Siege of Plei Me

Siege of Plei Me
Part of the Vietnam War
Special Forces camp at Plei Me in 1965
Date October 19–25, 1965 Location 13°37′03″N 107°55′03″E / 13.6175°N 107.9175°E / 13.6175; 107.9175 Plei Me, Pleiku Province, South Vietnam Result South Vietnamese-American victory
Belligerents
South Vietnam  United States	North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
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[1]	U.S. body count: 326 killed during siege [2] U.S. estimate: 850 killed during siege and pursuit[3]

The siege of Plei Me (Vietnamese: 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.