At 21:00 the 1st Air Cavalry selected coordinates for B-52 strike in Code – YA 870000, YA 830000, YA 830070, YA 870070 with alternative targets (in Code) YA 8607, YA 9007, YA 9000, YA 8600. It was during this battle that Spec. The fire was so heavy that if you tried to raise up to dig you were dead. [54], A 1966 PAVN Central Highlands Front report claimed that in five major engagements with U.S. forces, PAVN forces suffered 559 soldiers killed and 669 wounded. Despite being trapped and desperately outnumbered, the main US force manages to hold off the North Vietnamese with artillery, mortars, and helicopter airlifts of supplies and reinforcements. There were several clearings in the area that had been designated as possible helicopter landing zones, typically named for a letter of the NATO phonetic alphabet. [59], This battle can be seen as a blueprint for tactics by both sides. During 1965, large groups of PAVN regulars moved into the area to conduct offensive operations. Harold Comstock, complied and disengaged, but the ordnance from the first F-100 had already been dropped. It was estimated that only eight UH-1 Hueys could fit in the clearing at a given time. Meanwhile, with helicopters constantly dropping off units, Moore manages to secure weak points before the North Vietnamese can take advantage of them. Hal Moore continued the battle in a different landing zone, and after nearly a year, he returns home safely to Julia and his family. Sgt. In the movie "we were soldiers" they make a call called (broken arrow) can someone tell me what this really means? Lisa Schwarzbaum, from Entertainment Weekly, gave the film a B and noted its fair treatment of both sides. "[3]:215[13]:129, At 09:30, Col. Brown, the commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), landed at LZ X-Ray to make preparation to withdraw the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, deeming its job done. At 13:32, C Company under Capt. An older Moore visits the Vietnam War memorial and looks at the names of the soldiers who fell at Ia Drang. The American forces were placed on full alert throughout the night. Moreover, Col. Brown (3rd Brigade commander), in overall command, was worried about reports that additional PAVN units were moving into the area over the border. Edwards (C Company) ordered SSgt. At 14:30, the last troops of C Company (1/7) arrived, along with the lead elements of D Company (1/7) under Capt. Tony Nadal's A Company. While the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry was moving up northwest toward the position of 1st Battalion CP, 33rd Regiment nested at the east side of Ia Drang river, the 8th Company, 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment marched down southeast along the Ia Drang river, and the 6th Company, 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment and 7th Company, 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment marched down on a collision path toward the Air Cavalry unit. "[11], Todd McCarthy, from Variety, wrote the film "presents the fighting realistically, violently and relatively coherently given the chaotic circumstances..." McCarthy further wrote, "Mel Gibson has the closest thing to a John Wayne part that anyone's played since the Duke himself rode into the sunset, and he plays it damn well." Following orders, the other company commanders were moving forward to join McDade. (warning: graphic video of Broken Arrow from "We Were Soldiers") ***Special thanks to Mary Lou Wade and Pentagon Chaplain Col. Wm. I watched the movie we were soldiers 1000 times, i like the study of war aviation. The 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry (2/5), was to be flown into LZ Victor, about 3.5 kilometers east-southeast of LZ X-Ray. [24] The vast majority of casualties inflicted on US forces was through small-arms and light-mortar fire, with Moore noting the PAVN's accurate shooting, well-placed ambushes and coordinated targeting of officers had overwhelmed U.S. positions in small-unit tactics[60] On the other hand, US forces had emerged from the battle by inflicting casualties through B-52 strikes, aerial rockets and artillery and relying on overwhelming firepower. The two captured PAVN soldiers were policed up about 100 yards from the southwestern edge of the Albany clearing, the report of which reached division forward at Pleiku at 11:57. The PAVN then began to organize an assault on the American column. [3]:341–343 Lt. Rick Rescorla, the sole remaining platoon leader in Bravo Company, led the reinforcements into the Albany perimeter, which was expanded to provide better security. Savage's "lost platoon" survived the night without taking additional casualties. The city of Pleiku was the location of the South Vietnamese II Corps headquarters, commanded by General Vinh Loc, who had at his disposal nine South Vietnamese battalions: four Ranger, three Airborne and two Marine. The PAVN forces had suffered hundreds of casualties and were no longer capable of a fight. [13]:123, Lt. Bob Taft's 3rd Platoon, A Company, confronted approximately 150 PAVN soldiers advancing down the length and sides of the creek bed (from the south) toward the battalion. Lt. D. P. (Pat) Payne, the recon platoon leader, was walking around some termite hills when he suddenly came upon a PAVN soldier resting on the ground. Both sides, therefore, were able to claim victory in the battle. Had the PAVN forces circled around to the north of the U.S. positions prior to this point, they would have found their approach unhindered. Jimmy Nakayama of Rigby, Idaho who had been a 2nd Lt. in the National Guard. Within approximately 30 minutes, one of his squads under Sgt. ARVN's II Corps Command recapitulates the losses of the PAVN from 18 October to 26 November as follows:[56] KIA (body count) 4,254, KIA (estimated) 2,270, WIA 1293, captured 179, weapons (crew served) 169, (individual) 1,027. [46] PAVN troops ran down the length of the column, with units peeling off to attack the outnumbered American soldiers, engaging in hand-to-hand combat. [42] With the two remaining battalions quietly abandoning the landing zone by land instead of by helicopters to make way for the B-52 strike any PAVN troops of the 7th and 9th Battalions at the vacated X-Ray area were caught by surprise. [3]:289,290, McDade then called his company commanders of 2/7 forward for a conference; most of whom were accompanied by their radio operators. He lowered the original body count figure of 834 submitted by his men to 634, considering the former number too high. He soon heard the sound of distant explosions to his rear; the B-52s were making their bombing runs on the Chu Pong massif. [39]:81 Six PAVN crew-served weapons and 135 individual weapons were captured, and an estimated 75–100 weapons were destroyed. At 18:25, orders were received to secure into a two-company perimeter for the night. George Gonzales (who, unknown to Lefebvre, had also been wounded). The risky trip which took a year to arrange was part of an award-winning ABC News documentary, They Were Young and Brave produced by Terence Wrong. "[3]: Both Westmoreland and An thought this battle to be a success. PAVN soldiers contested their advance and the Americans came under fire from a wood line. By early 1965, the majority of rural South Vietnam was under limited Viet Cong (VC) control, increasingly supported by People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) regulars from North Vietnam. [13]:130, At precisely 16:00, the first wave of B-52 carpet bombings fell at YA 8702 (about 7 kilometers west of LZ X-Ray), aiming mainly to strike the units of the 32nd Regiment that were located about 5 kilometers further west and would carry on for 5 consecutive days. [18][19] On November 12, the 3rd Brigade was given orders by General Stanley R. Larsen, I Field Force, Vietnam Commander and General Richard T. Knowles, 1st Air Cavalry Division Forward Headquarters Commander to prepare for "an air assault near the foot of the Chu Pongs",[20] at 13°34′11″N 107°40′54″E / 13.56972°N 107.68167°E / 13.56972; 107.68167 (Chu Pong), 14 miles (23 km) west of Plei Me. The blitzkrieg will transform itself into a war of long duration. Second Platoon of B Company (1/7) under the leadership of Sgt. The latter force became strung out and, in the early afternoon, were badly mauled in an ambush before they could be reinforced and extricated. Once the relief force was destroyed, the two regiments were to join and take the camp. VC forces were in nominal control of most of the South Vietnamese countryside by 1965 and had established military infrastructure in the Central Highlands, to the northeast of the Saigon region. The scout lures them into an ambush, which results in several men being killed, including Herrick and his subordinates. There were two troopers – one black, one Hispanic – linked tight together. Ernie Savage, 3rd Squad Leader, to assume by virtue of being close to the radio, and proceeded to call in repeated artillery support around the 2nd Platoon's position. At around 13:45, through his Operations Officer flying above the battlefield (Capt. With no more troops to call on, Huu An quickly orders the headquarters evacuated. By 15:00 the attack had been stopped, and one hour after launching the assault the PAVN forces withdrew. [4] Air Cavalry units at the scene reported seeing three .50 caliber machine gun positions firing at the aircraft that were directly in path of strike. In the source book, We Were Soldiers Once… And Young, Hal Moore complains, "Every damn Hollywood movie got it wrong." The film received mostly positive reviews. As the Americans rested in the tall grass, PAVN soldiers were coming toward them by the hundreds. He got the assurance from Col Brown that the friendly troops had enough lead time and will meet the 3 km safety limits by then. Tully's men assaulted the tree line and drove off the PAVN. [13]:120–1, Under Savage's leadership, and with the extraordinary care of the 2nd Platoon's medic Charlie Lose, the platoon held the knoll for the duration of the battle at X-Ray. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry had been reduced to a small perimeter at Albany composed of survivors of Alpha Company, the recon platoon, survivors from the destroyed Charlie and Delta Companies and the command group. Sugdinis's forces reinforced the survivors of Charlie Company (1/7). The second engagement involved the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment plus supporting units under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDade, and took place on November 17 at LZ Albany, farther north in the Ia Drang Valley. C Company's commander, Capt. A decisive factor in this stand, in addition to rifle and machine gun fire from B Company's lines, was the skilled placement of artillery strikes by Diduryk's forward observer, Lt. Bill Lund. [53] On November 26, with no further contact, the ARVN withdrew from the area. Upset that Taft's body had been left on the battlefield, Nadal (A Company commander) and his radio operator, Sgt. Best scene of the movie from Vietnam War. Charles Bass then attempted to question the prisoners again. The NVA says that there are 10,000 other NVA hiding in the mountains, but the ARVN soldier mistranslates and reports only 4,000. Charlie Company, having inflicted scores of losses on the PAVN, had suffered 42 killed in action (KIA) and 20 wounded in action (WIA) over the course of the ​2.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap} 1⁄2-hour assault. Nguyen Huu An plans a final assault on the Americans and sends most of his troops to carry out the attack, but Moore and his men overrun them and approach the enemy command center. 4 Bill Beck) had positioned their guns 10 yards (9 m) apart, and proceeded to pour heavy fire into the PAVN forces attempting to cut into the perimeter between C and A Companies. what are the names of the 5 close air-support fighter planes that dropped napalm on the north Vietnamese in both throughout the movie and the broken arrow scene? In 1954 a French unit on patrol during the First Indochina War is ambushed by Viet Minh forces. After expending his M60 ammunition, Parish resorted to his .45 sidearm to repel PAVN forces that advanced within 20 yards (18 m) of his foxhole. 2nd Lt. John Geoghegan was posthumously awarded the. I know about fighter aircraft and what-not that nobody has ever heard of. Alpha Company's 1st Platoon, leading the advance, was at risk of becoming separated from the battalion, and at one point it was being engaged by an American M60 machine gun that had been taken by the PAVN from a dead 2nd Platoon gunner. It’s a lost nuclear weapon, as explained on Wikipedia and in the movie “Broken Arrow”, but in the movie “We Were Soldiers” it was a radio signal The 33rd Regiment's battalions were under strength from casualties incurred during the battle at the Plei Me camp, the 8th Battalion was General Chu Huy Man's reserve battalion, fresh and rested. Geoghegan was killed while attempting to rescue one of his wounded men, Pfc. [4] In fact, there was no heroic final charge in the book, and the North Vietnamese forces were not destroyed though the American commander Moore reported 834 enemy bodies and 1215 estimated KIA (one third of the enemy force). [27], In pursuit of the PAVN on his right flank, Herrick's 2nd Platoon, B Company, was quickly spread out over a space of around 50 meters, and became separated from the rest of 1/7 by approximately 100 meters. Furthermore, the Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry closed in at 18:00. "[3]:117,118 Savage later recalled of the repeated PAVN assaults: "It seemed like they didn't care how many of them were killed. 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry's intelligence officer Capt. [16], The U.S. deployment caused the B3 Field Front Command to bring forward an attack on the U.S. Army Special Forces Plei Me camp, some 45 km southwest of Pleiku, which was originally planned for December. [13]:128, At 07:45, the PAVN launched an assault on Crack Rock, near its connection with the beleaguered C/1/7. [3]:277 B-52s were on their way from Guam, and their target for the third day of bombing was the slopes of the Chu Pong massif and LZ X-Ray itself. Each lift would take about 30 minutes. The subsequent intense shelling and bombardment also injured some American soldiers. Westmoreland told them they were being recommended for a Presidential Unit Citation. Sum it up if you didn't see the movie. New York: St. Martin's Press, page 219, Merle L. Pribbenow Military Review – January–February 2001, Pribblenow, The Fog of War, footnote 53 citing, McChristian, page 41; Vinh Loc, pages 97, 111, "Joseph L. Galloway Biography", We Were Soldiers, Open Road Integrated Media, "Vietnam War – Battle of Ia Drang (1965)", https://media.defense.gov/2017/Mar/28/2001722967/-1/-1/0/02-ILL_HIST_CH03-CH04_(PAGES37-100).PDF, "Colonel Hieu and LTC Hal Moore re: LZ X-Ray After Action Report (m)", Military and the Media – Speech Prepared for delivery Oct. 22, 1996, at the Air War College Commandant's Lecture Series, http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=22030101001, Chinese Observers' Perspective of LZ Albany, "Vietnam story: The word was the Ia Drang would be a walk. [citation needed], The U.S. reported the bodies of 634 PAVN soldiers were found in the vicinity. By nightfall, the battle had taken a heavy toll on Moore's battalion (1/7): B company had taken 47 casualties (including one officer) and A Company had taken 34 casualties (including three officers); C company had taken four casualties. "We Were Soldiers" is shameless in this regard, filling the screen with square-jawed officers who weep at carnage and fresh-faced GIs who use their last breaths to intone things like, "I'm glad I died for my country. We Were Soldiers is a 2002 American war film written and directed by Randall Wallace and starring Mel Gibson.Based on the book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young (1992) by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Spec. In 1992, Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway (who was present at the battle) published the book We Were Soldiers Once…And Young about the battle. Sgts. When Moore refused to relinquish the command of his battalion, Brown contented to notify him before leaving that the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry would be withdrawn the next day. Broken Arrow SP are in the final stages of wave 5 in an Ending Diagonal ...just before "Broken Arrow". My thoughts and prayers are with the Freeman family. The B3 Front commander, Maj. Gen. Chu Huy Man, planned to target South Vietnamese positions in Kon Tum and Pleiku provinces. The close quarters battle lasted for 16 hours. They then flew to the 3rd Air Cavalry Brigade commanded by Col. Brown who gave them a briefing and they flew over the operation area. Glenn A. Kennedy. It is based on the book We Were Soldiers Once… And Myron Diduryk's Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, veterans of the fight at LZ X-Ray, got the word that they would be deployed in the battalion's relief. The resulting exchange was particularly costly for the platoon — its lead forces were quickly cut down. The prisoner revealed that there were three PAVN battalions on the Chu Pong Mountain – an estimated 1,600 troops compared to fewer than 200 American soldiers on the ground at that point. The assault was instead launched October 19 with only two Regiments, the 32nd and 33rd, instead of the planned three, before the Air Cavalry troops were combat ready. The reconnaissance platoon and 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, provided initial defense at the position. [47] The United States reported 403 PAVN troops were killed in this battle and an estimated 150 were wounded, probably a large overestimation. According to the assessment of ARVN Gen. Nguyen Vinh Loc, at the LZ X-Ray battle, the PAVN did not have anti-aircraft weapons and heavy mortars and had to resort to "human wave" tactics: "The enemy has lost nearly all their heavy crew-served weapons during the first phase ... Their tactics relied mostly on the 'human waves. The PAVN, using bugles to signal their forces, were repelled from the knoll with artillery, grenade and rifle fire. [46] Her complaints about the notifications prompted the Army to quickly set up two-man teams to deliver them, consisting of an officer and a chaplain. Having taken increasing casualties, 1st Brigade was relieved by 3rd Brigade, the handover being completed over the period November 7–12.[13]:106–11. The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and Attached Units: G3 Journal/I Field Force Vietnam, November 14–26, 1965, This page was last edited on 17 February 2021, at 20:02. The following day, a dozen dead PAVN troops (including one officer) were found in the position. We Were Soldiers is a 2002 American war film that dramatizes the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965. 4 Beck, Spec. MacKenzie by Joseph Kilna MacKenzie.[7]. You just do what you have to do, but you learn the real meaning of fear and life and death. The 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry (1/7) was typical for U.S. Army units of the time, consisting of three rifle companies and a heavy weapons company: A-Alpha Company, B-Bravo Company, C-Charlie Company and D-Delta Company... about 450 men in total of the 765 of the battalion's authorized strength. His superiors congratulate him for killing over 1,800 North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong soldiers. Spec. In one key incident, the finding of a vintage French bugle on a dying Vietnamese soldier, the English-born Rescorla is replaced by a nameless Welsh platoon leader. . At 18:45 the first helicopters swept over the Albany clearing and the troopers deployed into the tall grass. While they were doing this, Bass heard Vietnamese voices and the interpreter confirmed that these were PAVN talking. [44] The 8th Battalion was led by Lê Xuân Phối. SSgt. Shortly before 04:00 of the third day grenade booby traps and trip flares set by Diduryk's Bravo Company (2/7) began to erupt. In preparation for a defensive position to last the night, Moore ordered Bravo Company's commander Capt. [14] The division's troopers dubbed themselves the "Air Cav" (Air Cavalry) and in July 1965 began deploying to Camp Radcliff, An Khê, Vietnam. He vehemently objected to the order and was allowed to remain with his battalion until its withdrawal planned for the next morning. [36], At 10:30 General DePuy, J3/MACV called Colonel Barrow to make sure that the B-52 had been cleared with General Vĩnh Lộc, Commander General II Corps and if the elements of 1st Cavalry had received the time on target 16:00 hours restriction and would comply. Given the situation there was no reason for U.S. forces to stay in the field, their mission was complete and a success. Myron Diduryk to place two of his platoons between B/1/7 and D/1/7 on the northeast side of the perimeter. [50] The ARVN Airborne Brigade pursued the two remaining 635th and 334th Battalions of the 320th Regiments[52] and executed two ambushes: the first on November 20 at the north side and the second on November 24 on the south side of the Ia Drang River. Within approximately 25 minutes, five men of 2nd Platoon were killed, including Herrick who, before dying, radioed Herren to report that he was hit and was passing command over to Sgt. Jack Gell, brought his and the bodies of other Americans back to the creek bed under heavy fire.[13]:123. The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), also referred to as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), and was part of the Pleiku Campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War. An intense firefight quickly erupted in the clearing; during the first three or four minutes his platoon inflicted heavy losses on the PAVN who streamed out of the trees, while his men did not take any casualties. We did. [14] Air mobility called for battalion-sized forces to be delivered, supplied and extracted from an area of action using helicopters. Lt. Col. Bob Tully, commanding the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, went to LZ Columbus about 4 km (2 mi) to the northeast, and Lt. Col. Robert McDade, commanding the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, went to LZ Albany about 4 km (2 mi) to the north-northeast, close to the Ia Drang. Directed by Randall Wallace. Lt. Rick Rescorla, a platoon leader of Capt. [31], Using a plan devised by Moore, Tully (2/5) commanded B/1/7, A/2/5, and C/2/5 in a third major effort to relieve the lost B Company platoon of 1/7 under Sgt. [39]:83, On the last day of the battle (November 18), General Westmoreland and General Cao Văn Viên, visited the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry. This officer truly loves his men, and the credibility with which the actor is able to express Moore's leadership qualities as well as his sensitive side is genuinely impressive. Palmer and Robert Stokes were also dead, leaving Sgt. The platoon's troopers were told to drop their packs and move forward for the assault. [45], Alpha Company noticed the sudden absence of air cover and their commander, Capt. On November 13, 3rd Brigade Commander Colonel Thomas W. Brown, acting following the order issued by Gen. Larsen and Gen. Knowles, met with Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore the commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and told him "to conduct an airmobile assault the following morning"[21] and to conduct search and destroy operations through 15 November. Further engagements over the next few days revealed the arrival of the PAVN 66th Regiment. At the end of these attacks, with daybreak approaching, Diduryk's Company had only six lightly wounded men among its ranks – with none killed. [30], At 06:00 J3/MACV notified 1st Air Cavalry that the time over target of the B-52 strike was set for 16:00. Payne jumped on the soldier and took him prisoner. C Company's commander, Capt. At LZ Albany, however, an American battalion was ambushed in close quarters. The word was wrong", "Ia Drang – The Battle That Convinced Ho Chi Minh He Could Win", "The Fog of War: The Vietnamese View of the Ia Drang Battle", "Medal of Honor Recipients Full-Text Citations – Vietnam (M–Z)", United States Army Center of Military History, "Medal of Honor, Vietnam War – Maj. Bruce P. Crandall", "Medal of Honor Recipients Full-Text Citations – Vietnam (A–L)", "Valor awards for Harold Gregory Moore, Jr", http://www.first-team.us/tableaux/apndx_07/, Panel discussion on the Battle of Ia Drang, featuring Vince Cantu, Bruce Crandall, Joseph Galloway, Tone Johnson, and Joe Marm, April 26, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Ia_Drang&oldid=1007371296, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1965, Articles with disputed statements from January 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, LZ Albany: about 2.5 km (2 mi) to the northeast of X-Ray at, LZ Columbus: about 2.2 km (1 mi) east of Albany at, LZ Tango: about 2 km (1 mi) to the north of X-Ray at, LZ Yankee: a similar distance south of X-Ray at. Tully's men moved out at 09:00; McDade's followed 10 minutes later. F … There was no way we could dig a foxhole. (1988). Galen Bungum, 2nd Platoon, B Company, later said of the stand at the knoll: "We gathered up all the full magazines we could find and stacked them up in front of us. Most of this was uneventful until they were approaching X-Ray. There was also a smaller perimeter at the rear of the column about 500–700 yards due south: Capt. [29], At 09:10, the first elements of Alpha Company (2/7), under Capt. Galloway would later share how that same week Nakayama became a father. [29] The normal ratio of enemy soldiers killed to weapons captured as later established by the Department of Defense was 3 or 4 to one. Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, it dramatizes the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965. [48] After the battle, Westmoreland instructed his J2 and J3 Chiefs to gain more improvements and "to bring a B-52 strike down within seven hours after acquiring suitable intelligence". Moore leads a newly-created air cavalry unit into the Ia Drang Valley. At around 15:30, the relief force started to encounter sniper fire and began carrying the wounded and dead of the lost platoon back to X-Ray. By mid-afternoon 1/7 and B Company 2/7 had been airlifted to LZ Falcon, and on the 17th of November 2/5 marched out towards LZ Columbus while the remaining 2/7 and 1/5 companies marched towards LZ Albany. Some of them were stumbling, walking right into us. We Were Soldiers is a 2002 film about the 1965 Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, the first official engagement between United States and North Vietnamese Army soldiers of the Vietnam War. Fighting continued the following day when the LZ was further reinforced by A Company 2/7 and also by 2nd Battalion 5th Cavalry, and the lost platoon was rescued. 4s Clinton Poley, Nathaniel Byrd and George Foxe) were instrumental in preventing the PAVN advance from completely overrunning Geoghegan's lines. U.S. forces had suffered 79 killed and 121 wounded and had been reinforced to levels that would guarantee their safety. Carl Palmer, ordered the signals codes to be destroyed and artillery support to be called in. Matt Dillon), Moore called in air strikes, artillery and aerial rocket artillery on the mountain to prevent the North Vietnamese from advancing on the battalion's position. [3]:288, The elements of the two PAVN battalions that were involved in the clash with the Air Cavalry troops were: 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 33rd Regiment, 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 33rd Regiment, 6th Company, 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment, 7th Company, 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment and 8th Company, 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment.