Search and Destroy

While the method of "search and destroy" is the ultimate goal for any armed conflict, it developed a new face in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. With the absence of an actual front line, the North circumvented skirmishes by entering neighboring Cambodia, only to reappear within striking distance of the South stronghold of Saigon. With such bold initiative, the American contingent retaliated with heavily armed helicopter gunships from the U.S. First Air Cavalry Division, thus introducing the world's first helicopter-based military formation at the battle of the La Drang Valley.