themselves surrounded by an unseen enemy in the jungles of Southeast Asia. In

what would become the first battle of the Vietnam War, US troops squared off

with the People’s Army of Vietnam in the Ia Drang Valley. Badly outnumbered and

undersupplied, the American troops fought to defend a tiny clearing in a dense

rainforest non-stop for over fifty hours. Though the communist forces were

ultimately pushed back by the awesome airpower of the United States, the North

Vietnamese gained valuable intelligence on how to wage war against the enemy

superpower. For US citizens watching at home and abroad, the battle of the Ia

Drang Valley was sent a clear message that the Vietnam War was far from over,

and was only just beginning. On this episode we discuss the Battle of the Ia

Drang Valley.