LONG TAN BATTLE FIELD VUNG TAU
Long Tan Battle Field Vung Tau. This was the only occasion throughout the conflict when the Australian Army faced the South Vietnamese Liberation Army unilaterally. In this battle, the Australian Army used its superior artillery firepower (up to 24 pieces of various types, including 18 L-5 105mm cannons and 6 M-109 155mm cannons) in conjunction with aircraft (2 UH-1 helicopters, 1 H-13 Sioux, and 3 F4 Phantoms) to cause heavy losses to the Liberation Army.
Long Tan Battle Field Vung Tau Information:
According to Australian military archives, the Australian garrison at Nui Dat had been constantly fired upon by "unidentified mortar shells" the previous two days, August 16 and 17. According to intelligence and reconnaissance reports, several soldiers from the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF) were moving in to encircle the region. However, in prior missions, the Australians had never faced an enemy force.
The NVA lost a chunk of their personnel, with 30 killed and 60 wounded. In 1996, Mark Baker of the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that, after meeting an NVA veteran and later commander of the People's Army of Vietnam at Long Tan, he gave the Australian public the first true figures for the number of NVA soldiers involved and killed: "Senior Vietnamese officers have made a startling claim that the NVA had only 700 men - not even half the lowest figure given by the most conservative Australians - and only about 50 killed." Terry Burstall, an Australian veteran of the war, said that the Australian report inflated the NVA's losses:
When does the Long Tan Battlefield start?
Phase 1:
On August 18, 1966, at 3:30 p.m., the Liberation Army's reconnaissance team reported that a company of Australian soldiers (according to Australian sources, only the 11th squad of the 6th Regiment, commanded by Australian Lieutenant Gordon Sharp, was patrolling the rubber forest near Long Tan commune) was secretly advancing towards the position of Battalion 2 of the 5th Regiment, 650 meters away, followed by two other companies with four tanks and armored vehicles.
The Liberation Army waited for the Australian forces to approach the stronghold (just 10 meters away) before opening fire, killing eight Australian soldiers on the spot. After being ambushed by surprise, the Australian tank and armored force opened fire on the Liberation Army formation. Taking advantage of the fact that the tanks and armored vehicles were focused on attacking the 2nd Battalion, the reconnaissance team used RPG-2 anti-tank guns to attack the leading Australian tanks, causing the following tanks to lose focus and allowing the DKZ gun force to burn the second tank and armored vehicle. Because of the surprise ambush and many troops' lack of expertise, they reorganized and sought a safe area to dodge gunshots. Many Australian soldiers walked across minefields set by the Liberation Army. The Australian side proceeded to lose around one platoon.
Phase 2:
The Liberation Army's 1st and 3rd Battalions assisted and covered the 2nd Battalion, which fought in Phase 1. To minimize Australian artillery fire, the Liberation Army adopted interlocking tactics, intertwining and fighting hand-to-hand with Australian forces. However, the Australians continued to reinforce the Australian soldiers at Long Tan with artillery from their base in Nui Dat and gunboats. The Liberation Army then employed encirclement tactics, with the 3rd Battalion blocking the front and the 1st Battalion blocking the rear, while the two surviving tanks and Australian artillery continued to fire. According to Vietnamese accounts, the Australian Army lost roughly one battalion.
According to Australian sources, to assure victory, the Liberation Army's 5th Regiment (Q765, also known as E55) would be reinforced by a regiment from the north, but owing to attrition, only one battalion arrived and was allocated to the 5th Regiment. The whole E55 unit suffered from malaria and lost many members, therefore its fighting strength was uncertain and was supplemented with the aforementioned battalion. After two days of warfare, the Australians held their controlled territory, forcing the Liberation Army to retreat to the base to save its personnel. At the same time, the Australians apprehended three fresh Liberation Army recruits who admitted to being members of the aforementioned reinforcement unit, the "Bac Son Regiment".
The Liberation Army claimed a great victory at Long Tan, claiming to have killed about 500 Australian troops and destroyed 21 tanks; however, the Australians did not have any tanks in the action, and the only armoured vehicle they employed was the M-113.
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