Key Facts
- Dates
- 19–25 October 1965
- U.S. defenders
- 12 soldiers, 5th Special Forces Group
- Pursuit phase
- 28 October – 12 November 1965
- Conflict
- Vietnam War
Strategic Narrative Overview
PAVN units surrounded and besieged the Plei Me camp beginning 19 October 1965, simultaneously preparing an ambush for any relief force. South Vietnamese forces, supported by U.S. air power, broke through to lift the siege by 25 October. American aircraft played a decisive role in repelling the attackers and preventing the relief column from being destroyed, forcing the PAVN to withdraw from the immediate area.
01 / The Origins
By late 1965, North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces had infiltrated the Central Highlands of South Vietnam with the strategic aim of cutting the country in two. The Plei Me Special Forces camp, defended by a small U.S. advisory contingent and South Vietnamese troops, became a target as PAVN commanders sought to draw out and destroy a South Vietnamese relief column in a classic siege-and-ambush tactic.
03 / The Outcome
Following the lifting of the siege, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces pursued the retreating PAVN from 28 October to 12 November 1965. This pursuit drove North Vietnamese units westward toward the Ia Drang valley, setting the conditions for the Battle of Ia Drang in mid-November — the first large-scale conventional battle between U.S. and PAVN forces in the Vietnam War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.