The Truth about Pleime Battle

Three Perspectives American Perspective Viet Cong’s Perspective Real Perspective

American Perspective LZ X-Ray website US 1st Air Cavalry website 11/2005 Vietnam Center’s Seminar on Pleiku/Ia Drang Campaigns

LZX-Ray website www.weweresoldiers.net/campaign.htm In late October '65, a large North Vietnamese force attacked the Plei Me Special Forces Camp. Troops of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry were sent into the battle. After the enemy was repulsed in early November, the 3rd Brigade replaced the 1st Brigade. After three days of patrolling without any contact, Hal Moore's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry was ordered to air assault into the Ia Drang Valley on Nov 14, his mission: Find and kill the enemy! At 10:48 AM, on November 14th, Moore was the first man out of the lead chopper to hit the landing zone, firing his M16 rifle. Little did Moore and his men suspect that FATE had sent them into the first major battle of the Vietnam War between the American Army and the People's Army of Vietnam - Regulars - and into history.

US 1st Air Cavalry website www.first-team.us/journals/1stndx06.html On 10 October 1965, in Operation "Shiny Bayonet", the First Team initiated their first brigade-size airmobile action against the enemy. The air assault task force consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battalions 7th Cavalry, 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry, 1st Battalion 12th Cavalry and the 1st Battalion 21st Artillery. Rather than standing and fighting, the Viet Cong chose to disperse and slip away. Only light contact was achieved. The troopers had but a short wait before they faced a tougher test of their fighting skills; the 35-day Pleiku Campaign. On 23 October 1965, the first real combat test came at the historic order of General Westmoreland to send the First Team into an air assault mission to pursue and fight the enemy across 2,500 square miles of jungle. Troopers of the 1st Brigade and 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry swooped down on the NVA 33rd regiment before it could get away from Plei Me. The enemy regiment was scattered in the confusion and was quickly smashed. On 09 November, the 3rd Brigade joined the fighting. Five days later, on 14 November, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, reinforced by elements of the 2nd Battalion, air assaulted into the Ia Drang Valley near the Chu Prong Massif. Landing Zone (LZ) X-Ray was "hot" from the start. At LZ X-Ray, the Division's first Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War was awarded to 2nd Lt. Walter J. Marm of the 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry. On 16 November, the remainder of the 2nd Battalion relieved the 1st Battalion at LZ X-Ray, who moved on to set up blocking positions at LZ Albany. The fighting, the most intensive combat in the history of the division, from bayonets, used in hand-to-hand combat, to artillery and tactical air support, including B-52 bombing attacks in the areas of the Chu Pong Mountains, dragged on for three days. With the help of reinforcements and overwhelming firepower, the 1st and 2nd Battalions forced the North Vietnamese to withdraw into Cambodia. When the Pleiku Campaign ended on 25 November, troopers of the First Team had paid a heavy price for its success, having lost some 300 troopers killed in action, half of them in the disastrous ambush of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, at LZ Albany. The troopers destroyed two of three regiments of a North Vietnamese Division, earning the first Presidential Unit Citation given to a division in Vietnam. The enemy had been given their first major defeat and their carefully laid plans for conquest had been torn apart. The 1st Cavalry Division returned to its original base of operations at An Khe on Highway 19.

Vietnam Center’s Seminar Pleiku/Ia Drang Campaigns 40th Anniversary Ia Drang Seminar Hilton, Crystal City, Virginia November 12, 2005 Saturday, 12 November 8:00 a.m. Opening Remarks Location: Main Ballroom LTG Hal Moore Mr. Joe Galloway Dr. James Reckner, Director, The Vietnam Center 8:30 a.m. Special Seminar Speaker Location: Main Ballroom The Historical Significance of the Ia Drang Battles David Halberstam Introduction: Mr. Joe Galloway 9:00 a.m. Questions/Answers/Discussion 9:20 a.m. Coffee Break 9:30 a.m. Session 1: A View from History: Wartime and Postwar Assessments of the Pleiku/Ia Drang Campaigns Moderator: Mr. Joe Galloway "Changing Interpretations of The Pleiku/Ia Drang Campaigns: The American Perspective.” John Carland, US State Department "Changing Interpretations of The Pleiku/Ia Drang Campaigns: The Vietnamese Perspective.” Merle Pribbenow, Independent Scholar. 10:10 a.m.Questions/Answers/Discussion 10:30 a.m.Coffee Break 10:45 a.m. Special Session 2 Location: Main Ballroom Special Guest: Lieutenant General Nguyen Dinh Uoc, Peoples Army of Vietnam. "The North Vietnamese Perspectives of The Plei Me/Ia Drang Campaigns: Immediate Post-Battle Assessments." Sedgwick Tourison, Independent Scholar (This presentation is based on special research conducted in Vietnam with key PAVN participants). 11:30 a.m.Questions/Answers/Discussion 11:55 a.m.Break for Lunch 12:00 p.m.Lunch Location: Main Ballroom 12:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: LTG Hal Moore Introduction : Mr. Joe Galloway 1:15 p.m.Lunch Ends 1:30 p.m. Session 2: The Pleiku/Ia Drang Campaigns and the American War in Vietnam Location: Main Ballroom Chair/Moderator: Dr. James Reckner, The Vietnam Center, Texas Tech University “The Kinnard Thesis: How the Pleiku campaign influenced Strategy and Operations during the Vietnam War." Erik Villard, The US Army Center of Military History “Back at Benning: The Immediate Impact of the Ia Drang Fighting on Infantry Officer Training in the US Army.” Ron Milam, Texas Tech University "The Long Term Political Impact of the Pleiku/Ia Drang Campaigns from Johnson through Nixon." Larry Berman, University of California, Davis 2:30 p.m.Questions/Answers/Discussion 3:00 p.m.END OF SEMINAR

Viet Cong’s Perspective www.generalhieu.com/pleime-vc-2.htm Early October 1965, based on assessment of enemy status and our preparation readiness, the campaign Command had decided to assign tasks to the units as following: the target and area to destroy the enemy was camp Chu Ho, siege set on Pleime camp, ambush to destroy the rescue column established on route 21 (from Hill 538 to Hill Blu). The area where our troops would attack the Americans would be the Ia Drang valley. […] Regarding the plan, the campaign was divided in 3 phases: Phase 1. Encircle Pleime camp, destroy the ARVN rescue column; phase 2. Continue to encircle Pleime camp, forcing American troops to get involved; phase 3. Concentrate forces aiming at attacking an American major force and destroy it and end the campaign.

Facts Contradicting VC’s Contentions Pleime attack began: Oct 19 - US1AC ‘s arrived in Qui Nhon Sep 20, 1965 Duc Co attack model: US173AB standing on the sideline Pleime battle ended: Oct 25 – Ia Drang attack began Nov 14, 1965 VCs caught by surprise: battalion commander not present with unit.

The Truth about Pleime Battle Dong Xuan 1965 campaign: Pleiku-Qui Nhon Pleime Campaign: Pleime-Pleiku Pleime-Ia Drang Valley-Duc Co

1965 Dong Xuan Campaign

Pleime Battle

Ia Drang - Duc Co Battles

Conclusion American Perspective: Ia Drang battle VC’s Perspective: Pleime/Ia Drang battles Historical Reality: Pleime/Ia Drang/Duc Co battles * Pleime Battle: A crown jewel

More information In English www.generalhieu.com/pleime-history-2.htm In Vietnamese www.generalhieu.com/pleime-history-u.htm In French www.generalhieu.com/pleime-history-2f.htm