"Broken Arrow"*
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Date: 15th November 1965*
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Time: 06:50*  
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Mission type: USA heroic defence *
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NVA Units/Formations present on map:212/75 *
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Map size: Huge (160 x 200)*
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Visibility: 05*
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Turns: 31*
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Lt. Col Hal Moore's After Action Report :*
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D. First light came at 0630 hours. I had tentatively decided 
on my plan of attack to reach the surrounded platoon while simultaneously 
securing the perimeter. I directed by A, B, and C Company Commanders 
to meet me at the C Company CP to finalize the plan and to receive my 
orders since that was the best point of vantage. The time was approx- 
imately 0640 hours. I also directed each company to check around their 
positions carefully for infiltrators and snipers.*
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V. ENEMY ATTACKS OF 15 NOVEMBER: *
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A. At approximately 0650 hours the recon elements of the 1st 
and 2d platoons of C Company (the two left platoons) which were search- 
ing and screening approximately 100 - 200 meters forward of their 
positions began receiving rifle fire from their front and left front. 
They returned the fire and began pulling back to their defensive pos- 
itions. At this time, they were attacked by a force of 2 - 3 Companies. 
The enemy was well-camouflaged; crouching low; and in some cases crawling 
on hands and knees. The recon parties from the two platoon positions 
right of the company CP encountered no enemy but pulled back immediately 
to their defensive positions. An intense small arms fire fight broke 
out. The weight of the enemy attack was directed at the left portion 
of the C Company sector. The recon parties of the 1st and 2d platoons 
began taking casualties including some KIA as they pulled back. Other 
men were hit trying to get to them. Some were recovered; however, by 
then - 0730 hours the enemy had moved almost to the perimeter foxholes 
despite taking severe losses from artillery, mortar, and close air. 
Savage close-range fighting vent on for the next two hours in the C 
Company sector - primarily in the left three platoon areas and forward 
of the Company CP. There was considerable hand-to-hand fighting. For 
example, the 1st platoon leader was found later KIA and five dead PAVN 
around him in and near his CP foxhole. One man was found KIA with his 
hands at the throat of a deed PAVN. Numerous enemy bodies were found 
intermingled with the killed and wounded of C Company. At approximately 
0715 hours, the enemy attacked the D Company sector near where the 
mortars were emplaced. This put the perimeter under attack from two 
directions. Artillery, Aerial Rocket Artillery, and TAC Air were 
called in and their fires were accurate and extremely effective. ARA 
and TAC Air was also used to ring the perimeter with fires. Priority 
of all fires was given to C Company. The artillery FO with C Company 
was pinned down by rifle fire in the company CP area. Hence the artil- 
lery was adjusted by my artillery liaison officer from my CP. There was 
good observation,*
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B. At approximately 0715 hours, the Commanding Officer, C 
Company requested reinforcements. I took a platoon from Company A (it 
being the closest to C Company) and dispatched it for the C Company 
CP area. It came under fire while moving over the open ground, lost 
2 KIA and WIA, but made it to the right center of the C Company sector. 
At about 0745 hours, the A Company sector was attacked by what was 
later determined to be a small force. We were now being attacked from 
three different directions with firing of equal intensity in all three 
areas. Grazing fire from enemy small arms and automatic weapons was 
criss-crossing the interior of the perimeter into the landing zone, 
battalion CP area and aid station. Twelve to fifteen HE explosions 
of either enemy mortar or rocket fire occured in the perimeter. Several 
men were wounded in and near the CP by small arms fire. One was KIA. 
I alerted my reserve for probable commitment in the C Company area or 
D Company Sector - both of which contingencies we had planned for the 
night before. I radioed the brigade commander, informed him of the 
situation, and in view of the losses being sustained by C Company and 
the heavy attack, I requested an additional reinforcing company. He 
had already alerted Company A, 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry the previous 
night and assembled it with helicopters ready for movement. My re- 
quest was approved but I did not bring the company in at that time due 
to heavy fire in the LZ. See Tab I for dispositions of opposing forces.*
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C. The heavy fire fight continued only in the C and D Company 
Sectors. At one time, approximately 0800 hours, the anti-tank platoon 
was heavily engaged and the LZ was severely threatened. The mortarmen 
were firing both their mortars and their rifles and taking heavy small 
arms fire. One mortar was hit and put out of action by enemy fire. 
I committed my reserve, the Recon Platoon, which moved into the left 
of the C Company sector; headed towards D Company and cleaned it out. 
They joined up with the rest of D Company and from then on throughout 
the rest of the attack, that portion of the perimeter was under control. 
This permitted me to take the risk of commencing to bring in A Company, 
2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry. Although the LZ was under fire, it was reduced 
somewhat. I needed A Company, 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry in, so that I 
could reinforce or possibly counterattack or block in or behind the 
C Company sector. I ordered the commander, B Company, 2d Battalion, 
7th Cavalry to pull one additional rifle platoon plus his command group 
off his line; turn the sector over to his remaining platoon; assemble 
the Company (-) dispersed near my CP; and prepare, on order, to reinforce, 
block, or counterattack in the C Company sector which was 125 meters to 
the east of the CP or second, in any other area. By then, two officers 
of C Company had been killed and three wounded. However, the company 
commander although shot in the chest and back continued to function; 
help to control his company; and give me reports for nearly three hours. 
The men of C Company stood their ground. One man of Company D who wound 
up in the C Company sector was the only soldier left covering 50 meters. 
He personally shot 10 - 15 enemy with his M-16 rifle firing from the 
kneeling position. The company radio operator picked off 15 - 20 from 
the company CP foxhole. The company commander killed several before 
he was wounded. The enemy fire was so heavy that movement towards or 
within the sector resulted in more friendly casualties. It was during 
this action at 0755 hours that all platoon positions threw a colored 
smoke grenade on my order to define visually for TAC Air, ARA and 
artillery air observers the periphery of the perimeter. All fire support 
was brought in extremely close. Some friendly artillery fell inside 
the perimeter, and two cans of napalm were delivered in my CP area 
wounding two men and setting off some M-16 ammo. This we accepted as 
abnormal, but not unexpected due to the emergency need for unusually 
close-in fire support (50-100 meters), C Company, with attachments, 
fought the massive enemy force for over two hours. At approximately 
0910 hours, elements of A Company, 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry began 
landing. I briefed the Commanding Officer, A Company, 2d Battalion, 
7th Cavalry on the situation and saw to it that he was oriented by the 
Commanding Officer, B Company, 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry on the sector 
he was to go into. I then ordered the Commanding Officer, Company B, 
2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry to move with his command group and the one 
platoon to the C Company sector, assume control over the remainder of 
C Company and responsibility for the defense of the sector. He moved 
out at 0941 hours. The remaining platoon of B Company, 2d Battalion, 
7th Cavalry followed shortly after when it was relieved on the perimeter 
by A Company, 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry. When the 3d platoon of A 
Company, 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry dismounted from the choppers, it 
headed towards the C Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry fire fight and 
assembled behind their left platoon. I attached it to B Company, 2d 
Battalion, 7th Cavalry and it fought with that Company throughout the 
next two days. By 1000 hours the enemy attack had been defeated. C 
Company had held. The enemy never penetrated through their position.