bo and sunny, happy holidays to all of you. may god bless you all and may god bless the united states of clerks beginning on october 19, 1965 and continuing through 1965, the battle was the biggest, the costliest fought by american troops in vietnam. , on american history tv, a cbs news special report on the battle originally broadcast on november 30 1965. ♪ >> three months ago the first air cavalry division shipped off

from south carolina. proud, sure themselves, but tested in battle. there were destined for the high country central vietnam. last week, some of them came home. their lives were the price of victory and the battle of your drain valley. cbs news marlee schaefer was there. >> this is where it all began. camp onial forces october 19 11 p.m. the first mortar round fell. at the beginning it was simply another guerrilla attack that was withstood by brave americans and mortar yard strikers. then, decisions are made almost

by accident's that turned the for notnto the campaign only the highlands, but for perhaps all of vietnam. the battle of ia drang valley, introduced by morley safer with a special commentary by walter cronkite. walter: good evening. just six days ago, the american people resulted by an announcement, the average weekly date of the dead and wounded in the vietnam war exceeded the korean war. 240 americans were killed and 470 were wounded. the american people did not know then as they do now. this is a full war against a formidable enemy. most of these casualties were suffered in the battle of the ia

drang valley, the biggest, the costliest, and the largest group of troops sent to vietnam. --morley safer covers his coverage in the past year. this is the most extensive over the past year. this sets a new standard for war reporting in the age of television. morley? morley: thank you, walter. this emphasized one single point, tell us about it. morley: we are at war not only with the viet cong, but at war with a devastating army. full war declarations are not necessary. ahead, even higher casualties, a point that every troop and every general in vietnam is acutely aware of, something that is not fully grasped at home.

in this program, we will not try to give the order of battles. what we will try to do is give the mood and the feel of those five weeks. it all started at pleime. it was almost by accident. it looked at first like a routine vietnam attack. this was an outpost in the central highlands held by a handful of american advisers and 350 mountain tribesmen. as it turned out, this was a new kind of attack i in new kind of army. as was a full-scale, sustained assault by two heavily armed regiments aimed at wiping pleime off the map and sucking american troops into an ambush.

this is what stopped them from doing it, american air power. the north vietnamese attacked, and our fighter-bombers roared in with guns blazing. there was a ring of deadly fire. there was a heavier consecration of -- never a heavier concentration of tactical air fire had ever been used in the vietnam war. yet still they came, the communist determined that pleime must be destroyed, the united states determined that it would not. these troops continue to storm the camp program at her, and we were shooting them will write off of the wires, said one pilot -- camp perimeter, and "we were shooting them right off of the wires," said one pilot. some people were wounded by

shrapnel from our bombs exploding just yards away. there was no sleep, no rest, no water. helicopters were hit as they tried to land with supplies and get the wounded out. two helicopters and other planes were downed by heavy antiaircraft fire. but help is on its way. after three days, the south vietnamese airborne troops were headed this way. and from 25 miles away, the south vietnamese set out by road. along that road, the viet cong were waiting. just five miles from pleime, the the vietnamese were ambushed, but they fought back. they quickly got heavy casualties. the north vietnamese achieved one objective, attacking of the forces for more than 24 hours. after seven days, the relief force got through. the seed was broken. for the enemy, it was a costly lesson.

their infantrymen were killed. hundreds of others were put out of action. allied casualties were light, but pleime was difficult for us, too. one of the american advisers at the camp was major charles beckwith of atlanta, georgia. >> what kind of fighters are the viet cong that you met here? major beckwith: i would give anything to have 200 of them under my command, they are the finest soldiers i have ever seen. morley: the viet cong? major beckwith: yes, they are very good. morley: what about your own resistance that you put up a. -- the americans here come and your troops? major beckwith: the u.s. is here and as far as i am concerned, they did an outstanding job. of course, in my opinion, they are held in a lot better opinion than the vc. that is the only reason we survived. i do not want to make any comment regarding the vietnamese here in the can't.

-- in the can't. . an't -- camp morley: for the defenders of pleime, the battle is over, but for the first air cavalry division, it was just beginning. pleime was the jumping off point for a new kind of operation against a new kind of enemy. the original mission of the cavalry was to secure the immediate area around pleime. the first few days of search and destroy operations, they met only light resistance, light fire. they moved further west towards the cambodian border. they met over here in the chu pong hills. on november 1, the new warhead begun. the war between the regular army and the people's army of north vietnam. it is a new style of war. i talked to general richard knowles. >> i think the thing that is new is this concept where we leap into an area and start a fight and finish it up to the best of our abilities and then we get

another chunk of the enemy and shoot him. you couldn't get into the area on the ground you had to have -- ground, you had to have an to support what we are doing. morley: i was thinking of previous missions, and the area was all about gaining ground. brig. gen. knowles: yes, and it is all about also destroyed the will to fight. we have been doing that in the tradition, but that was never the real purpose. it has been the tradition foreground objectives. that was never the real purpose. that helped us achieve the end. here, we can take those ground considerations, and we go forth directly towards the enemy, wherever he may be. morley: the first requirement of the cavalry is air ability. -- the first brigade of the cavalry is air ability. you hit the enemy from the front and back. on the hueys moved down and the november 1, airborne riflemen moved down.

the tactic is a simple, find them, fix them, and kill them. the first battle 50 north vietnamese dead, 21 killed, casualties, nil. ultimately, a landing zone is needed. up in the highlands, a landing zone is any flat patch of ground that can land a helicopter, and if there isn't one, you make one. enemy casualties mounted. 300 dead, 115 prisoners, friendly cavities were described as light. our weapon was mobility. mobile command posts. >> 1, 6, 5, over.

morley: the cavalry was changing. then just inside the cambodian border, the communist's luck turned. >> this is 3 3, and you have to walk a long way and have a lot of people get killed. [explosions] morley: with their back to the -- the main supply depot, the north vietnamese regulars were waiting behind fortified bunkers. the enemies through mortar rounds into the landing zone, but the cavalry stood its ground. for the first time in the

vietnam war, the americans' casualities were described as moderate. most of the casualties were taken at night. the helicopters came in under fire. captain guy kinsey was one of the pilots. captain kinsey: we didn't have any moon, so without anything to go by, i almost landed on a future casualties. they were very close. we managed to get them on board, and two people i carried in there to help evacuate in the aircraft right away and started returning air fire. -- fire. and there was a lot of fire around that and i was scared. so with the rest of my crew. morley: by the dawn of the 15th, it was clear that the enemy had been hurt badly, but we had paid dearly. it was almost like looking at old newsreels of korea in the pacific war, the same younger faces, the same shattered a

landscapes, the same agony. >> it was pretty bad. we kind of walked right into an ambush. and we hit the ground. we try to look around for trees or tall grass out there, about three foot high, and to look over that, the snipers could pick you up really easily. they would let you have it. >> does it frighten you now to think about it? >> yes it does. and it is terrible not to be able to cry for help another have your friends do a thing. we were all pinned down, you know? >> are you writing home about it just now? >> yes, i am writing my father right now. >> what he saying? >> i'm trying to the facts of

what happened. >> do you think you will ever forget it? >> no, i won't. >> the worst was still to come. all the time, a steady pounding by sky raters and jet bombers. [explosions. --

[explosions] >> and darkness, the communist regulars drop. they decide to pull back, not to retreat, but to make room for planes of a strategic air command. these bombers have been used in technical support.--tactical support. the deadliest war machine in the world is going up against the guerrilla army. [gunfire] as the bombers came in, they were selecting new landing zones, looking for open spaces in the vast carpet of woodland that covers the hills and valleys of central vietnam. they found them, surrounded by thick grass they can wear a man out within 500 yards of walking. visibility is the length of the rifle. it is country designed for ambush, guerrilla country. it is where the communist army

of ho chi minh first attacked the government of the french. in that war, they waited around landing zone x-ray. the scene of our hedge of the -- heaviest casualties. a lot of 20-year-old speaking veterans that afternoon. >> we were bringing up the rear. they really let us have it. >> i heard them, and they surprised us. they must have had snipers in the trees because we cannot see them. there were a lot of snipers in the area. they just kept dropping on us. one right after another. >> the remnants of the alpha company first battalion seventh cavalry. the bullets were coming from everywhere, they said, they were right on top of us.

bodies were dying everywhere. one machine gunner told me how they fought back. >> after 4:00 in the morning, we were ready for them. >> we have 3000 rounds of ammo and 30 hand grenades. we burned about three barrels in this machine gun. when -- we knocked out three machine gun crews. >> how many do you think you killed? say,m not prepared to maybe 40 or 50. maybe even more. >> at first light, the full shock came. the americans and north vietnamese lay side-by-side in the grass. it was a rare kind of combat. enemy face each other only a few feet apart. by their own admission, these men fought not to defend a

perimeter or a position, they fought for their own lives. in the end, victory was ours. a lot of americans died in these woodlands. overall, an important point was made. u.s. infantryman, using established technique and ingenuity, can seek out and destroy the best guerrilla army in the world. the commander in chief, william c west moreland. >> i want to congratulate you on your distinguished victory. you are fighting regular north vietnamese troops. you men of the second battalion cavalry have distinguished , yourselves. you fought bravely. you fought with skill. >> it is a funny thing.

some of these men i've known for a long time. some of them, i did not know too well. that is the thing about battle i find strange. the death part is unrealistic. you know it is true, but you don't bring yourself to believe it. >> the hardest part is trying to forget the death of your buddies. i've lost 28 men. i knew some friends of mine that went to the same university. >> is it hard for you now to believe that they are dead so quickly?

>> well, when you look at them, it doesn't even resemble a human body. it's like a mannequin. you look at them and say, that could happen to me. it is hard to realize. you walk back to their area, back to the camp, and they are just not there. >> well, i tell you, it is hard to put it in words. it was like hell. it is the closest to hell you can get and come back alive. >> what would you say is the most hellish part? cracks getting shot at, seeing the bullet miss you and hit your buddy. when you see some of the out there and you cannot get to them and you cannot do a thing to help them. >> this is the enemy. in the past few weeks, i spoke to dozens through interpreters.

they said they had been mobilized, and drafted. , some havemen, boys stars, some spent months walking down to basis, carrying weapons bigger than themselves. couragee they showed and motivation, or something. by weeks, the campaign had ended. a third brigade found little but thin air. according to william lynch. >> it appears that they have had enough and moved out. the last 24 hours, they have not fired a shot. >> the casualties in the vietnam war have been heavy. in the past four years, the south vietnamese had lost almost 27,000 men in battle. last weekend alone, almost 1000. american casualties have been relatively light up until now. on thanksgiving morning, americans picked up newspapers to find, aside the usual thanks giving picture, headlines announcing the casualties in did

not wear the highest ever. 240 dead, 470 wounded. if brought the severity of the battle into every home. the total was three times higher than any previous week of the war. the enemies losses to wear higher than ever. 2000 killed. >> we've made estimates. we've thought that in this type of country and tough and the hand fighting, we would have a ratio of losses to kills. i think that we have done better than that. i don't like to trade one american or trooper for 50 of them, but realistically, in this type of fighting, you get anywhere between 7:1 to 10:1.

that's a good exchange. >> i do not know of any situation that concerns the pair -- president more than the loss of lives in vietnam. those who know him well know with what heavy heart each decision is made to send americans into combat. that grief is not a feeling that can be turned on or off. it is there whether the casualty list is 2 or 200. i've seen the president particularly in the past few weeks, previously but privately concerned. >> for every body, there is a next of kin. for every next of kin, a telegram. from the general to mrs. rebecca e gehl. >> the secretary of the army has asked me to express his deep regret that your husband died in vietnam on the 14 november, 1965. >> we heard them say that they will bury us.

if they take over one country at a time, all over the world, the little countries will be taken over. he said, i would rather go now then wait until 20 years and have my son go. it might be too late in 20 years. and he told me, before he left, he told me to sit down. he started talking serious, and i started crying, and he said do not cry, because you've got to know this. it's better if you know. you won't have a total decision to make. it want you to know that we have spent most of our marriage in columbus. two of our children have been born here. i would like to be buried here in case anything happens. i want to be wherever you would live.

>> ready, aim, fire. aim, fire. aim, fire. ready. >> this is as most treasured hours, weeks and months. the longest time of our marriage in columbus. i want to stay here. in places we have been together. that is all i can really say. i'm staying here, because that's what he expressed to me. i want to be where he is. if that is what i can have. i am glad you chose me.

jack, funeral of sergeant a lot of men died, but strategically, it was a victory. >> i characterize this entire campaign is being the most successful of this conflict thus far. i feel that its success is unprecedented. >> we are seeing americans come to grips with large-scale the enemies units. is is going to be a pattern of the war? >> it seems evident that the leadership in hanoi has sent down to south vietnam regular forces. how many more, we do not know. >> it was a bitter and valuable experience. it taught us the value of mobility in fighting a guerrilla war. the defense secretary has also -- calvaryera t

division has been formed. it has also pointed out the brutal fact that hanoi intends to commit a field army to vietnam. communists are massing in south vietnam, and so are we. they feel we are divided. there impressed by student demonstrations. in hanoi, a student is a rare and honored member of society. the enemy knows he cannot defeat us in the field, but by killing americans, he hopes to demoralize us at home. that is what happened to france in 1954. our armed forces are willing to take necessary casualties to seek out and destroy the enemy. the question remains, are the american people willing to lose more and more young men in vietnam? ♪ >> this has been a cbs news special report, the battle of ia drang valley.

♪ >> this prerecorded broadcast was produced under the supervision and control of cbs news. >> every weekend american history tv on c-span3, 48 hours of programs that tell the nation story. this morning, we are live from historic colonial williamsburg bringing you scenes from the 1770's, the eve of the american revolution. with reenactment of revolutionaries british loyalists meeting of the streets , they will also tour the government's palace. we'll takethe day, your calls in tweets about the colonial era. sunday morning at 10:00 on road

to the white house rewind. we will hear the aspirations of presidential hopefuls. from 1987 donald rumsfeld shares his thoughts about running for manchester new hampshire, and from 1994 dick cheney explores his possible run in the 1996 presidential race. it as ad to think of political calculation. i would look out and try to think who is going to run and what the chances were. the more think about it the more becomes a personal decision. later, southern illinois university history professor caribbeanl on the sugar trade. each role in the development of the atlantic colonies. >> sugar was one of the main movers of the trade. 75% of all of guns brought to the americas and the 1600s or

brought to areas where they were growing and making sugar. it was a huge business. argued it was a new enterprise. >> american history tv come all weekend every weekend only on c-span3. >> 40 years after the first full-scale engagement between u.s. troops and the people's army of vietnam, the vietnam archive at texas tech university interviewed veterans from the battle of ia drang valley. it was after these battles the north vietnamese forces began engaging in guerrilla warfare. the americans, outnumbered by the army, prevailed, but at a heavy cost. next, an interview with captain ed "too tall" freeman, a helicopter who flew his unarmed helicopter into landing zone x-ray to deliver ammunition, supplies, and to rescue wounded soldiers.