Ia Drang, Battle of - Vietnam, November 1965: Articles & Documents

Moore, Harold G. After Action Report, Ia Drang Valley Operation 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry 14-16 November 1965. APO US Forces 96490: HQ 1-7 Cavalry.
December 1965.

The performances of LTC Benjamin Vandervoort at St. Mere-Eglise on 6-7 June 1944, of LTC James H. Lynch at Hill 314 in Korea on 12 September 1950, and of LTC Harold Moore at LZ X-Ray in Vietnam on 14-16 November 1965 are examined in terms of the tasks, the skills, knowledge, and attitudes, and the leadership performance indicators which support the nine leadership competencies of FM 22- 100, Military Leadership.

During the battle of Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam the effects of weather and terrain restricted offensive operations because it affects the timely employment of forces, command and control of forces, and the effective employment of weapons systems and equipment.

This monograph analyzes the effectiveness of operational campaign design during the initial US ground combat in the Vietnam War. The focus is on the linkage of national strategic ends with military means and ways from the Spring of 1965 through the results of the Ia Drang battles of November 1965.

The Battle for the Ia Drang Valley in October and November 1965 was not only a tactical pyrrhic victory for the North Vietnamese, but a strategic one as well. Discussion: The Ia Drang Valley battle between American and North Vietnamese forces was the first confrontation of battalion size and larger units. Both sides learned from this battle, and influenced the way each side fought the remainder of the war.

This thesis investigates a single leadership attribute: willpower. Willpower is defined as the amalgamation of continuing in the face of adversity; the refusal to accept failure; and the power to affect a desired outcome in others. The central research question investigates how a leader generates willpower and transmits it to produce a desired effect. The methodology employed investigates three historical military leaders at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war over a sixty year period. The leaders analyzed are General Colin Powell, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and Lieutenant General Harold Moore (Battle of Ia Drang).