Siege of Plei Me
| Siege of Plei Me | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Vietnam War | |||||||
Special Forces camp at Plei Me in 1965 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
South Vietnam United States | North Vietnam | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Nguyễn Phước Vĩnh Lộc Charles Beckwith | Chu Huy Mân | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
1,400 ARVN and 450 CIDG 12 U.S. Special Forces U.S. Air Force and TF Ingram | 33rd and 320th PAVN Regiments (~4,200) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
16 ARVN killed 14 CIDG killed 3 killed |
U.S. body count: 326 killed during siege U.S. estimate: 850 killed during siege and pursuit | ||||||
The siege of Plei Me (Vietnamese: Trận bao vây Plei Me; 19–25 October 1965) was the beginning phase of the first major confrontation between soldiers of the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. The lifting of the siege by South Vietnamese forces and American air power was followed by the pursuit of the retreating North Vietnamese from 28 October until 12 November, setting the stage for the Battle of Ia Drang.