The United States Army's Air Mobility Concept During the IA Drang Campaign: Setting the Stage for the Body Count Strategy in Vietnam

Abstract

The initial successes of the US Armys 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) against the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the Ia Drang River valley were implemented through a series of deliberate assaults based on accurate intelligence of enemy movements. The speed and maneuverability of helicopter air mobility would achieve surprise in the Ia Drang and the concept would eventually morph into a misunderstood interpretation of how to fight the tactical and operational levels of war in Vietnam. Despite this new maneuverability concept in warfare, the air mobility concept at LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang would serve as a deciding factor for the flawed body count strategy implemented by General William Westmoreland in Vietnam

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 04, 2015
Accession Number
AD1175841

Entities

People

  • Samuel C. Cunningham

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Artillery
  • Artillery Ammunition
  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Fire Support
  • Grenade Launchers
  • Indirect Fire
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Aircraft
  • Military Assistance
  • Military Budgets
  • Military Organizations
  • New York
  • South Vietnam
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Library and Information Science/ Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, Bibliography of Vietnam and Lao Studies.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military Science