Battle of Ia Drang - Nov 14, 1965 – Nov 18, 1965

Cauldron - A Military History Podcast

"After the bravado, you're left with the anguish." Col. Nadal US 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry Regiment Air Mobile

Few battles have shaped the modern American mind while remaining mostly anonymous to the general public quite like Ia Drang. An iconic engagement that defined not just a war but a generation has gone, for the most part, forgotten. Maybe one of the most misunderstood battles in a misunderstood war, Ia Drang, had a considerable impact on modern American history. The action of Ia Drang Valley, fought from the 14th to the 17th in November 1965 remains, maybe the defining moment of the Vietnam War.

• We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young: Ia Drang - the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam Book by Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway - the definitive account of the battle
• Vietnam, the Decisive Battles Book by John Pimlott - a well done full account form the Birdseye with great sidebar info
• Command ConceptsA Theory Derived from the Practice of Command and Control by Carl H. Builder, Steven C. Bankes, Richard Nordin - fascinating if somewhat heady read
• Battlegrounds: Geography and the Art of Warfare by Michael Stephenson - one of my favorite reference books, really paints a picture
• PBS: The Vietnam War by Ken Burns - the best obviously
• The Armourers Bench - excellent conversation explaining the weapons of the battle
• Oxford History of Warfare - a good but very surface coverage of the war as a whole
• https://lzxray.com/lz-xray/ - the full load with after action report and images from Moore and his plans
• https://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/vietnam-at-50/1965/ia-drang-valley-where-the-us-truly-went-to-war-1.376662 - another view of the battle form Col Nadal
• https://battleofiadrangvalley.weebly.com/tunnel-warfare.html - a brief but full coverage of the tunnel warfare
• http://www.wtj.com/articles/xray/ - excellent interactive battle maps
• http://www.generalhieu.com/iadrang_revisited-2.htm - This Homepage is dedicated to General Hieu of the Armed Forces of Viet Nam - an incorruptible, virtuous and competent General; with the hope that it would indirectly boost up the morale of all soldiers of the ARVN who had sacrificed their prime lives to the just cause of their beloved country. run and written by his brother
• https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-battle-of-the-ia-drang-valley-changed-the-course-of-the-vietnam-war - interesting quick read
• Music - Indigo Strokesby Daniel Birch