By Bob Hall 3 October 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Presidential election in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). While debate has swirled around questions of which military strategy was best – Westmoreland’s attrition strategy or Abrams’ pacification strategy[1] – the political strategy has received little attention. Yet the campaign was acknowledged by all participants as essentially … Read More
Artillery Forward Observer at Nui Le
By Greg Gilbert In September 1971 4 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) was engaged on Operation Ivanhoe in the north of Phước Tuy Province. On the morning of 21 September D Company made contact with a bunker system in the vicinity of the Núi Lé feature. We suffered casualties, including one Killed in Action (KIA) from the shrapnel from a Rocket Propelled Grenade … Read More
Tensions: The VC and the NVA
By Ernie Chamberlain “The northerners – who have had considerable infusion of Chinese blood, are noted for their aggressiveness, energy and sense of superiority toward the southerners whom they regard as indolent and inefficient. In the South, the climate is more tropical, there is more rich soil and less population congestion.” See footnote 37. “The VC enjoy eating some vegetables … Read More
Việt Cộng Capture ARVN Soldiers 9 December 1966
By Ernie Chamberlain, The 5th Việt Cộng Division – with an estimated strength 4,500[1], comprised two main force infantry regiments: the 274th (aka 4th) Regiment and the 275th (aka 5th) Regiment. During the Battle of Long Tân against Australian forces on 18 August 1966, the 275th Regiment suffered heavy casualties – over 200 killed.[2] The 274th Regiment – the more … Read More
Việt Cộng Intelligence Report on the “Enemy” in Phước Tuy
By Ernie Chamberlain. In the afternoon of 27 November 1967, 12 Platoon, D Company, 7RAR engaged about 30 Việt Cộng near an unoccupied base camp at YS 336708 – about 10 kilometres north-east of 1 ATF’s Núi Đất base, during Operation Forrest. Casualties in the engagement were reported as one Australian killed and 17 wounded, and three Việt Cộng killed … Read More
Social and economic development: Phuoc Tuy 1966 to 1971
By Bob Hall Over the course of the war between 1966 when the Australian Task Force arrived, to the end of 1971 when the Task Force departed, Phuoc Tuy Province underwent significant changes. Some of these were the direct result of civil affairs projects. Some were indirect results of these projects. Still others were the result of improving security and … Read More
The Swimmer Sapper Attack on USS Meeker County – June 1970
By Hector Donohue The Swimmer Sapper Threat The significant threat posed by swimmer sappers in Vietnam was accentuated on 1 November 1968 when USS Westchester County (LST-1167), a 115m tank landing ship, was attacked, resulting in the US Navy’s greatest single-incident combat loss of life during the entire Vietnam War. The ship had resumed duty with the Mobile Riverine Forces … Read More
Ambassador Bunker and the Tet Offensive of 1968
By Bob Hall Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Vietnam from 5 April 1967 to 11 May 1973, wrote lengthy monthly reports to Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Bunker wrote a final report to President Johnson on the President’s last days in office, on 16 January 1969. It ran to 56 pages. In it, Bunker … Read More
Now’s the time to record your place in history
Now that COVID-19 is confining us to our homes, you may be finding that you’ve got time on your hands. One way of making good use of that time is to help make the Australia’s Vietnam War website the best it can be. Here’s some things you can do: Scan your old photographs and upload them to the website direct … Read More
Gallup Polls #3 – US attitudes to the Vietnam War
By Bob Hall Throughout the course of the Vietnam War, Gallup Polls were regularly conducted in the United States. Beginning in 1965 the polls asked a standard question: In view of the developments since we entered the fighting in Vietnam, do you think the US made a mistake sending troops to fight in Vietnam?[1] The graph below shows the polling … Read More