Battle of Ia Drang 1965
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 14 November 1965 – 18 November 1965 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1965 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Post-1945 (1946 onwards) | derived from year |
| Location | Vietnam | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Vietnam War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 13.5833, 107.7167 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Ia Drang (Vietnamese: Trận Ia Đrăng, [iə̯ ɗrăŋ]; in English ) was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as part of the Pleiku campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War, at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong Massif in the central highlands of Vietnam, in 1965. It is notable for being the first large scale helicopter air assault and also the first use of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers in a tactical support role. Ia Drang set the blueprint for the Vietnam War with the Americans relying on air mobility, artillery fire and close air support, while the PAVN neutralized that firepower by quickly engaging American forces at very close range.
Ia Drang comprised two main engagements, centered on two helicopter landing zones (LZs), the first known as LZ X-Ray, followed by LZ Albany, farther north in the Ia Drang Valley.
LZ X-Ray involved the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment and supporting units under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, and took place November 14–16, at LZ X-Ray.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Ia Drang (revision 1380531490), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Plei Me 1965 · 22 km
- Attack on Camp Holloway 1965 · 54 km
- Siege of Đắk Đoa · 63 km
- Battle of Mang Yang Pass 1954 · 74 km
- Battle of Trung Nghia 1973 · 91 km
- Battle of Kontum 1972 · 91 km
Other battles of the Vietnam War
- Battle of Ap Bac 1963
- Battle of An Lão 1964
- Battle of Binh Gia 1964
- Battle of Nam Dong 1964
- Gulf of Tonkin incident 1964
- Attack on Camp Holloway 1965
- Battle of Ap Bau Bang 1965
- Battle of Ba Gia 1965
- Battle of Gang Toi 1965
- Battle of Sông Bé 1965
All 54 battles of the Vietnam War →
Browse more: battles in Vietnam · Asia · Post-1945 battles