In nineteen sixty six the Australians were new. Late afternoon August 18, 1966 South Vietnam — for three and a half hours, in the pouring rain, amid the mud and shattered trees of a rubber plantation called Long Tan, Major Harry Smith and his dispersed company of 108 young and mostly inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers are fighting for their lives, holding off an overwhelming enemy force of 2,500 battle hardened Viet Cong . Shockwave: An Australian Combat Helicopter Crew in Vietnam, very good. Long Tan - The Start of a Lifelong Battle updated 50th anniversary edition, Order now from the military specialists. In the centre, the splash if you like, was 105 Australian Infantry soldiers and 3 NZ Artillery men. The memorial cross at the site of the battle. William Alfred Roche 10. One-hundred-and-five men from D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) and three New Zealanders from an artillery forward observation party from New Zealand's 161 Field Battery, encountered a force of more than 2,000 Viet Cong soldiers. Shockwave: An Australian Combat Helicopter Crew in Vietnam, very good. The events of previous days set the scene. His nephew collected the medal for courage on his behalf. At the Battle of Long Tan on August 18, 1966, heavily outnumbered Australian forces withstood a Viet Cong assault. Few were as intense or dramatic as Long Tan, which occurred 50 years ago next Thursday. The Battle was a significant event, because of the demonstrated fighting ability of Australian soldiers, and the heavy defeat The Battle of Long Tan. The base fends off the attack with counter-battery fire . About 3.30pm, a group of Viet Cong walked into the middle of the patrolling Australian soldiers who opened fire, wounding one and forcing the others to flee. It recreates this momentous, yet often forgotten, battle regarded as one of the most pivotal, shocking, dramatic and bravura . Walsh's passion for the history of Long Tan rekindled in 2004 when seven Australian commanders . During the battle, 18 Australians died and 24 were wounded. After that 1 APC Sqn was involved in numerous operations in support of the 5th and . For the eighteenth of august they planned their attack. Outgunned. AUSTRALIAN ARMY VIETNAM Battle of Long Tan Infantry UH-1 Huey Door Gunner us | eBay The Battle of Long Tan occurred in the late afternoon of 18 August 1966 in a rubber plantation some 4500 metres to the east of the Task Force base at Nui Dat. dbr:1st_Regiment,_Royal_Australian_Artillery; dbr:Australian_Army; dbr:McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II; dbr:Bell_UH-1_Iroquois; dbr:M109_howitzer; dbr:People's_Army . The action was fought between Viet Cong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) units and elements of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF). Credit: Australian War Memorial The Battle of Long Tan lasted just one afternoon, but it came to symbolise Australia's 10-year . In the gathering dusk of 18 August 1966, 108 young, inexperienced Australian and NZ soldiers are separated and surrounded, fighting for their lives, holding off an overwhelming force of 2,500 battle-hardened Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers. Colonel Francis Adrian Roberts OAM 4. To their Nui Dat base and their numbers were few. The Battle of Long Tần was fought in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tần, about 4 km north-east of Vung Tau, South Vietnam on August 18-19, 1966. 11 National Servicemen, Australian Army; 6 Regular soldiers, Australian Army; One from 3 Troop, 1 APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) Squadron-died of wounds. Australian soldiers fought in scores of fierce actions during the Vietnam war. The initial battle of Long Tan began on the night of 16/17 th August 1966 with a surprise mortar attack on the 1 st Australian Task Force base. Australia 18 killed 17 from Delta Company (D Coy), 6RAR 11 National Servicemen, Australian Army 6 Regular soldiers, Australian Army One from 3 Troop, 1 APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) Squadron Died nine days later from wounds sustained in the battle 24 members of D Coy were wounded North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) 245+ killed Long Tan. The Australians had arrived at Nui Dat four months earlier to open up the province. Vale Dave Beahan - veteran of the Battle of Long Tan . Tacintop photo Recognizing Australia's heroes. With Travis Fimmel, Toby Blome, Alexander England, Aaron Glenane. Never Out of Courage.Late afternoon August 18, 1966 South Vietnam - for three and a half hours, in the pouring rain, amid the mud and. The Battle of LONG TAN: by Major Harry Smith MC, who commanded Delta Six at Long Tan . The Australians buried 245 Viet Cong soldiers after the battle, though captured documents indicated that hundreds of others had been killed. sturdy cardboard box , will be. Frank Alcorta OAM 2. Officially, 245 bodies were counted on the battlefield by Australian soldiers. Australian soldiers during the battle of Long Tan in Vietnam. The action occurred when D (Delta) Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR), part of the 1st . Australian soldiers fought off the large enemy assault despite . When the battle subsided, 18 Australian soldiers lay dead and 24 had been . This is the official page for the Australian Army. Buy from…. . The V.C. The late Ronald Howard Brett 6. Many of these will be very rare. Neil Raymond Bextrum 5. Captain Maurice 'Morrie' Stanley (NZ) Military Cross (MC) Major Harry Smith Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) Warrant Officer 2 Jack Kirby Corporal J. Carter Military Medal (MM) Sergeant Bob Buick Private Ron Eglington Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) Lieutenant Adrian Roberts Second Lieutenant Geoff Kendall Second Lieutenant Dave Sabben Source 3 - List of the Australian dead - Battle of Long Tan. The Battle of Long Tan reveals how the heroic deeds of the young Australian and New Zealand soldiers, guided by a savvy band of commanders, re-wrote the military manual. Members of the ADF commemorating fallen soldiers at the Battle of Long TanImage Retrieved from: On the 16th of August, 5RAR were patrolling in an area of jungle to the north of the Australian Task Force (1ATF) Base. The Battle of Long Tan is also Harry's life story and portrays his many personal battles, from failed marriages to commando-style killing; from a horrific parachute accident through to his modern-day struggles with bureaucracy for recognition for his soldiers. The late Barry Eugene Magnussen 3. With Sam Worthington, Kristopher Bos, Christopher Coyle, James Pratt. Transcript In August 1966, 105 Australian and three New Zealand soldiers held out against an enemy force of over 2,000. August 18-19, 1966." Australian forces in Vietnam, engaging a much superior enemy force, emerging victorious, inflicting very heavy losses on the NVA/VC, with minimal loss to themselves. One of those receiving a Commendation for Gallantry is Tamworth's Gordon Sharp, the only Australian officer killed in the battle. In the days after the three savage hours that was the battle of Long Tan, his soldiers were finding body parts, carnage and corpses spread across the battlefield. decided they'd be easy to beat. Despite the terrible losses, the battle, and the remarkable bravery shown by the diggers, is considered a . Within minutes of the first shot, we called for artillery support. 4:08pm As 11 Platoon continues their advance in 'one big long line', they come under heavy fire which kills four of the Australians. The actual fighting lasted a few hours and came to symbolise Australia's 10-year involvement in the Vietnam War. AUSTRALIAN ARMY VIETNAM Battle of Long Tan Infantry UH-1 Huey Door Gunner us | eBay (Supplied: Australian War Memorial) Aerial View: Long Tan Battlefield 18th August 1966 Seventeen Australian soldiers died in the battle. During the ensuing battle D Company managed . was the largest battle of the war to that point. Three of the medals were accepted posthumously, including for Gordon Sharp — the only Australian officer to die in the battle. Description. The Battle of Long Tan. Royal Australian Regiment and three attached New Zealanders beat off a force of Viet Cong fighters and North Vietnamese troops estimated to be up to 2,500 strong. A compelling account of Australia's bloodiest and most significant battle of the Vietnam War, in time for the battle's 50th anniversary, by critically-acclaimed war writer David Cameron. The 500 Australians and Rhodesians were outnumbered 3 to 1. Few were as intense or dramatic as Long Tan, which occurred 50 years ago next Thursday. That being said, few would have wanted to call Long Tan a success: it proved to be the costliest battle for the Australians during the entire Vietnam War. • The Battle of Long Tan took place on 18 August 1966, in a rubber plantation called Long Tan in Phuoc Tuy Province South Vietnam, approximately 5kms away from the 1ATF (Australian Task Force) base which was situated at Nui Dat. Helpful. The Australian soldiers continued their advance, the three platoons of D Company - designated 10,11 and 12 - taking up positions around the rubber plantation. And, in the pouring rain, amid the mud and shattered trees of a rubber plantation called Long Tan, with their ammunition running out and another . When the battle subsided, 18 Australian soldiers lay dead and 24 had been . A Hard Landing Three of the medals were accepted . The Australian soldiers here proved they were up to the challenge of fighting the Viet Cong. The Battle of Long Tan is also Harry's life story and portrays his many personal battles, from failed marriages to commando-style killing; from a horrific parachute accident through to his modern-day struggles with bureaucracy for recognition for his soldiers. The fighting saw Australian infantry from 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) attack a heavily fortified communist base camp in Long Khanh Province, while Centurion . During the attack, Major Harry Smith is cool under fire, ordering his men to take cover and stand to, while other soldiers don't take it seriously, playing cards or drinking beer. The battle of Long Tan was fought on 18 August 1966. The Battle of Long Tan: How 100 Australian soldiers held off 2,000 Viet Cong. Plot. Vale Dave Beahan - veteran of the Battle of Long Tan . Long Tan Action, Vietnam, 18th August 1966, by Bruce Fletcher, 1970. On the late afternoon of Aug. 18, 1966, Australian Maj. Harry Smith and the men in his Delta Company faced a vastly superior force of 2,500 heavily armed Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army troops at an abandoned rubber plantation near Long Tan, a village about . I carried the M60 machine gun in 7 Section. Australia. They'd humble the Aussies with a crushing defeat. That's a ratio of some 25 to one! . Outnumbered. On 18 August 1966, D Company of 6RAR set out on a sweep through an area from which VC forces had bombarded the 1ATF base at Nui Dat two days before. Group portrait of soldiers from D Company, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), display the dolls and cigarette-cases presented to them by the South Vietnamese government for their part in the Battle of Long Tan on 1966-08-18. Many of these will be very rare. Recognition was slow to come for the men of Long Tan. Five Australian soldiers assigned to 6 RAR photographed shortly before they and the battalion were deployed to South Vietnam in 1966. The Battle of Long Tan. The film opens with a mortar attack on the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) base at Nui Dat by the Viet Cong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). Source 1 - Map of the area. Second Lieutenant Sharp was 21. The Battle of Long Tan is the most publicised Australian battle of the Vietnam War. In the gathering dusk of 18 August 1966, 108 young, inexperienced Australian and NZ soldiers are separated and surrounded, fighting for their lives, holding off an overwhelming force of 2,500 battle-hardened Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers. 'The enemy were silhouetted against the gun smoke and the watery mist. The battle of Long Tan started about 4pm—an hour later the monsoon rain was so heavy it bounced off the ground, forming a mist. 18 killed. Being a historian: Here is a range of evidence about the Battle of Long Tan. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the battle of Long Tan, Vietnam Veteran, former history teacher and author Don Tate asks whether this was really a legendary battle, or just military smoke and mirrors.. BINH GIA, 1964 — a small village of about 6,000 people not far from where the Australian Army would set up its task force base in Nui Dat just a year later, was a prelude to the Battle . On August 18, 1969, a different Australian unit set up a memorial cross, and later a plaque, on the site of the battlefield to honor the Australian soldiers who died among the rubber trees. Danger Close: Directed by Kriv Stenders. . Battle of Long Tan. "The Battle of Long Tan is arguably the most famous battle fought by the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. Read more. Ian Martin Campbell 7. The Battle of Long Tan: Directed by Damien Lay. On the night of 18 August 1966, while relieving troops at the Battle of Long Tan. 1 APC Sqn = 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron 2Lt = 2nd Lieutenant (Army rank) 6RAR = 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment Civ: = Civilian occupation Commem: = Commemorated at Cpl = Corporal (Army .
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