sending of additional American, Australian and South Korean units to Vietnam. The recommendations called for an increase in the American contingent to 400,000, with a possible addition of another 200,000 during 1967.
He warned that these reinforcements do not guarantee success, as the enemy may build up its forces accordingly. Additionally, McNamara suggested that once the proposed reinforcements were sent, American casualties would reach 1,000 dead per month.
This forecast turned out to be close to the truth - at the end of 1966, monthly losses of US forces amounted to 500-600 people, but at the beginning of 1967, due to major offensive operations, they increased and for the first time exceeded 1,000 dead in March.
December
On December 4, in Saigon, Viet Cong terrorists fire at a hotel used to house American military personnel, killing eight and wounding 137.
After the defeat of the South Vietnamese regiment at the Michelin rubber plantation on November 27, the forces of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st US Infantry Division were transferred to this area and began to search for the enemy. The operation was called Bloodhound (later renamed Bushmaster II). The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment met a large NLF force late in the afternoon on 5 December near the village of Ap Nha Mat, just 9 km from Baubang, where the same battalion had fought its first major battle a month earlier.
The Americans entered into battle with the 2nd Dongsoai Regiment of the 9th Division of the People's Liberation Front. At first, the American unit took up defensive positions. Artillery, aviation and combat helicopters provided powerful fire support while the battalion held back the enemy who was trying to get close to it. Subsequently, two American companies launched a counterattack in a southern direction, where a system of long-term firing points prepared by the Vietnamese was located. In the afternoon, the NLF forces withdrew from the battle and retreated.
US casualties were 39 killed, 3 missing (all three were believed to have died, but their bodies were not found), 102 wounded. The losses of the NLF were estimated at approximately 300 killed (according to body counts), another 100 presumably killed, and about 200 wounded. According to American intelligence data, the 2nd regiment of the NLF did not participate in hostilities for four months after this battle.
December 7 Secretary of Defense McNamara tells President Johnson that the North Vietnamese appear to be
"they believe that the war will be long, that time is their ally, and that their fortitude exceeds ours".
On December 8, the activation of the 1st regiment of the NLF occurred west of Tamka in November, which worried the command of the ARVN and the ILC. Following Hiepdyk, the enemy could attack settlements in the Que Son Valley.
In order to neutralize the regiment, Operation Harvest Moon (the South Vietnamese name is Lien Ket 18, the name of the NLF is the Battle of Dong Duong) was launched in this area on December 8, carried out jointly by the forces of Task Force Delta Marines and the South Vietnamese 2nd Division.
US President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
McNarama warned that they had underestimated the North Vietnamese, the war would be long and the United States would lose 1,000 people. killed per month
On the first day of the operation, two ARVN battalions left Thang Binh and began to advance along Road No. 534 in a westerly direction, towards Viet An and further to Hiep Duc. Contact with the enemy was not expected on the first day of the operation, but already in the afternoon the 11th Ranger Battalion was attacked by an NLF battalion and suffered heavy losses.
On the morning of December 9, two NLF battalions attacked new blow on the positions of the South Vietnamese army, this time the victims were the 1st battalion and the headquarters of the 5th regiment of the ARVN, and the regiment commander was killed.
After this, two Marine battalions were landed by helicopters to the west and east of the battle site, with the task of cutting off the enemy’s retreat routes and providing support to the South Vietnamese.
Landed to the east, the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, fought with about 200 NLF soldiers at Hill 43. The next day, December 10, the South Vietnamese finally got a break, but the Marines had to fight a serious battle that day near the village of Cam La ), next to which a helicopter landing force of the 2nd battalion of the 1st regiment was landed in order to cut off the enemy’s retreat route to the south.
After December 10, the Marines began combing the Phuoc Ha Valley, located slightly south of the Ques Son Valley. The 1st Regiment was believed to have retreated down this valley, but the Americans failed to locate it during a week of searching.
B-52 bombers flew through the valley several times. The NLF had the last word in Operation Harvest Moon - on December 18, one battalion of the 1st Regiment attacked the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment passing through the village of Ky Phu. The Americans repelled the attack, losing 12 people killed or died of wounds; The bodies of approximately 100 partisans remained on the battlefield. Two days later, Operation Harvest Moon was completed.
For the Marine Corps it was the second and last major battle 1965.
ILC losses were almost the same as in Operation Starlite - about 45 killed and more than 200 wounded. The ARVN suffered more significant losses - about 180 killed and missing, about 140 wounded. The losses of the NLF were estimated at 400 confirmed and more than 600 presumably killed, 33 partisans were captured, trophies amounted to 60 tons of food and ammunition.
In turn, the NLF announced that 1,800 enemy soldiers were disabled during the battle. The Queshon Valley has repeatedly become the site of major operations and fierce battles, the bloodiest of which took place during the 1967 campaign.
On December 10, to improve the coordination of Air Force and Navy operations over North Vietnam, the head of the Pacific Command, Admiral Ullys Grant Sharp, divided the entire territory of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam into six geographical zones (Route Packages, abbreviated RP). The first four zones were located south of Hanoi. RP-1 included the area immediately north of the demilitarized zone, including Dong Hoi.
RP-2 occupied the area around Ha Tinh. Vinh was in RP-3. RP-4 included Thanh Hoa and Nam Dinh. RP-5 occupied the entire northwestern part of North Vietnam, RP-6 - the northeastern part, including Hanoi and Haiphong. At first, the Air Force and Navy had to regularly exchange zones, subsequently the zones were allocated and assigned to them on a permanent basis.
Among American pilots, the RP-1 was considered the least dangerous; pilots who had just arrived at the theater of operations made their first flights over it.
The most protected zone was RP-6. Speaking about Hanoi's air defense system, US Air Force Chief of Staff John McConnell in December 1965 called it the largest concentration of anti-aircraft weapons of all. famous history examples of city defense.
However, on at this stage The ban imposed by the US political leadership on bombing targets near the capital of North Vietnam was still in effect. The first raid on objects in the suburbs of Hanoi was carried out only in June 1966.
On December 11, 32 km west of Tuy Hoa, a US Air Force C-123 Provider transport plane crashed while flying along the Pleiku - Tuy Hoa route with Vietnamese paratroopers on board. It struck trees on a ridge while descending in poor weather conditions. 4 crew members and 81 South Vietnamese personnel were killed. In terms of casualties, it was the worst air disaster in South Vietnam at that time.
Although the bombing of North Vietnam had been going on for nine months, the US leadership only now allowed the military command to attack the first major industrial target - the Uong Bi power plant in the Haiphong area, which generated 15% of all electricity in the DRV.
The raid as part of Operation Rolling Thunder 44/45 was supposed to take place on December 10, but due to bad weather was postponed until December 15.
90 US Air Force aircraft took part in it. Due to difficult weather conditions, only seven F-105 fighter-bombers struck the target. Initially it was reported that the power plant was destroyed, but it later turned out that it was almost undamaged. One plane was shot down and five were damaged.
After the failure of the first raid, a new attempt was made on the night of December 20, this time with the participation of the US Navy. The attack was carried out by six A-6 attack aircraft, but the target was not hit. The next day, while on a mission to photograph Wangbi, an RA-5C reconnaissance aircraft was shot down.
On December 20, the 1st division of the armed forces of the NLF was formed in the Central Highlands. It consisted entirely of VNA units - it included three regiments that took part in the Pleim campaign in the fall.
On December 22, during a US Air Force raid on railway station Yen Bai, the Wild Weasel unit, opened its account of destroyed positions of anti-aircraft missile systems. The F-100F crew (Captains Allen Lamb and Jack Donovan) discovered the SAM position and attacked it with unguided missiles and cannon fire. Then the position was attacked by four F-105s. Based on the results of the strike, the American command considered this position destroyed. Lamb and Donovan were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
The destroyed SAM position was well camouflaged and located in the center of a peaceful village. According to Donovan, " When we left, the entire village was enveloped in black and white smoke, rising to a height of 400-500 feet."
It is quite possible that the Vietnamese used this episode to once again accuse the United States of bombing civilian targets.
On December 24, on the eve of Catholic Christmas, both warring parties in Vietnam declared a truce. The idea was first proposed by the NLF, which in early December announced a 12-hour ceasefire for the duration of Christmas (from 19:00 on December 24 to 7:00 on December 25).
Following this, the United States announced a 30-hour truce. At this time, American aircraft stopped bombing North Vietnam and Laos.
The truce came into force at 18:00 local time on December 24 and was supposed to last until midnight on December 26, but was then extended for several more hours.
According to the Vietnam Military Assistance Command, from the beginning of the armistice until 6 a.m. on December 26, the NLF forces initiated 84 hostile actions against South Vietnam and the allies.
After the end of the armistice, ground operations in South Vietnam and air operations in Laos were resumed, but the cessation of bombing of North Vietnam remained in effect. US President Lyndon Johnson decided to suspend Operation Rolling Thunder and launch a new “diplomatic offensive” to seek the possibility of peace negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
This action was called Marigold.
The December cessation of bombing was the second in a row (the first occurred in mid-May) and the longest of the entire Rolling Thunder period: it lasted more than a month, until January 31, 1966.
During ten months of bombing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, American and South Vietnamese aircraft flew 55,000 sorties (including 23,000-25,000 strikes), dropped 33,000 tons of bombs on 158 stationary objects and large number other targets, while losing about 170 aircraft to all causes.
The CIA estimated the total cost of the 1965 bombing to the United States at $460 million (cost of sorties, ammunition expended, aircraft lost).
The military damage caused to North Vietnam as a result of the raids was estimated at $34 million, and the economic damage at $36 million. The number of victims was estimated at 13,000 people (military personnel and civilians).
Despite the strengthening of North Vietnam's air defense system and the appearance of anti-aircraft missile systems in its composition, American aviation continued to dominate the air.
Opposition to North Vietnamese fighter aircraft during this period it was minimal - for the entire year the DRV Air Force made only about 150 sorties to intercept enemy aircraft. However, due to restrictions imposed by the US political leadership, the bombing remained ineffective and brought virtually no results.
North Vietnam continued to support the NLF, sending more and more units of its regular army to the South.
On December 28, the 25th began arriving in Vietnam. infantry division USA, stationed in Hawaii. The 3rd Brigade was airlifted, codenamed Operation Blue Light, the largest airlift of ground troops in American aviation history to that date.
The brigade was stationed at Pleiku and operated in the Central Highlands, separate from the division's main forces, until 1967. Two other brigades of the 25th Division arrived in Vietnam by sea in January and April 1966 and were stationed at Cu Chi northwest of Saigon.
Thus, the war at this stage was reduced to a draw. The United States had to use its ground forces, but they better weapons and air support were unable to break the North Vietnamese.
Then the US authorities increasingly committed to outright genocide of the people of Vietnam.
Harold Moore
Robert McDade
Robert Tully
Nguyen Hu An
La Ngoc Chau
Ma Wang Ming
Company A, 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion
Viet Cong battalion
Battle of Ya Drang Valley is the common name for two battles fought between the American and North Vietnamese armies in 1965 during the Vietnam War. It is one of the most fierce, bloody and often mentioned battles of the Vietnam War.
Prerequisites
Enemy forces
The People's Army of North Vietnam and Viet Cong units participating in the battle were part of the B-3 Front under the command of Brigadier General Chu Hi Man. Command post Deputy front commander, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hu An, was located directly on the slopes of the Chu Pong massif. Units of the 33rd Regiment of the People's Army, seriously battered during the fighting in the vicinity of Pleiku and withdrawn to the Ya Drang Valley for rest, were stretched out in a thin chain along the eastern slope of Chu Pong. The 320th Regiment of the People's Army (commanded by Major Ma Van Ming), which also took part in the battles but withdrew without losses, stood on the border with Cambodia 16 kilometers from the X-Ray landing zone. Three battalions of the 66th People's Army Regiment (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel La Ngoc Chau), fresh and not yet in combat, were stationed in the Ya Drang Valley in close proximity to the landing zone. The Viet Cong H-15 battalion was eight hours away from the landing zone.
Stage 1 (X-Ray landing zone)
November 14
In the X-Ray landing zone
At 10:48 a.m. on November 14, 1965, after half an hour of fire training, the battalion command group and two platoons of B Company landed in the Ia Drang Valley. Soon the first prisoner was captured, who reported that on the slopes of the Chu Pong massif there were three battalions of the regular army of North Vietnam, long ago looking for opportunities engage in battle with the Americans. After the remnants of B Company and part of A Company were transferred to the landing zone at 11:20, patrols were sent up the slope. At 12:10, the remainder of Company A's personnel arrived. At 12:15, the patrols made their first fire contact with the enemy. At 12:30 Company B, concentrating in the dry river bed, launched an offensive up the slope of the massif. At about 13:00, the 1st Platoon of Company B was attacked from the flanks by a group of 30-40 enemy soldiers and lay down under fire. The 2nd Platoon (commanded by Lieutenant Henry Herrick) was also attacked, but launched a counterattack and began to pursue the enemy up the slope. Carried away by the pursuit, the platoon broke away from the company and was surrounded, killing Lieutenant Herrick and almost all the squad commanders.
At 1:32 p.m., helicopters delivered the remaining personnel of Company A and the lead elements of Company C. Lieutenant Colonel Moore ordered Company A to advance to the left flank of the fighting Company B, forming western front defense Units from Company C, as they landed, took up positions on the left flank of Company A, forming a southern defensive front and entering the battle on the move. Lieutenant Colonel Moore and his command group took up a position in the rear of B Company behind a large anthill. At about 2 p.m., an A-1E attack aircraft, which was providing fire support to ground units, was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. The pilot, Captain Paul McClellan of 1st Air Commando Squadron, was killed.
By 15:45 all personnel of the 1st Battalion were transported to the landing zone. Company D took up positions facing east. The teams of ambulance helicopters assigned to the battalion refused to land under intense enemy fire. Then support helicopters, on their own initiative, began delivering ammunition and transporting the wounded and dead to the Falcon landing zone. By this time, three battalions of the Vietnamese regular army were already operating against the American battalion. It was obvious that American reinforcements would be needed, and the commander of the 3rd Brigade ordered Company B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, to prepare to embark. regiment guarding the brigade headquarters in Pleiku.
The Vietnamese attacks died down somewhat, and Lieutenant Colonel Moore decided to make an attempt to rescue the encircled platoon. To do this, Companies A and B pulled out to the dry river bed in order to simultaneously break through to the place where Lieutenant Herrick’s platoon was defending. The attack began at 16:20, but almost immediately fizzled out, encountering intense enemy fire. All the platoon leaders and many of the sergeants of Company A were out of action, and the 1st Platoon, which had pulled ahead, was almost cut off from its own. At 17:40, Lieutenant Colonel Moore ordered the companies to retreat to their previous positions under cover of artillery and mortar fire.
At 17:00, Company B of the 2nd Battalion began parachuted into the landing zone, coming under Moore's operational command.
November 15
The battle of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment lasted all day on November 15. Taking advantage of significant artillery and air support provided by the Broken Arrow signal, the 1st Battalion managed to link up with its encircled platoon.
November 16
In the morning of November 16, the Vietnamese attacks stopped. Depleted by losses, Moore's battalion was evacuated under the cover of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, who had landed in full force. The first phase of the Battle of Ya Drang is over.
Stage 2 (Albany landing zone)
Both battalions landing at X-Ray were ordered to move north and northeast to two other landing zones, where they were to be picked up by helicopters - the entire area at the foot of Chupong was planned to be "treated" by B-52 strategic bombers. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel McDade) advanced towards the Albany landing zone. During the march, the battalion was greatly stretched, and by the time the lead units reached the Albany in the middle of the day on November 17, the soldiers were tired from the long march. The battalion made a halt. At this moment, he was suddenly attacked by the enemy. The next day, the battle in the Ia Drang Valley ended with the evacuation of the surviving and dead soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Regiment.
Bottom line
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major clash between US and North Vietnamese regular units. At that time it was the largest battle of the Vietnam War.
Although the battle had a great resonance back in 1965, it really became widely known in the United States and a number of other countries decades later. IN