From October to November 1965, in the rugged mountainous region of Pleiku - Chu Prong, our army and people achieved a strategic victory, defeating for the first time a large-scale counterattack by the US army.

The Plei Me Campaign was the first battle in which the Central Highlands main force, including regiments 320, 33, 66 and local armed forces, directly confronted the US expeditionary unit (1st Airborne Cavalry Division - Airmobile).

American soldiers landed at Ia Drang during the Plei Me Campaign in 1965. Photo archive

Despite having absolute superiority in firepower, air force, mobile helicopters and modern logistics... the US expeditionary force was still defeated by our army in Ia Drang valley (from November 14 to 18, 1965). This victory proved that our army and people were capable of fighting and defeating the US in modern warfare conditions.

The Plei Me Campaign is considered the milestone that opened the era of “fighting and defeating the Americans”, creating strategic position and confidence for all our people and army. Six decades have passed, the victory not only resounds in history books but also continues to illuminate the path to building a national defense and Vietnamese military art in the new era.

Background and importance of the Plei Me - Ia Drang Victory

In 1965, when the "Special War" strategy was on the verge of collapse, the US massively poured troops into the South, switching to the "Local War" strategy with the ambition to "search and destroy" the main force of the Liberation Army, in order to change the situation on the battlefield. The Central Highlands - an important strategic area, like the "key" of the three Indochinese countries, became the place where the US imperialists wanted to test new forms of warfare. The event of the US sending the 1st Cavalry Brigade to Pleiku was a clear sign of testing the doctrine of "Helicopter transport - strong firepower - fast mobility".

Faced with that situation, the Central Highlands Front Command (B3) assessed that if the US counterattack could be defeated in the first battle, the “search and destroy” strategy would be ruined, creating an important psychological and military turning point. The policy of launching the Plei Me Campaign, then developing it into a decisive battle in the Ia Drang Valley, was a bold decision, demonstrating the sharp strategic vision of our Party and Army.

The art of creating a situation - deceiving the enemy - leading the enemy into a campaign trap

The victory of Plei Me - Ia Drang is a typical example of the art of creating a situation and seizing opportunities. We proactively used a feint to start by attacking Chu Ho post, surrounding Plei Me commando camp to force the US - puppet to send main force to rescue. This was an extremely bold "lure the enemy" move, we gradually pushed the enemy into a passive position, having to march by air to the complex mountainous area, "The forest covered the troops, the forest surrounded the enemy", where we had prepared a battle formation to destroy the enemy.

Breaking the doctrine of “Helicopter transport - search and destroy”, forcing the US to adjust its tactics, thereby prolonging the quagmire in the battlefield of South Vietnam. Strongly encouraging the resistance movement across the country, affirming the belief in our Party’s people’s war policy. Contributing to proving and affirming the system of lessons on the art of combat in mountainous areas, the battle of wits and strength against modern warfare with high-tech weapons. Those are the values ​​that permeate the research work of history and military art in the future.

The victory of Plei Me - Ia Drang clearly demonstrated the mettle, will and military art of Vietnam, the combination of will, steadfast political mettle, heroic fighting spirit and creativity in organizing forces, using firepower, and promoting terrain advantages.

Eternal values

60 years have passed, but the lessons learned from the Plei Me - Ia Drang Victory are still valuable for the cause of national construction and defense.

Regiment 66 - Plei Me Group (Division 10, Corps 34) in rehearsal. Photo: SON THUONG

The victory of Plei Me - Ia Drang affirmed: Even though the enemy has superior technological weapons, if we know how to promote the widespread people's war strategy, closely combining the main army force, local army and militia, we can completely create a combined strength, forcing the enemy to fall into a passive position.

The victory of Plei Me - Ia Drang showed the initiative in creating a battle situation, using diversion - deception - division - encirclement to deploy the strongest US troops into disadvantageous places. In the current context, this lesson continues to be applied in building a national defense foundation, a national defense battle associated with people's security, a people's security battle, proactively defending early and from afar.

Modern military doctrine emphasizes high-tech weapons, but the Play Me campaign affirms: People are still the center of national defense power. The will, courage, and patriotism of officers and soldiers are factors that cannot be replaced by any type of weapon.

The centralized and unified command; the process of correctly assessing the enemy and ourselves; the selection of the key moment to open the battle… have created a skillful campaign command framework. This is an important value in building a modern command staff with comprehensive campaign and strategic thinking.

Many lessons from the key Ia Drang battle, such as: close combat, point attack, destroying reinforcements, attacking the weak points of high-tech weapons, dividing formations, taking advantage of terrain... are still useful in current high-tech warfare research, especially in the context of complex regional and global conflicts.

From past victories to today's aspiration to protect the Fatherland

With the determination to build a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and modern Vietnam People's Army, the lessons learned from the Plei Me - Ia Drang Victory are being effectively applied in force building, training, consolidating defense positions, developing the defense industry, and building a strong reserve force.

In the context of many changes in the region and the world, protecting the Fatherland early and from afar; maintaining independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity; and preserving a peaceful environment for development are vital requirements. The past victory reminds us: A united nation, a strong army, and a correct policy will create an indomitable force.

The Plei Me - Ia Drang victory is not only a brilliant milestone but also a symbol of Vietnamese intelligence and bravery in the resistance war against the US to save the country. The echoes of the victory continue to spread, inspiring generations of cadres and soldiers today and tomorrow, serving as a torch to light the way, adding faith and strength to firmly defend the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam.

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/nghe-thuat-quan-su-vn/chien-thang-plei-me-ia-drang-ban-linh-tri-tue-va-tam-voc-cua-nghe-thuat-quan-su-viet-nam-1012293