Peter Kimberley

By Bob Hall

With the 50th anniversary of the US withdrawal from Vietnam War behind us it is worth considering why the combined efforts of the Republic of Vietnam and the United States and their allies, failed […]

By Bob Hall
During the Vietnam War, major units such as infantry battalions regularly compiled ‘lessons learned’ documents critically assessing their operations, noting problems that had arisen and suggesting sol […]

By Bob Hall
When combat elements of 1ATF were deployed on operations it was essential that the Nui Dat base remained secure. Headquarters 1ATF Standing Operating Procedures set out the requirements for base […]

By Bob Hall
Throughout the Vietnam War the Australian Army remained quite small compared to the other forces involved in the campaign such as the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the US Army and the Army […]

By Bob Hall
In early 1970, Malcolm Fraser, then Minister for Defence in the Gorton-led Coalition government, visited Vietnam to ‘survey the political situation, the prospects of the Saigon Government, and the p […]

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 […]

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 vic […]

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 i […]

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 Battl […]

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 ba […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

By Bob Hall
Following the Second World War, elements of the Australian Defence Forces were deployed on the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency and on […]

To mark National Serviceman’s Day (14 February), we’ve posted an article titled ‘Gallup Polls #1 – National Service’. The article graphs the level of public support for the National Service Scheme, according […]

By Bob Hall
In May 1964 the Australian government introduced the National Service Scheme. Under the scheme, young men were selected by ballot for two years compulsory military service which could include service […]

By Ian F. Ahearn
Background – Operation Toan Thang  
Operation Toan Thang (Complete Victory) was launched on 8 April 1968. It was a combined operation deploying 70,000 US, Vietnamese, Australian, New Zealand an […]

 
By Derrill de Heer
From March 1970 until November 1970 I was in charge of one air and two ground  teams at 1st Psychological Operations Unit in Nui Dat. One night there was an urgent request for a ground team w […]