Brief History Of Helicopter Air Assault

General William Westmoreland called the helicopter air assault “the most innovative tactical development to emerge from the Vietnam War” (Carland, 2003). In February 1963 on the recommendation of the U.S. Army Tactical Mobility Requirements Board, otherwise known as the Howze Board after its president LTG Hamilton Howze, the 11th Airborne Division was reactivated as the 11th Air Assault Division (test). Their mission, to train in the theory and evolution of the air assault concept. Training continued until 1965 when the division was deactivated and reflagged as the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Shortly thereafter the division began deploying South Vietnam. Upon arriving in Vietnam the division began carving out a base of operations

Operation All The Way, launched on 27 October 1965, purpose was to force the withdrawing NVA into a central location in the Ia Drang valley region. With only a few skirmishes south of Ia Drang units described the operation as “a walk in the park” (Coleman, 1988). On November 6th U.S. forces with the help of helicopter gunships nearly wiped out the remaining elements of the 6/33rd regiment. The second phase was Operation Silver Bayonet I, which called for the pursuit of NVA forces. On November 13 1965 COL Brown Commander of 3rd Air Cavalry Brigade issued the order to LTC Moore Commander of 1st Battalion 7th Air Cavalry to prepare for an air assault into landing zone (LZ) X-Ray the following

By late afternoon two assaults had been repelled and Charlie and Alpha Companies had arrived along with elements from Delta Company which was the heavy weapons squad and standing by on reserve. During one assault on the perimeter Delta Company suffered heavy losses including one platoon leader. A mist off all the chaos only two medivac helicopters managed to land and evacuate casualties, instead it was the assault ships that landed with reinforcements that evacuated the wounded from the battle. Meanwhile a second assault was organized to try and link up with the cut off platoon but was soon repelled by enemy forces. By the end of the first day elements from 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry arrived to reinforce 1st