[3][6] In July 1965, General Chu Huy Man was assigned commander of B3 Field Front in preparation for the Winter–Spring 1965 campaign to conquer the Central Highlands.

[7] The B3 Field Front Command employed three regiments in the effort to conquer the Central Highlands: the 32nd to set up the ambush to destroy the ARVN relief column; the 33rd to put a siege of the Pleime camps; and the 66th to join force with the 32nd and 33rd to overrun Pleiku city.

[9] A Chinese Advisors Group established its headquarters in Phnom Penh to coordinate the logistics aspect of the NVA Pleime attack.

[10] This intelligence source consisted of radio intercepts of the communications between the Chinese Advisors that II Corps Command alluded to as "Special Agents".

The 1st Air Cavalry immediately established its headquarters named Camp Halloway in An Khe, Central Highlands, while its newly arrived troops started to conduct operations in the Bong Son coastal area of Qui Nhon.

It was assigned – on 26 October – by the II Corps Command to the 1st Air Cavalry Division with the mission to pursue the enemy into the Ia Drang-Chu Pong complex.

The attack was a luring tactic aiming to attract the II Corps main force out of Pleiku to destroy it with an ambush.

[37] Meanwhile, to counter the NVA mobile ambush tactic, the Relief Armored Task Force was ordered to linger around Phu My as to give the appearance of conducting a patrol operation while waiting for more reinforcement.

At 1300 hours the US reinforcement (Ingram Task Force comprising 1/12 Air Cavalry Infantry Battalion and the one battery 2/19 Arty) arrived in Pleiku.

After failing to achieve the ambush, the 32nd Regiment received the order to retreat with 120 killed and 75 crew-served and individual weapons captured.

[40] II Corps Command relied on the USAF's firepower of B-57s, AIEs, F-100s, F-8s and AC-47s in repulsing the enemy attacking troops both at the Pleime camp and at the ambush sites.

[44] To enhance the ability to work closely with the ARVN in the execution of Operation Long Reach, Brigadier General Knowles set up his tactical Command Post, co-located with II Corps Headquarters in Pleiku.

[50][51] On 1 November, units of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade had the first engagement with battalion size enemy force at the 33rd Regiment aid station.

Armed helicopters gunships interdicted scattered enemy troops to linger on the withdrawal paths between the Pleime camp and the Chu Pong rear bases, while the regimental headquarters on the move was spare of harassment.

Intentional few engagements with the enemy troops were sought out, resulting in Operation All the Way conducted by the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade to be characterized as "a walk in the Park".

[72] On November 14, an ARVN intelligence source by intercept of radio communication indicated that before dawn, some assault elements of the NVA B3 Field Front started moving out of their assembly areas to attack the Pleime camp.

[74][75][76] The B3 Field Front reacted by postponing the scheduled movement to attack the Pleime camp and threw in the battlefield to engage the Air Cavalry troops with the 7/66 and 9/66 Battalions.

[20] On 15 November, at 09:30, Colonel Brown landed at LZ X-Ray to make preparation to withdraw the 1/7 Air Cavalry Battalion, deeming its job of drawing the attention of the enemy away from attacking the Pleime camp[79] done.

[87] Upon approaching the LZ Albany vicinity, the 2/7 Air Cavalry walked into a "meeting engagement"[88] with units of the 1/33 and 8/66 Battalions, which neither side had anticipated.

[90] On 17 November, after two days of B-52 strike, II Corps Command based on estimated the enemy force had lost 2/3 of its strength, decided to "finish off" the campaign with Operation Thần Phong 7 conducted by the ARVN Airborne Brigade.

From 1500H to 1600H, the 52nd Aviation comprising ten UH1Ds, twelve UH1Bs and eleven UH1Bs (A), reinforced by twenty UH1Ds and six UH1Bs (A) from the 229th Avn Bn, 1st Air Cav Div helilifted 1,500 troops of the 3rd, 5th and 6th Airborne Battalions from Duc Co to landing zone YA 841092.

The campaign achieved its mission of destroying the B3 Field Front's stronghold located in the Chu Pong-Ia Drang complex and wiping out its entire three regimental forces.