2. General Westmoreland implemented a "search and destroy" strategy using superior technology and "vertical envelopment" with helicopters. At the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang, the U.S. sought to trap NVA regiments with air mobility and crushing artillery. However, the NVA quickly adapted, learning to "cling" to American perimeters to neutralize U.S. fire support. Hal Moore’s battalion faced a brutal realization: while the U.S. relied on technology, the NVA used human wave attacks and proximity to maximize American casualties. This early conflict proved that the enemy possessed a resilient tactical spirit that technology alone could not defeat. (2)

1965