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16 AUGUST 2013

BACKGROUND INFORMATION REGARDING THE SUNDAY 18 AUGUST 2013 BATTLE OF LONG TAN COMMEMORATION

CEREMONY AT THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL

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01. BACKGROUND. At 1015 Sunday 18 August 2013, representatives of Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. will participate in a short ceremony at Area 5 near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Look for the flags of the three countries. After the formal remarks, a wreath will be placed at the vertex of the Wall. The ceremony will commemorate the 18 August 1966 Battle of Long Tan (“Long Tun”). This memo is a very brief timeline summary of the overall contributions made by Australia and New Zealand during the Viet Nam conflict. Contributions included ground, air, naval, and civil action forces. Specific details relating to political decisions

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and specific orders of battle relating to a specific time period are omitted for brevity. A brief description of the Battle of Long Tan is included. An in-depth review of the Australian and New Zealand participation in the Viet Nam conflict may be the subject of a future Wall Note, which would include the Republic of Korea (two Army divisions and one Marine brigade), Thailand, and the Philippines. This background information may be helpful for Park Rangers and volunteers who are at the Wall during the 18 August 2013 ceremony.

A. A Department of the Army study, Allied Participation in Vietnam, by Lt. Gen. Stanley R. Larson and Brig. Gen. James Lawton Collins, Jr. is a good primer that describes the contributions of the Allies.

B. A power point presentation I saw last year during a luncheon at the Australian Embassy was extremely useful. The interactive maps were produced by David Sabben, who commanded 12 Platoon, “D” Company, 6th Royal Australian Regiment during the battle. Textual information was from the book The Battle of Long Tan as Told by the Commanders to Bob Grandin.

02. DISCLAIMER. This memorandum is not an official publication of the U.S. National Park Service (USNPS) or of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). Any errors are solely mine. Corrections are welcome. I will also confer with my Australian colleagues for any substantive “fixes.”

03. ANNOTATED MAPS. The annotated 1:50,000 AMS maps are provided through the courtesy and permission of U.S. Army tanker (1st Battalion, 69th Armor) Viet Nam veteran Ray Smith.

A. http://www.rjsmith.com/Vietmap.html

B. http://www.rjsmith.com/Viet-MR-map.html

C. http://www.rjsmith.com/Vung_Tau_Cropped.html

04. TIMELINE.

A. 31 JULY 1962. The first of 30 members of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) composed of officers and warrant officers (senior non-commissioned officers in the Australian Army) arrived in Viet Nam; many had jungle warfare and counterinsurgency experience in Malaya. The AATTV was initially restricted to the training of South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) forces.

B. 01 JUNE 1963. The first AATTV member was killed in an accidental weapon discharge.

C. 23 APRIL 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson made a call for “free world military forces” to force an alliance of “more flags” to support a beleaguered South Viet Nam.

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D. 08 JUNE 1964. The AATTV was expanded to 80 advisors who now could serve with combat units, to include operations with U.S. Army Special Forces.

E. 06 JULY 1964. The AATTV suffered its first combat death. Warrant Officer Kevin Conway was attached to U.S. Special Forces Team A-726, which was commanded by Capt. (Col. Ret.) Roger H. C. Donlon, U.S. Army. The A-726 team at Nam Dong was attacked by a reinforced People’s Liberation Army Forces (PLAF)/Viet Cong (VC) battalion. WO Conway and two U.S. Special Forces (MSgt. Gabriel Ralph Alamo and Sgt. John Lucius Houston) were killed. Capt. Donlon received the Medal of Honor (MOH).

(01) Most sources list Col. Roger Donlon as the first recipient of the MOH during the Viet Nam conflict. On 08 July 2002, Capt. Humbert R. “Rocky” Versace, U.S. Army was awarded a posthumous MOH. The citation reads in part: “Captain Humbert R. Versace distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism during the period of 29 October 1963 to 26 September 1965.” Just an observation on my part.

(02) Nam Dong is described in two books by Col. Donlon: Outpost of Freedom and Beyond Nam Dong.

F. 20 JULY 1964. A New Zealand engineer platoon and a surgical team arrived in Viet Nam. The purpose was to engage in local civic action projects.

G. 02 AND 04 AUGUST 1964. Gulf of Tonkin incidents. (The 04 August incident, purportedly involving North Vietnamese naval forces, is questionable.)

H. 08 AUGUST 1964. The first three of seven Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Transport Flight de Havilland Caribou aircraft arrived in Vung Tau.

(01) On 01 June 1966, the Flight was renamed No. 35 Squadron. Squadron missions included the delivery of supplies to U.S. Special Forces Camps and AATTV units across the Central Highlands. The Caribou was able to land on short, unimproved airfields and had a relatively large cargo capacity. The squadron was nicknamed “Wallaby Airlines.”

(02) The U.S. designation for the Caribou was CV-2 when it was initially assigned to the U.S. Army. By December 1966, all of the U.S. Army’s 144 Caribous were transferred to the U.S. Air Force and were designated as the C-7.

I. 10 NOVEMBER 1964. A National Service (conscription/draft) Act was introduced in Australia for 20-year-olds.

J. 28 DECEMBER 1964-01 JANUARY 1965. BATTLE OF BINH GIA. South Vietnamese Marine Corps and ARVN Rangers suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Binh Gia, located about 64-km (40-mi) east of Sai Gon. The official U.S. Marine Corps history states that of the 326-man 4th Vietnamese Marine Battalion, 112 were killed, 71 were wounded,

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and 13 were missing. The ARVN Rangers battalions had about 400 casualties. Binh Gia was located in then Phuoc Tuy Province, the province that was later to become the operational area for the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF).

(01) Phuoc Tuy Province is now known as Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

(02) During the battle, three American advisors were captured: Capt. Donald G. Cook, USMC, Sgt. Harold G. Bennett, USA, and PFC Charles E. Crafts, USA. See Wall Note Eleven: Medal of Honor Recipients on the Wall.

K. 29 APRIL 1965. Australian Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies announced that Australia would commit a battalion of infantry (778 men) to South Viet Nam. He stated that: “The takeover of South Viet Nam would be a direct military threat to Australia and Southeast Asia.”

(01) 30 APRIL 1965. An editorial in the newspaper The Australian, founded by Rupert Murdoch (b. 11 March 1931), said in part: “The Menzies Government has made a reckless decision on Vietnam which this nation may live to regret. It has decided to send Australian soldiers into a savage, revolutionary war in which the Americans are grievously involved – so that America may share a tiny part of her embarrassment.”

L. 01-10 JUNE 1965. The 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) arrived in Viet Nam. 1 RAR was assigned to Bien Hoa as part of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade. War Zone D was an area of operations for the 1 RAR.

(01) At this time, the 1 RAR was composed entirely of regular soldiers. RAR battalions that followed contained conscripts. All of the then nine battalions of the RAR deployed at least once to Viet Nam during the conflict. The battalions were rotated as units vice as individual replacements.

M. 21 JULY 1965. The 161st Battery of the Royal New Zealand Artillery arrived in Viet Nam. It initially provided fire support to both the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 1 RAR.

N. 13 NOVEMBER 1965. AATTV Warrant Officer Class II Kevin Arthur “Dasher” Wheatley was killed in action in the Tra Bong Valley in Quang Ngai Province, I Corps. WO II Wheatley served with a combined U.S.-Australian Special Forces A-Team. He received the Victoria Cross. This was the first of four Victoria Crosses awarded to Australians; all were members of the AATTV.

(01) “Dasher” Wheatley’s story may be found in the December 1994 issue of Vietnam magazine.

O. 08 MARCH 1966. Australian Prime Minister Harold Edward Holt (Harold Holt succeeded Robert Menzies on 26 January 1966) announced the formation of the 1st Australian

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Task Force (1 ATF) for Viet Nam. The 1 ATF would be composed of two infantry battalions and combat support units, for an increase of 4,500 men. The 1 ATF was to be based at Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province, III Corps.

(01) Prime Minister Holt disappeared under somewhat mysterious circumstances on 17 December 1967 while swimming. His remains were never found.

P. 19 APRIL-13 MAY 1966. Elements of the newly created 1 ATF completed their arrival in the port of Vung Tau, III Corps. The new battalion was the 5 RAR.

Q. 23 MAY 1966. Advance elements 6 RAR, began to arrive in South Viet Nam.

(01) After the departure of 1 RAR, the two infantry battalions of the 1 ATF were 5 RAR and 6 RAR.

R. 24 MAY 1966. The 1 ATF suffered its first combat death and the first death of a National Serviceman when Pvt. Errol Noack of 5 RAR died of wounds.

S. 06 JUNE 1966. The RAAF No. 9 Squadron of eight UH-1B Iroquois/Huey helicopters arrived at Vung Tau. The squadron provided personnel and logistics transport, MEDIVAC, and gunship missions for the 1 ATF. The squadron later transitioned to the UH-1H. Royal New Zealand Air Force and Royal Australian Navy pilots were also assigned to No. 9 Squadron.

T. 18 AUGUST 1966. THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN. The battle of Long Tan was fought (and won) primarily by a company (105 men) of Australian infantrymen and three New Zealander artillerymen who fought against a PLAF regiment of a PLAF division and a PLAF Main Force battalion. It is estimated that up to about 2,000 of these PLAF forces were engaged in the battle. Artillery was a decisive factor in the Australian/New Zealander victory. The battle was fought in a rubber plantation near the abandoned village of Long Tan, Long Le District, Phuoc Tuy Province. The area was not far from the site of the 28 December 1964-01 January 1965 Battle of Binh Gia.

(01) In Australia, 18 August is known as Viet Nam Veterans Day or Viet Nam Remembrance Day. It was originally known as Long Tan Day, named in honor of the men of “D” Company 6 RAR who fought in the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966. Many post-battle assessments discuss/analyze topics such as: (01) search and destroy vs. cordon and search/pacification strategies, (02) whether the intention of the PLAF /PAVN was to attack/overrun the 1 ATF base at Nui Dat, (03) the command and control issues between the RAAF helicopter squadron and the Army infantry, (04) the requirement to keep a standing ready reaction force at a base camp to support a unit in need of help, (05) the relationship between infantry and armor forces, (06) decision-making and possible refusal of orders of a junior officer directly “on-the-scene” of battle and a senior officer at a rear headquarters, (07) accusations that some PLAF /PAVN (People’s Army of Viet Nam – NVA) wounded were shot by Australian

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soldiers, (08) the negative aspects of restrictions placed on sensitive intelligence dissemination to operating forces (“need to know”), and (09) the need to have a ready force to resupply troops in contact. The following very brief description is intended only to convey to rangers and volunteers the overall significance of this battle to Australians and New Zealanders.

(02) ORDER OF BATTLE. The 1 ATF established a forward base at Nui Dat astride Interprovincial Route 2, shown on maps as LTL 2 (Lien Tinh Lo 2). The infantry components were 5 RAR and 6 RAR and the 3rd SAS (Special Air Service) Squadron. Armor was represented by the 1st APC Squadron, which was equipped with M-113 APCs (armored personnel carriers). Artillery support was provided by 105-mm L5 pack howitzers of the 1st Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (103rd Field Battery, 105th Field Battery, and the New Zealand 161st Field Battery). Artillery support was also provided by the U.S. Army “A” Battery 2nd Battalion, 35th Artillery, which was equipped with 155-mm howitzers. Engineer and intelligence support was also present. Eight RAAF No. 9 Squadron UH-1 Iroquois/Huey helicopters and logistics support units were based at Vung Tau, about 30-km (18-mi.) to the south. Engaged PLAF forces were the 275th PLAF Regiment of the PLAF 5th Division and the D445 PLAF Main Force Battalion. A PAVN battalion may have also been involved in the battle.

(03) PHUOC TUY PROVINCE. Phuoc Tuy was a relatively small coastal province in III Corps. The topography was mostly scrubland, which was interspersed with low hills and rubber plantations; there were some small patches of jungle. The population numbered about 100,000. The main supply route between Sai Gon and the port of Vung Tau ran through Phuoc Tuy Province. This was National Route 15 and shown on maps as QL 15 (Quoc Lo 15). This highway had been cut by the PLAF, and the PLAF controlled a major portion of the province prior to the arrival of 1 ATF. The Australians and New Zealanders now had an area whereby they could operate at least semi-independently, although 1 ATF was under the operational control of the U.S. Army II Field Force Viet Nam (II FFV). The commander of 1 ATF established a forward base at Nui Dat. The strategy of the Australian commander was to employ aggressive patrolling to clear nearby villages of PLAF influence and to establish a wedge between the PLAF, notably the two regiments (274th and 275th) of the PLAF 5th Division and population centers to the south, such as Vung Tau. Vung Tau was also the site of the 1st Australian Logistics Support Group (1 ALSG).

(04) THE BATTLE. On the night of 16/17 August 1966, the PLAF attacked Nui Dat with artillery, mortars, and recoilless rifles (RR) from positions east-southeast of the base. One Australian was killed and 23 were wounded. On the morning of 17 August, “B” Company 6 RAR (“B”/6 RAR) was sent on patrol to locate the PLAF firing positions and the route of the enemy withdrawal. On 17 August, the mortar positions were located. On 18 August, the RR and artillery positions were located; on the same day, “D”/6 RAR was sent to relieve “B”/6 RAR. “D”/6 RAR was composed of three platoons (10, 11, and 12) and a small headquarters group and totaled 108 men (105 Australians and three New Zealanders). The New Zealanders were members of the New Zealand artillery battery and one acted as the artillery forward

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observer (FO). As “D”/6 RAR began to sweep near the unpopulated village of Long Tan - located near a rubber tree plantation and about 5-km (3.0-mi) east southeast of Nui Dat - 11 Platoon came upon a small group of PLAF soldiers. The Australians took the PLAF under fire and pursued to the east. 11 Platoon soon came under heavy PLAF fire. 10 Platoon moved to support 11 Platoon, but it in turn came under heavy fire from another PLAF unit. Artillery from a 105-mm artillery battery (six guns) supported “D”/ 6 RAR, but an extremely heavy monsoon rain began and obstructed the FO’s field of vision through the plantation’s rubber trees. Artillery support was eventually increased to include all 105-mm batteries (18 guns) and the U.S. Army 155-mm battery (6 guns). (The rain created a phenomenon known as “mud mist,” whereby monsoon rain hitting a saturated ground splashes up to form a red “mist.” This “mist” can be 20-in high and at the bottom end it can be thick enough to hide a prone person.) “B”/ 6 RAR was told to halt its return to Nui Dat and to await further orders. The 11 Platoon commander was killed and 11 Platoon was almost surrounded. For a period it lost communications when the platoon’s radio antenna was shot off. 12 Platoon also became pinned down when it attempted to come to the rescue of 11 Platoon. The company commander estimated that the enemy force was at least a battalion (500-600 men). The continued artillery support and the quality of the Australian soldier kept “D”/6 RAR from being overrun. At one point, the acting leader of 11 Platoon requested that artillery be placed 50-100 meters from his position. The company was almost out of ammunition when two No. 9 Squadron RAAF UH-1 helicopters appeared on the scene. They flew at treetop level in the blinding monsoon and dropped crates of ammunition. In the early evening, 6 RAR was able to regroup and all three platoons and the headquarters group formed a defensive position. PLAF units continued to encircle “D”/6 RAR. At about this time “A”/6 RAR, which had just returned from a three-day patrol, arrived on the scene after having hit hard the flank of the PLAF D445 MF Battalion. D445 was in the process of “closing the door” to surround and possibly annihilate “D”/6 RAR. “A”/6 RAR arrived onboard seven (three others arrived shortly) M-113 APCs of 3 Troop, 1st APC Squadron; the APCs mounted .50-cal guns. En route to the battlefield, the APCs had to cross the swift and swollen Suoi Da Bang River in the coming darkness. Also at this time, the returning “B”/6 RAR linked up with “D” Company. 5 RAR just returned from a patrol and the 1 ATF commander decided to keep it at Nui Dat just in case the ultimate objective of the PLAF attack was to overrun the base. As night fell, the PLAF attacks ceased. The battle had lasted some four hours. On the morning of 19

August, the Australians reoccupied the battlefield. An Australian soldier poignantly described the dead of 11 Platoon, who were still clutching their rifles, “as if they were frozen in a drill and it only took a touch to bring them back to life again.” Eighteen Australians were killed, including one who later died of wounds, and 24 were wounded; this was about one-third of the initial force engaged. A large number of the Australian casualties were “draftees.” PLAF casualties included 245 confirmed dead and three POWs. About one-half of the dead were caused by artillery fire and the other half by small arms fire. There are estimates that the PLAF suffered a further 350 casualties to include an unknown number of dead. The engaged elements of the PLAF force of the 274th Regiment and the D445 MF Battalion numbered upwards of some

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2,000 men. President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded “D”/ 6 RAR the Presidential Unit Citation on 28 May 1968.

(05) Maj. Harry Smith the commander of “D”/6 RAR summed up some aspects of the battle.

a. “Maybe the mind and body accepted what was happening and regardless of the uncertainty and danger, you just did the job and that was all that mattered.”

b. After giving due credit to the artillery, the helicopter ammunition drop, and the APC reinforcement, Maj. Smith recognized his men. “But not for the outstanding leadership at the section (“squad”) and platoon levels, practiced application of basic infantry, weapon, and fieldcraft skills, gallantry, courage, and determination on the battlefield, we would not have survived.” LEST WE FORGET.

U. 31 MARCH 1967. HMAS Hobart (D39), an Australian destroyer, arrived on station off the coast of Viet Nam. Australia rotated four destroyers during the Viet Nam conflict. The other three were HMAS Perth (D38), HMAS Vendetta (D08), and HMAS Brisbane (D41). They operated under the operational control of the U.S. 7th Fleet. Their missions included naval gunfire (NGF) support to ground forces, primarily to the U.S. Marine Corps in I Corps; support for Market Time interdiction operations (stopping the supply by sea of logistical support to PAVN and PLAF forces); escort of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers during Rolling Thunder strikes; and interdiction patrols along the coast of North Viet Nam as part of Sea Dragon operations.

(01) In a “friendly fire” incident on the night of 16/17 June 1968 near the DMZ, HMAS Hobart was hit with missiles fired by a USAF aircraft. Two Australian sailors were killed and seven were wounded.

(02) RAN destroyer presence in Viet Nam ended on 05 September 1971.

V. 19 APRIL 1967. The first eight of ten RAAF Canberra Mk-20 bombers of No. 2 Squadron deployed to Phan Rang. Phan Rang was the capital of Ninh Thuan Province, II Corps.

(01) The Martin B-57 Canberra was the U.S.-built version of the English Electra Canberra. The RAAF No. 2 Squadron was integrated with the USAF 35th Tactical Fighter Wing. After a period of night bombing sorties, the RAAF Canberra squadron specialized in daylight low-level bombing from about 1,000 to 2,500 feet. The standard bomb load was six 750-lb. bombs. The squadron operated from the DMZ to the Mekong Delta. The first combat sortie was on 23 April 1967 and the last was on 30 May 1971. The squadron lost two aircraft (03 November 1970 and 14 March 1971) while they were on combat missions. The loss on 14 March 1971 was due to a surface-to-air missile (SAM). No. 2 Squadron flew 11,963 bombing sorties and was awarded the USAF Outstanding Unit Award.

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(02) The wreckage of the aircraft lost on 03 November 1970 was discovered in April 2009. The two crewmen were identified and returned home in August 2009. This accounted for the last two of six Australians who were unaccounted for (MIA) at the end of the conflict.

W. 11 MAY 1967. “V” Rifle Company, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment arrived in Viet Nam. It became part of an ANZAC (Australian – New Zealand Corps) Battalion, which later included another New Zealand rifle company and an Australian rifle company.

X. 16 OCTOBER 1967. The first contingent of Royal Australian Navy pilots, observers, air crewmen, and ground crews arrived in Viet Nam. They were assigned to the U.S. Army’s 135th Assault Helicopter Company (AHC), which flew UH-1D “slicks” and UH-1C gunships. There were a total of four contingents from the period of 16 October 1967 to 14 June 1971. The 135th AHC flew combat missions in III Corps and IV Corps. The unit was officially designated as Experimental Military Unit (EMU). The Emu is a large Australian bird that cannot fly.

Y. DECEMBER 1967. A third battalion (3 RAR) was added to the 1 ATF.

Z. 17 DECEMBER 1967. “W” Rifle Company, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment arrived in South Viet Nam. A platoon of New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) also arrived in December.

AA. 28 DECEMBER 1967. Capt. Ivan Cahill, Royal Australian Army participated in an action by which he was awarded a Bronze Star with “V” device. Capt. Cahill was serving as the commander of a U.S. Marine Corps rifle company - “E” Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. In a ceremony at Camp Hanson, Okinawa, Japan, on 19 November 2010, the commanding general of the 3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force on behalf of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, awarded Col. (Ret.) Cahill the title of Honorary U.S. Marine.

BB. FEBRUARY/MARCH 1968. Fifteen Centurion tanks were added to the 1 ATF. Eleven more tanks were added in November 1968.

CC. 28 MAY 1968. President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded “D” Company 6 RAR the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of Long Tan.

DD. JULY 1968. Eight more UH-1 helicopters were added to No. 9 Squadron.

EE. 19 AUGUST 1968. Flight Lieutenant Garry Cooper, RAAF was nominated for the Medal of Honor by the then commander of the U.S. Ninth Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Julian J. Ewell, U.S. Army. Flt. Lt. Cooper served as a forward air controller (FAC) with the USAF 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron and flew the Cessna 0-1 Bird Dog. The recommendation was not approved.

(01) Between 1966 and 1971, thirty-six RAAF pilots served with USAF units as FACs.

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FF. 18 AUGUST 1971. New Zealand announced that all of its combat forces would be withdrawn from Viet Nam.

GG. DECEMBER 1971. The last 1 ATF battalion (4 RAR) and RAAF No. 9 Squadron departed Viet Nam.

HH. MAY 1972. Except for a small number of advisors, the Australian military presence in Viet Nam was completed.

II. DECEMBER 1972. The last Australian and New Zealander advisors departed Viet Nam.

JJ. APRIL 1975. RAAF C-130 Hercules transports assisted in flying Vietnamese orphans out of Viet Nam. The last flight, the evacuation of Australian Embassy staff, was on 25 April 1975.

KK. FINAL ROLL CALL. The Australian War Memorial Web site states that some 60,000 Australians (all three services) served in Viet Nam; 521 died and 2,348 were wounded in battle. Statistics for New Zealand are 37 killed and 187 wounded.