Landing Zone Xray – Day 3

Hold the lineThe PAVN Commander knows that he had severely weakened and damaged the defenders in the Charlie Co sector the previous morning. 


He does not know that a new company – B Co 2nd Bn 7th Cav- took over the position after that engagement. That company, unmolested the previous afternoon, had cut fields of fire, dug new foxholes, fired in artillery concentrations, carefully emplaced its machine guns, and piled up ammunition.


The PAVN assaults four separate times beginning at 4:22 AM. The last is at 6:27 AM. They are stopped cold, losing over 200 dead. B Co has six wounded. At 9:55 AM, a sweep outward is made, which results in more enemy dead and the position secured.


At 10:40 AM, the 1st Bn, 7th Cavalry, having lost 79 men killed and 121 wounded, is ordered back to the rear for reorganization. By 3:00 PM, 1/7 CAV had turned over X-ray to the 2nd Bn, 5th Cav and the 2nd Bn, 7th CAV and is flying back to the Camp Holloway airfield at Pleiku City.


After X-ray, the sister battalion of 1/7 CAV, 2/7 CAV, was ordered to march to Landing Zone Albany to extract from the battle area and get out of the beaten area for an impending B52 strike. The fight of 2/7 CAV at Albany is the next chapter of the Ia Drang Campaign.

Situation on Day 3
Situation on Day 3
End of Day 3
End of Day 3
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Battle Animation Videos from War Times Journal

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