ANZACs: Vietnam War

Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began as a small commitment of 30 men in 1962, and increased over the following decade to a peak of 7,672 Australians deployed in South Vietnam or in support of Australian forces there. The Vietnam War was the longest and most controversial war Australia has ever fought. Although initially enjoying broad support due to concerns about the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia, as Australia's military involvement increased a vocal anti-war movement developed. To a large extent this focused upon conscription, which had been an issue in Australia dating back to the First World War; however, considerable portions of society were opposed to the war on political and moral grounds.

The withdrawal of Australia's forces from South Vietnam began in November 1970 when 8 RAR completed its tour of duty and was not replaced. A phased withdrawal followed, and by 11 January 1973 Australian involvement in hostilities in Vietnam had ceased. Nevertheless, Australian troops from the Australian Embassy Platoon remained deployed in the country until 1 July 1973, and Australian forces were deployed briefly in April 1975, during the Fall of Saigon, to evacuate personnel from the Australian embassy. Approximately 60,000 Australians served in the war; 521 were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded

Length of Australia's involvement in the war - 1962-1973

Length of New Zealand's involvement in the war - 1965-1971

Numbers of Australians involved in the war - 50,190 (peak 7,672 combat troops)^[1]

Number of New Zealanders involved in the war - 3,500 (peak 552 combat troops)^[2]

Numbers of Australian casualties - 521 killed and 3,000+ wounded^[3]

Number of New Zealand casualties - 37 killed and 187 wounded^[4]

Australian Prime Ministers:

• Robert Menzies 1949-1966
• Harold Holt 1966-1967
• John McEwen 1967-1968
• John Gorton 1968-1971
• William McMahon 1971-1972
• Gough Whitlam 1972-1975

New Zealand Prime Minister:

• Sir Keith Holyoake 1960-1972

The Vietnam War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Việt Nam), also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America (Vietnamese: Kháng chiến chống Mỹ) or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1st November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30th April 1975.

Both Australia and New Zealand military forces had gained experience in counter-insurgency and jungle warfare during the Malayan Emergency and Second World War. In August 1962, the Australian Government sent thirty military advisers, experts in the tactics of jungle warfare, as the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV), and also known as 'the Team'. The Australian military assistance was to be in jungle warfare training, and the AATTV comprised highly qualified and experienced officers and NCOs. New Zealand was already had-pressed with its commitment to Malaya, however, a desire to prove their commitment to the ANZUS alliance saw then commit troops to Vietnam. Involvement increased over the following decade with a peak of 7,672 Australians and 552 New Zealanders deployed in South Vietnam or in support of our forces there. The Vietnam War was the longest and most controversial war either Australia or New Zealand had ever fought to that time; as military involvement increased, an anti-war movement developed. To a large extent, this feeling focused upon sending conscripted soldiers overseas, which had been an issue in Australia dating back to the First World War. The saddest aspect to this mood, was that it moved from anti-war to turn against the soldiers themselves, who were merely doing what their governments had ordered.

In August 1964 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) sent a flight of Caribou transports to the port town of Vung Tau, followed shortly afterward by an engineer team, a surgical and nursing team, as well as a larger AATTV team. The Australian Government introduced conscription for compulsory military service for 20 year olds, in November 1964, despite opposition from within the Army and many sections of the community. Combat troops were deployed by each country in 1965. Most Australians and New Zealanders served in the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) in Phước Tuy Province. The 161st Battery, Royal New Zeland Artillery, was 6th Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) support battery during the Battle of Long Tan. Inserting two companies of New Zealand infantry into Australian infantry battalions, becoming known as ANZAC battalions, occurred on three occasions; 2 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) from March 1968, 4 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) from June 1968 and 6 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) from May 1969 to May 1970. The NZ Special Air Service (SAS) also worked closely with Australia's SAS.

Significant battles conducted by 1ATF were the well-known Battle of Long Tan on 18th and 19th August 1966 (during which Col Joye and Little Pattie were conducting a concert for troops within hearing of the gunfire), Battle of Suoi Chau Pha in 1967, and Battle of Coral–Balmoral in throughout May and June 1968, Battle of Hat Dich in late-December 1968 and early 1969, Battle of Binh Ba in June 1969, Battle of Long Khanh on 6th-7th June 1971 and, the last engagement fought by Australians in the war, the Battle of Nui Le on 21th September. ^[5][6]

The Australian withdrawal commenced in November 1970, 8 RAR was not replaced at the end of its tour of duty, reducing the 1ATF to two infantry battalions. Further reductions in the number of troops in-country happened during 1971.

On 18th August 1971, Australia and New Zealand governments made their decisions to withdraw their troops from Vietnam entirely, with the Australian prime minister, William McMahon, announcing that 1 ATF would cease operations in October, commencing a phased withdrawal. On 16th October Australian forces handed over control of the base at Nui Dat to South Vietnamese forces, while 4 RAR, the last Australian infantry battalion in South Vietnam, sailed for Australia on board HMAS Sydney on 9th December 1971. The last New Zealand troops and nurses were withdrawn at this time, whereas the last Australian support troops were withdrawn on 11th January 1973.

Although 1 ATF had dominated its area of operations and successfully reduced the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong's ability to influence and coerce the population of the province, while affording the South Vietnamese government some degree of control, this did not last following their withdrawal. Ultimately, the operations of the task force had little impact on the final outcome of the war, with communist forces simply moving back into Phước Tuy following their departure.

Sortable table

Last Name	First Names	Date Of Birth	Date Of Death	Country Flag	Conflict	Other info
Bilsby	Ralph Mason	1 Mar 1946			Vietnam
Cislowski	Harold Francis (Harry)	4 May 1945			Vietnam
Wilkinson	Roy	5 Oct 1949			Vietnam
Wuttke	Malcolm	10 May 1944	13 Mar 2020		Vietnam	WIA April 1970

• Sources:

1. ↑ Moïse, Edwin. The A to Z of the Vietnam War. The Scarecrow Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1461719038.
2. ↑ Moïse, Edwin. The A to Z of the Vietnam War. The Scarecrow Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1461719038.
3. ↑ "Australian casualties in the Vietnam War, 1962–72". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 29 Jun 2013
4. ↑ "Overview of the war in Vietnam". New Zealand and the Vietnam War. 16 July 1965. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 29 Jun 2013
5. ↑ Wikipedia: Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War
6. ↑ Wikipedia: 1st Australian Task Force