Overview
The Battle of Ia Drang happened on November 14th through 18th, 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Heavy fighting occurred all along the Valley. The result were both sides claiming victory. This battle was the beginning of a new kind of warfare using helicopters. The battle was fought between the US Army 1st and 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment led by Hal G. Moore (Led the 1st Battalion 7th), Thomas W. Brown, Harry Kinnard (Led the 2nd Battalion 7th), and Robert McDade. PAVN (Peoples Army of VietNam) 1st and 3rd Battalions, 33rd Regiment and 7th, 8th, and 9th Battalions, 66th Regiment were led by Chu Huy Man, Nguyen Huu An, Pham Cong Cuu (Led the 1st Battalion 33rd), La Ngoc Chau (Led the 7th Battalion 66th), Le Xuan Phoi (Led the 8th Battalion 66th), and Nguyen Van Dinh (Led the 9th Battalion 66th). There were three LZs (Landing Zones), Albany, X-Ray, and Columbus. The casualties were: US Army 234 killed, and over 250 wounded and PAVN suffered 3,561 killed and thousands more wounded. This battle is an inspiration for the famous Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers.
Why this battle is a turning point in history
This battle is a turning point because this is changed the American involvement from advising and supplying to full scale warfare. This is America's first battle leading into America's longest war in history. This battle proved to be the first ever use of transporting troops using helicopters. This battle also proved to be the first battle the US military started using the famous M16 rifle.