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battle, major, Cold War

Battle of Ia Drang

Battle of Ia Drang was a battle fought on 14 November 1965 at Ia Drang River, in what is now Vietnam; it lasted 4 days. It was part of the Vietnam War, which ran from 1955 to 1975. The recorded result: See Effect and aftermath section.

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Soldiers of the U.S. Amry 1/7th Cavalry disembark from a Bell UH-1D Huey at LZ X-Ray during the battle of Ia Drang.
Soldiers of the U.S. Amry 1/7th Cavalry disembark from a Bell UH-1D Huey at LZ X-Ray during the battle of Ia Drang.. United States Army, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought14 November 1965lasted 4 days
WhereIa Drang River, Vietnam13.583N, 107.717E
OutcomeSee Effect and aftermath section
BelligerentsUnited States; Supported by: South VietnamagainstNorth Vietnam
Part ofVietnam War1955 to 1975

Where it sits in the Vietnam War

Battle of Ap Bac, 1963Battle of Go Cong, 1963Battle of Nam Dong, 1964Battle of An Lao, 1964Gulf of Tonkin incident, 1964Battle of Binh Gia, 1964Operation Starlite, 1965Battle of Dong Xoai, 1965Battle of Ba Gia, 1965Battle of Song Be, 1965Battle of Dương Liễu–Nhông Pass, 1965Attack on Camp Holloway, 1965Battle of Núi Thành, 1965Siege of Plei Me, 1965Battle of Gang Toi, 1965Battle of Ap Bau Bang, 1965Battle of Ia Drang, 1965Battle of Xa Cam My, 1966Battle of A Shau, 1966Operation Crimp, 1966Battle of Bong Son, 1966Battle of Suoi Bong Trang, 1966Battle of Long Tan, 1966Battle of Tra Binh Dong, 1967Battle of Tam Quan, 1967Operation Cedar Falls, 1967Operation Bribie, 1967Battle of Hill 881, 1967Battle of Suoi Chau Pha, 1967Operation Francis Marion, 1967Battle of Ong Thanh, 1967First Battle of Loc Ninh, 1967Battle of Dak To, 1967Battle of Saigon, 1968New Year's Day Battle of 1968, 1968Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968Battle of Ban Houei Sane, 1968Battle of Quang Tri, 1968Battle of Lang Vei, 1968Tet Offensive battle of Cholon and Phu Tho Racetrack, 1968Action of 1 March 1968, 1968Battle of Hue, 1968Battle of Lima Site 85, 1968Battle of An Bao, 1968Battle of Kham Duc, 1968Battle of Coral–Balmoral, 1968Operation Speedy Express, 1968Battle of Hat Dich, 1968Operation Dewey Canyon, 1969Battle of Hamburger Hill, 1969Battle of Binh Ba, 1969Battle of Kompong Speu, 1970Battle of Prey Veng, 1970Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, 1970Operation Ivory Coast, 1970Operation Lam Son 719, 1971Battle of FSB Mary Ann, 1971Battle of Snuol, 1971Battle of Long Khanh, 1971Battle of Nui Le, 1971First Battle of Quảng Trị, 1972Battle of Loc Ninh, 1972Battle of Đồng Hới, 1972Battle of Kontum, 1972Second Battle of Quảng Trị, 1972Operation Linebacker II, 1972Battle of Cửa Việt, 1973Battle of the Paracel Islands, 1974Battle of Kampot, 1974Battle of Svay Rieng, 1974Battle of the Iron Triangle, 1974Battle of Phuoc Long, 1974Battle of Ban Me Thuot, 1975Battle of Xuan Loc, 1975Fall of Saigon, 197519631975Battle of Ia Drang, 1965
75 placed engagements of the Vietnam War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date14 November 1965
to 18 November 1965
PlaceIa Drang River, Vietnam
13.583N, 107.717E
KindBattle, Cold War
StrengthTotal: ~1,000 U.S. cavalry troops and ~900 ARVN troops; Two battalions of artillery; Elements of multiple aircraft and helicopter support units flew 740 CAS sorties, along with 5 B-52 missions with 96 sortiesTotal: ~2,500 troops; Separate 12.7 mm anti-aircraft gun and mortar units
Casualties and lossesUnited States: 237 killed, 258 wounded, and 4 missing (~50% of troop strength); South Vietnam 132 killed, 248 wounded, and 18 missingU.S. claimed: 1,037–1,745 killed; PAVN report: 554 killed and 669 wounded (~49% of troop strength); See Casualties section
Commanders
  • Richard T. Knowles
  • Thomas W. Brown
  • Hal Moore
  • Robert McDade
  • Robert B. Tully
  • Nguyễn Hữu An
  • Phạm Công Cửu
  • Commanding Officer
  • Lã Ngọc Châu
  • Political Commissar
  • Lê Xuân Phôi
Battle of Ia DrangBattle of Ia DrangSiege of Plei MeAttack on Camp HollowayBattle of Mang Yang PassBattle of Trung NghiaBattle of KontumSiege of Plei MeAttack on Camp HollowayBattle of Trung NghiaBattle of KontumQui NhonBuon Me ThuotTuy HòaLumphatSenmonorom100 km13.583N, 107.717E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Ia Drang
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Ia Drang today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-04-27. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 221 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 188 to 655 m, 467 m of relief, steep country and today it is 35% cropland, 33% tree cover, 31% grassland.

cropland: 35%tree cover: 33%grassland: 31%cropland 35%tree cover 33%grassland 31%
west to east, 10.0 km199 to 250 mnorth to south, 10.0 km199 to 225 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1965

Battle of Ia Drang is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 140 in present-day Vietnam.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q714749, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Ia Drang, revision 1383857104, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.