The board game of the battle that changed the war in Vietnam! A battalion of Americans from the 1st Cavalry Division faced overwhelming odds against the North Vietnamese Army. Can you survive in the Ia Drang Valley at Landing Zone X-Ray? It is November 14, 1965... This game includes (unpainted) miniature VC soldiers, NVA soldiers, US Cavalry soldiers, Huey helicopters, 105mm Howitzers, A-1 Skyraiders and even a mortar! Chips, dice, markers and 78 game cards combine with THE actual US military topographic map from the real battle in 1965, to create a truly unique gaming experience. The combat is modeled at the squad and fire team level - as fire combat, fire support, and Close Quarters Combat (CQC). A truly innovative and unique combat system, like no other game before it. This game is challenging for both players as they face the same adversities and pressures as their historical counterparts did. "Action cards" and "Player Cards" for both sides add historical flavor and tactical advantages at critical moments. This one can go either way every time- the outcome depends on YOU - your opponent - and the luck of the die roll / card draw. To buy this game - note the instructions below here.
To purchase this game, it is only available in the special 2-game set along with "Dak To - Hill 875" here in the "Games" section of the website. Click this link and then simply "add to cart":https://www.cadetgames.com/games/they-were-soldiers-and-dak-to-hill-875?c=112
Here's a link to the "unboxing" video at "The Player's Aid" from a while back: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/06/11/unboxing-video-they-were-soldiers-battle-of-the-ia-drang-valley-from-cadet-games/
At 10:48 A.M. on the morning of November 14th, 1965, the first 80 soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the U.S. 7th Cavalry landed in a small clearing at the foot of the Chu Pong Massif in central Vietnam near the Cambodian border. The Americans had landed in the middle of the base area for an entire North Vietnamese division, and were almost immediately attacked from multiple sides of their small landing zone - called ‘LZ X-Ray’.
The battle raged over the next several days, with high losses on both sides. In the end, the Americans had proved their new airmobility tactics and had inflicted high losses on the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers they faced. The NVA had also learned how to fight the Americans - and had inflicted serious losses on a high-tech superpower enemy by using classic light infantry tactics with only a fraction of the firepower available to the Americans.
This game challenges the players to re-fight the first day or so of that battle - the critical time when the NVA forces had the chance to overwhelm the Americans and overrun the landing zone. Can you, as the U.S. player, hold your ground and repeat history? Or will the NVA player triumph and overwhelm the perimeter - cutting the Americans off from supply and reinforcement? Get ready to re-live or re-write history in the battle for LZ-Xray!
