Artillery Lessons Learned in Ia Drang
SFC Byron Allred, SFC Tenny Niupulusu, SFC Lloyd Paige, SFC Terrance Retch
SLC #13D 001-16
Fort Sill NCO Academy

During the Vietnam Conflict, the Viet Cong forces were in nominal control of most of the countryside by 1965 and had established military infrastructure in the Central Highlands, to the Northeast of the Saigon region. The Vietnamese forces have been operating in this area since they fought and defeated the French approximately a decade before the Battle of Ia Drang. The Ia Drang campaign was the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the Highland Front, also known as the B3 Front, which consisted of regulars of the People’s Army of Vietnam of North Vietnam (PANV) …show more content…
The precision and timely fires provided by two batteries from 1st Battalion 21st Field Artillery Regiment from Landing Zone Falcon were vital to life preservation on that nerve-wrecking day. Barker (2010) reported that the dedication and tireless efforts displayed by the artillerymen were exemplary. On several occasions, it was necessary to fire danger-close missions and use a tactic known as “walking fires” as the enemy threatened to penetrate the American fronts. As stated in the After Action Review report, (Headquarters, 1965) artillery guns conducted registrations at night along known enemy lines. These techniques, among others, improved the accuracy of fires and enabled engagement of targets much closer to friendly forces than most commanders would authorize …show more content…
Initial contact after securing of the landing zone caused great difficulty coordinating locations of forward elements for the company commanders, forward observers, the forward air controller, and the artillery liaison officer. “The commander cannot wait until he knows exactly where all his men are. If he does, in a heavy action, he will get more men killed by waiting than if he starts shooting immediately.” (Headquarters, 1965, p. 18) While not as efficient as modern techniques, risk reduction methods were implemented which required the use of colored smoke grenades and panels to mark the boundary of friendly units. These practices continue to be effective in present military operations in addition to those techniques developed more