Long Tan remembered

[mulgarat]

The 40 year anniversary of Long Tan passed a few days ago. For those that don't know Long Tan was a significant battle in Vietnam. A company of 6RAR boys got caught in the pickel with the NVA and held off a brigade size formation in a rubber plantation with sustained light weapons, M60 and some arty support. They held off being overun as more Aussie support came in.
Long Tan represents and symbolizes the spirit of the Aussie Digger. The spirit of the legionnaire is no different. Pride, camaraderie, esprit de corps, aggression (buckets of) and mateship, the ability to turn a very bad situation.
Learn from the Anciens: those that were in the Legion and those that served elsewhere.
John

[USMCWayne]

Thanks for the reminder.

I don't have it referenced as being from Long Tan, but the following notes I made on the Australian involvement in Vietnam a couple years ago would tend to make me believe it was Long Tan.

At the height of Australian involvement in Vietnam its Task Force numbered only about 8,500 troops, but they were considered some of the most skilled in combat. One of their mottos was to open fire only “when you see the enemy nostrils”. Their combat discipline was perfect and, when ambushed, they would charge the Communist machine guns, without receiving orders to do so.

In 1966, a company of approximately 108 Australians was attacked by a 1,500 man Communist Regiment. The Australians suffered 18 KIA’s during the four hour action but, in one of the most brilliant actions of the entire Vietnam War, killed a massive number of Communists (245 enemy dead were left on the battlefield) and sent the entire Communist Regiment reeling in retreat. Later, the Communist east Zone Command issued orders forbidding its units from ambushing Australian units without permission.

At the time, an Australian Captain noted “You Americans train for five or six different types of warfare. In Australia we train only for jungle warfare”, and noted the Australian Jungle Warfare Center at Canungra, Queensland, produced the kind of aggressive tactics that worked so well in Vietnam.