Battle of Ia Drang (Vietnam War) war movies

Battle of Ia Drang 14 November 1965

First major battle of American forces in Vietnam. The aim of this operation was sort of seek-and-destroy action - Americans wanted to attack the North Vietnamese units that were attacking forces in South Vietnam. Also it was good chance to put in practice their new tactics of making landing from helicopters. The landing of elements of 7th Cavalry Regiment and 5th Cavalry Regiment in Ia Drang Valley proved to be a "stab in the dark" that worked beyond the intelligence wildest dreams. Not only they discovered the North Vietnamese forces, but soon they realized that they are surrounded by predominant enemy forces.

The open area where they were dropped were not suitable for defence, but the tactics of being dependant on airborne transport of supplies forced them to keep the current position. Vietnamese forces surrounded them and attacked for 3 days after which Americans decided to retreat via airborne transport. The battle was inconclusive - both sides claimed victory and both were trying to show that the other side had bigger losses. In practice it is impossible to determine the actual losses, but overall the battle didn’t change the situation in the area.

We Were Soldiers 2002

First majob battle of American forces in Vietnam seen from battlefield and the families back home.