Battle of Ia Drang Valley

November 14–18, 1965 · South Vietnam Theater

Phases

1. 1Phase 1 — Air Assault into LZ X-RayNovember 14, 1965 — Early Afternoon
2. 2Phase 2 — Surrounded & FightingNovember 14–16, 1965
3. 3Phase 3 — LZ Albany AmbushNovember 17–18, 1965

November 14, 1965 — Early Afternoon

Lt. Col. Hal Moore's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry air-assaults into Landing Zone X-Ray at the foot of the Chu Pong massif. The first helicopters barely land before NVA troops emerge from the tree line. Moore's 450 men are almost immediately outnumbered by roughly 2,000 NVA soldiers from the 66th and 33rd Regiments who have been training on the massif.

• ➤1/7 Cav helicopters — air assault into LZ X-Ray
• ●LZ X-Ray — landing zone at the foot of the Chu Pong massif
• ●Chu Pong massif — NVA staging area and base camp complex
• ➤NVA attack from the massif — multiple regiments swarm the LZ
• ●NVA 66th Regiment — lead unit attacking LZ X-Ray from the north