Australia's Key Alliance in the Vietnam War...
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- The steamy jungles of south-east Asia presented the stage for one of the deadliest confrontations of the Cold War where the philosophies of democracy, communism and nationalism clashed in bitter, brutal and bloody warfare. Vietnam was born out of the ashes of the collapse of the French Empire but was a country divided with both sides dreaming of unification but without compromise when it came to their own beliefs. Lasting 19 years and claiming over two million lives, the Vietnam War was as much a battle of wills as it was of tactics and weapons and in this regard, the communist north and their supporters in the south - the Viet Cong - had will to spare, so much so that not even the technology of the west could blunt their drive for victory. While South Vietnam eventually fell to the communist north, history particularly in the west, views the conflict as an American tragedy given the damage it did to American prestige, influence and even its own society. However, the United States was by no means alone when it came to defending the South Vietnamese. Far from it for they called upon a number of key allies to support them not just militarily but diplomatically. In this episode we are going to examine the involvement of one such key ally in the war for Vietnam - Australia. Welcome to Wars of the World.
0:00 Introduction
1:59 The “Team”
5:36 All the Way with LBJ
8:22 Aussie Autonomy
13:10 A Change in Mood
17:27 The Beginning of the End
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Narrated by: Will Earl
Written & Researched by: Tony Wilkins
Edited by: James Wade
History Should Never Be Forgotten...
As a 2 tour Vietnam Vet from 101st, my greatest admiration and thanks to all our Australian comrades.
Thank you for your service! My dad was a POW in Birma together with a lot of Aussies ..he always talked with the greatest respect about working together with them and calling them brothers
@@je710817 what branch did he serve in?
You were deceived about Viet Nam. Were you deceived about 9-11-01, Afghanistan and Iraq as well? Does it matter to you when a commander lies to a soldier???
You are all nothing but bloody killers of innocent people. Have you participated in My Lai massacre?
@@deltadocs38they didnt serve anywhere?? They cant even spell burma correctly?, and any brit or anzac who's ancestors did would be able to...and if he/she american!! Then it dosnt only make them a liar, but makes them clueless to...
As a Vietnam combat veteran with both the 25th and the 9th Infantry I have the utmost respect for the Aussie soldiers who served in Vietnam I also have great respect for the ROK troops the Royal Thai Troops and Montagnards and Cham Volunteers
FJB FBO
Hey brother . I was 25th for a while also as a medic . Towards the end of my time in country , the Rangers I was with started training some SVN Rangers to take over . We called on them a few times , and they did good work ! And YES brother . 100% FJB and FBO !!
“The Australians are the only ones in this country that know how to fight this war”- Col. David Hackworth 101st airborne
After the war he actually moved to Australia and raised ducks for local Chinese restaurants.
Lived in the Gold Coast hinterland in QLD.
General Westmoreland also admired the Australians
The Vietnamese had a pretty good idea too ~ Gooks as the good General would have called them 😉
To all Australians that served with us in all wars God bless you all. and we are honored to have served and continue to serve with you words can't say enough! Thank you all for your service!
God doesn’t give a fuck about war . If anything , God calls for disobedient nations to fight
Thank you 👍🏝
Service with the yanks is always a great multiplayer for the troops.
You always have great stuff to "borrow", those on the ground are the only ones with honour and are respect worthy.
@@sharrk173 thank you for your service
ya my dad was there in ww2 met a hot girl . they went swimming and someone stole my dads clothes and the girl gave my dad a dress to wear back to his ship , artist there make a joke about it drawing it
When I was a kid my dad had a friend that had immigrated from Greece to avoid the draft there. He arrived in Australia, got citizenship and was drafted in the Australian army. Sent to Vietnam and dropped into a Centurion as a driver. We always said he was either the unluckiest bastard on earth or the luckiest because he had the time of his life. When we went camping he always wore his tankers boots.
Drafted in the Greek dictatorship?
Conscription not draft.
Conscripted into the Army, but you still had to volunteer for overseas service.
@@advanceaustralia9026
Do you have a source for that? My understanding was that until about 1971 when it was almost over they had no choice. You could volunteer to go but if they told you to go you still had to go.
@@jemzargo
Buy a pie if you want sauce.
The Army did not allow operational units to be compromised by unwilling conscripts.
Of the 63,000 conscripted, only 19,000 served in Vietnam.
I am a two tour of Vietnam Veteran. I found this to be an unusually true coverage of Australia's commitment to the war.
amazing how no mention of our traitor, maritime union activist, that later became our prime minister, that instigated the pathetic return home welcome we received, he was the enemy at our back, fighting for the Vietcong's and, by the way, he received a medal for it, in 73, by a North Vietnamese delegate in Sydney, saw it on the television.
Thankyou for your service.
Salute to the Australian Hero’s!!!! Much Love from the USA!!!!
🇺🇸🇦🇺🇦🇺🇺🇸
When I went thru Kapooka in 1986 my Sergeant was a Vietnam vet - he trained us VERY well and provided several stories of his time over there. I will never forget it. I was born in 1966 and we lived right next to the Enoggera Army Base in Brisbane - as a little kid I remember the convoys of loud thundering army vehicles passing down Dawson Parade almost every week in the late 60's. These convoys were long and packed full of heavy equipment. I remember you could hear the sound long before seeing them and all of the neighbourhood would rush out onto the main road to watch them roar by, waving and cheering. I, as a very little boy was awe struck by it all.
I knew ( briefly) a Major at Enoggera, went to an exercise at SBTA, fun watching L5 Pack Howitzer wheels come off while firing...
Hearing of our Australian brothers assisting us Americans in Vietnam tugs on my heart . Truly truly honorable men , searching deep in those dark unknown tunnels. I have the upmost respect and forever will for Australian men. Thank you brothers
Australians have been allies and fought side by side with the yanks in every major conflict since WW1. In WW1 Australians were involved with the training of the Yanks preparing them for trench warfare. Some Australians went with their new found friends during the Yanks first attack to help out. Speaking English and having the same 'knock about' pragmatism means they have gotten on well together individually and militarily despite differences and national pride.
Australia has two military celebrations/parades each year, the well known Anzac Day and the lesser known Coral Sea Day. Coral Sea Day is celebrating the Naval Battle of the Coral Sea', which was Japan's defeat and furthest south projection of military power, and which acknowledges America's 'saving' Australia in 1942.
It wasn't your "Australian brothers" assisting you, it was the Australian Government assisting its paymasters in Washington. RIP to the Vietnamese victims in this unjust war.
@@BoxofficeForney6969 BS Karen - enjoy your little sook?
@@graemesydney38 I'm a (insert americanism here)? Nah, I'm an old, overweight SkyNews loving stooge like you mate.
@@BoxofficeForney6969 RIP to all the victims of that war , Americans and Australians included.
The soldiers of North Vietnam were taught to avoid combat against the 'soft hats'. The Aussies earned their foe's respect in the way they fought. 👍🇭🇲
.Australian soldiers were nothing to forced avoid .10 Australian soldiers died no one cared, 1 American soldier caused more turmoil in the US
Didn’t know that
@@thuankhong This suggests more about the Americans than the Australians. Of course the Americans care when their sons die. That they pulled out as a result is well their choice.
DON'T BRAG.THE KANGAROO FROM AUSSIE WERE ONLY TAIL OF THE AMERICAN DOG .SHAME ON YOU.
@thuankhong can you repeat that in English
The Battle of Long Tan just shows how capable the Aussies were. Well done!
Wasted south Vietnamese army yellow scoundrels
And how great it is to have Kiwis on our side.
The RAR regiments were incredible. . This is not from my own experience but from what I have read and some much older family members
@@daviddou1408 the artillery support at Long Tan - which was crucial - was all NZ (im Australian, ex D coy 6 RAR many years later).
@@frankhughes5827 just to clarify: RAR is Royal Australian Regument, which is basically THE only infantry regiment of the regular Australian army (there are a number of infantry reserve regiments but those are not components of the RAR). The regiment consists of a number of infantry battalions. The number of battalions has changed over the years but its usually 7 -9. Its a bit confusing because the battalions are designated as ‘1 RAR’, "3RAR" etc but that means "1 battalion, RAR" "3 Battalion RAR". 4 RAR is now 2 Commando Regiment. Not sure if 4 RAR is an active unit now.
The Australian army's role in Vietnam is largely underrated
Even the US army is only appreciated for its planes and cannons!
South Korea lost roughly 50,000 soldiers in that war. That's almost 10 times as many as Australia. They never get a mention.
@@ricklorimer9984 yes they don’t get much credit. But only about 5,000 killed not 50,000
@@ricklorimer9984 fake news only 5k lol
@@garyhankinson5695 Up to 303,000 deployed and the deaths were 5,000. Holy @~?£ how involved were the Americans?
Canadians, some 40,000 served in Vietnam. A fellow member of our regiment, a Micmah Indian, served with the Marines and came back with two purple hearts. I had loads of respect for this guy. GB the Marine Corp from Canada 🇨🇦 GBA!
More Aussies served than Canadians, probably due to proximity of that war. Respect to our fellow Commonwealth members who served! 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 🇨🇦
Canada did NOT send forces.
Knew about Canadians with with us at Kap yong etc.
What a load of crap, USA sent how many>? they are pretty close to Canada I think!
Kap Yong Roddy? I bet you have NO idea whatever!@@R0d_1984
to the Australian soldiers that fought with us against the NVA ,we were glad to have you on our side and job well done .
A lot of Australians were tunnel rats as well. Elite bravery . Thank you to our Australian brothers God bless you all
General Maxwell Taylor" ..All of us (the invaders of the United States and their vassals) are fools. I am one of them myself"
How ridiculous it is to hear humiliating losers calling each other “brave and glorious”!
Whenever I crawl under my house I think of these men.
Thank you for covering this. To often people like to pretend that America’s young men did what they had to alone, when indeed australia and New Zealand have charged headlong into any confrontation that features britain or American and seen any threat to them as a threat to us, your successes are ours, your failures are ours and as we share our successes and failures with you. ANZAC may be the name most famous but anyone with any knowledge of history knows it should be called. “CANZUKUS” Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States.
@Troy Staunton. For sure, I'm a Kiwi Infantry Veteran circa early 60s, Malaya. Always had the greatest respect for everyone of our military brothers and sisters. Robert. 82yo New Zealand.
There were No Canadians, NO British in Vietnam, Australians//yes..New Zealanders..YES.
You forgot South Korea, they also fought and had an exceptional fighting force that the north Vietnamese feared.
@@exceedinc The south Koreans were feared yes, but they were just ruthless and needed to be controlled. Their courage was unquestioned but their discipline wasnt great.
@@HenriHattar Not sure it was discipline. They were under a Dictatorship that had them destroy villages and massacre the people for shooting at them, although their civil works were strangely respected. I respect all those who joined the War but especially South-Korea (The South-Vietnamese also.), they both had the most to lose and apart from the U.S. sent the most troops. I understand why the ANZAC lot did not send more (Basic military size issues.) but that enhances others. Of course the Koreans went a bit mad with their army size, the Americans even threatened to leave the South (While another small-scale conflict raged there.). All deserve respect but the one I dislike the most is Britain, more the population than the government as even when the British were not in the war they rioted a bunch. Korea is really weird, they even joined Iraq.
I was a US Army Frogman and had the honor to have spent time with many of our Aussie Brothers . . . usually waking up the next morning with a case of the Joe Blakes.
The shakes... oi mate.
I served in South Vietnam as a National Serviceman 1970-71 your video accurately represent our involvement as the reasons for that involvement. Our Battalion was mostly National Servicemen many holding leadership positions and exceptionally well training and lead by professional soldiers
The most methodical was to take off your pants, hug the plane and run away from Vietnam very quickly. The communists can't keep up!
There were NO REASONS for the involvement of Australia.
@@dusty1766 Thanks mate, my dad was there.
My uncle fought in Vietnam, Borneo before that , dude was a legend !
I had my father also was posted to Borneo and a tour in South Vietnam and my uncle also served in country and after my father had returned he didn't cope with life he enlisted back in to the army for another 20 year's service and retired in 1991
Australian soldiers don't go into battle to fight they go in to win. The conscripts fought equally well as the the regulars.
Conscripts had the option of not serving in Vietnam.
I’m sorry to inform you but what reason did anyone have to win the Vietnam war lol it was considered a complete loss tbh. Most Americans were spit on when they came back. What a pointless war to even get into
@@fknucklewit No. they did not. Conscripts were sent to Vietnamn whther they wnated to or not. NZers were all volunteers.
@@Gosmoke. LOL! you don;t know shirt. The brits were the first to fight in vient then Indom china post WW2 and were winning againt Ho Chi Minh and his Minhions. The yansk the n pressured the brits to get out in favout of the French return and then it allw ent down hill form there. First french the US corruption and stupidity allowed the communist forces to expand and win. Meanwhile, in SE Asia british, New Zeland, NZ, Rhodesian, Fijian et al forces were defeating insurnecies left right and centre.
Westmoreland though wanted a conventional war in Vietnam and so was suckked into a convetional war agaisnt unconvential forces. the Aussie amd Kiwis knew this well and were very experienced by Wetmoreland knew better of course.
@@fknucklewit My brother was a conscript. When I asked him why , as a conscript , he chose to go to Vietnam , he said that they were asked if they were conscientious objectors . He answered that he was not and without further adieu was sent to Vietnam. He never put his hand up to go to Vietnam .
Thank You to the Aussie Brothers that served admirably with us!
Served with Australian/U S combat assault company EMU s. This half and half helicopter unit served well during the year I flew with them. Hello to my friends from down under.
Brave and courageous Australians who were only recognised after many years.
Same with the yanks ..
Not south Vietnamese army they were cowards
@@darren5971 sth Viet wasn't their country. Grunt said sva were lame we didn't trust them aust same opinion.
Don't want another Viet in Taiwan.
@@darren5971 us gave sth Viet arms enough to defend their country. They ran away disgrace ok
You have left out a very important Australian military unit that fought in Vietnam . The Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam . They served as part of the 135th Assault Helicopter Company an EMU ( experimental military unit ) . This Australian unit along with the American counterparts were awarded the highest unit citation the Australian Government can honor " the Australian Unit Citation For Gallanty " . CW2 Paul Duggan ,EMU24
11,000 of helicopters were shot down in SVN
How pathetic in front of people wearing rubber sandals!
Well done with showing this very important part of Australia's history.
I was 10yrs old when the war ended and remember watching it on television.
After the war, Australians shunned the veterans due to social media and a few small groups of " anti war groups " being extra vocal and prominent on television.
Many, many Vietnam vets committed suicide!!
Shame and shame on those anti war protestor and may they live a peaceful and happy life with the thoughts of those who actually gave their life for people to live in peace and harmony!!
Rightfully so, this war had nothing to do with Australia's security. You were suckered by the Yanks who needed others to come into this war (like Iraq), to give it some form of justification.
"After the war, Australians shunned the veterans due to social media..." Please tell me the social media available in 1972
One thing people forget is we Aussies love a good fight. We've been fighting in other people's wars almost since inception of our country, and are still doing it today. Vietnam was just one chapter in that fighting history, to be sure a long and bloody one, but just another chapter. What got me, as ex-military of the era, was the way our Vietnam vets were treated like pariahs, at home after it all.
Although Vietnam got given the short straw and ho chi minh in eyes is a hero, my neighbour fought in vietnam and he was a great man and our boys did a greay job. Just fought people who weren't our enemy
They say that history is written by the victors. But i have seen more crap coming from the losers who make their reports up from heavily edited news bulletins released at the time. If you want the truth ask the people that were there.
This is why I have such distaste for the anti-war movement. I can understand it, go on criticise the politicians and sing songs but why insult the boys? Instead they were all painted as monsters. The reason you keep fighting in other people's wars is that no-one wants to hurt you all the way down under, so you think maybe over-there is a good idea. Australia is unique in that it's military is primarily army not navy or air-force like America...the less written about the state of Britain the better.
Any one who likes a good fight is in serious need of physcological help.
@@HenriHattar That is every soldier. War is fun.
Nice job, Mate... thank you. A NZRAF pilot flew me on my first helicopter sortie from Bien Hoa (pronounced Ben Waah), and later, I stopped off at the joint Aussie/Kiwi base near Berea in 1970, & was delighted to see them marching on the parade ground in that cool Commonwealth style. Went to Sydney on R & R... Bondi Beach, surfing, watching the stage production of "Hair" near King's Cross, the shark museum, where one walks on narrow planks a foot above the water's surface. I just hoped for the best... Cheers from the USA!
Cant resist telling you this: that shark museum is gone. It closed down in the late 90s - not voluntarily. The main aquarium glass broke, leaving a bunch of wet tourists sitting among a lot of glass and big flapping sharks. Im not making that up. They rescued the sharks. Really, thats pretty bad, but i cant help it: i laughed when that came on the news after it happened and i still chuckle every time i think about it.
They have replaced it with an aquarium at king’s wharf, although theres not as many sharks in the king’s wharf aquarium.
That would of been the 1 Australian Task Force at Nui Dat which was close to Baria
Those were the days, the 1990-2000, Australia started to feel less and less Australian.
I served in HMAS Brisbane 1969. My daughter had a month holiday in the Vietnam hinterland a couple of years ago. She was amazed at how friendly and generous the locals were.
Nice to see the battles at FSB Coral and Balmoral get a mention as well as Long Tan. I have been good mates with a Veteran who was there for 35 yrs. He gets upset sometimes that Long Tan gets more mention than Coral, because the situation was very similar, only lasted for many days, not just an afternoon. Some troops, such as the mortar platoons were overun. In one of the few times he has talked about it, he stated that he was in a dug-out with NVA troops to the front, and rear, and could not decide in which direction he should shoot. Four years ago his mother in-law died and his wife inherited her home. Some snotty nosed clerk in Canberra decided to cancel his Service Pension because he was deemed 'too wealthy' despite being permanently incapacitated by both physical and mental illness. He took legal action against the Government Department responsible and his pension was later restored. As he stated to me, it was not about the money, it was about the principle.
Cowardly, barbaric murderers deserve to be spit upon, whether in war or in peace.
My father was with 161 69-70 says exactly the same
Thanks mate , that is a very accurate description as I understand it
Thank you for all this brief summary.
In 1971 I was in my last year of school, and had been in the School Cadets for four years. I remember, when out on our yearly Cadet exercise, we were briefed on the war in Vietnam, the Nature of the Enemy force we might have to deal with, if conscripted, and the use of booby traps by the North Vietnamese and how to deal with them. At the time, it seemed a war we needed to fight, but public opinion was directed against the war and increased as time went on. I was never conscripted and only have the highest for the our blokes who served in Vietnam. Though despised by many here when they came back, the Diggers have finally earned the respect they deserve. It was a war we should not have become involved in, as the Vietnamese on both sides wanted to be free of foreign intervention in their Country. I never had to face war as they did or my Dad, but can only hope I may have done my duty as they did.
You shouldn't forget the Battle of Binh-ba (6-8 June 1969) - this was the last action my brother fought in before the one the following week from which he did not return. I miss him.
From thousands of years ago Vietnam was a hostile land for any invaders
RIP 💜
Thanks for the service Australia and sorry for your lost. Lest we forget
[Edit] -Ny- My dad was there; Like mine, im sorry for your lost[Loss].
@@R0d_1984 Thanks and the same back to you. Australia has a proud history of standing up for their beliefs. I thank all who have gone before in their shared efforts to ensure this tradition never fades.
I have a relative who fought in Vietnam and never got any help and basically has just been diagnosed with PTSD and getting the help he needs… 😢
But without our brave vets fighting , our lives today might have been alot different, so for me I will always be thankful to the REAL Hero's who went to war thankyou All.
We prefere "Welcome Home Soldier"...
Very good summary of Australia's commitment to Vietnam war and all the key themes, well done
The jungle war fought in Borneo is now days forgotten.
This is sad ,as it was the first time the Australian SAS, New Zealand SAS, and British SAS fought together.
By the way in the above war, these countries won !
The Aussies in Nui Dat gave me more on that. They outnumbered the enemy 22 to 1 and the enemy was separated from the civilian population. I Vietnam, we were actually outnumbered and an estimated 30% of the population was VC. Don't get me wrong, these guys were tough as nails and I don't blame the VC/NVA for being weary of them. I saw nothing but respect amongst them for us and each other. True pros. Didn't complain and got the job done. We could have learned a great deal from them. Aussies are feisty though. i took my R&R in Sydney in 70 and was waiting for a bus when this elderly lady approached me. She asked me if I was a Yank and I said yes. She then proceeded to hit me on the head with her umbrella, twice. Seems her grandson was in VN and it was my fault. What could I do? I smiled and wished her and her grandson well. They could have used her over there. I was so impressed with the culture and people I almost moved there at the end of my term. But I was leery of running into that elderly lady again.
Little pride in front of inexperienced Malaysians.
Had a teacher that served in Nam, half of his face was scarred by agent orange that was accidentally spilled on him when their hello came under fire. Dude was a legend
What helo? Pretty sure "Operation Ranch Hand", which was the operation that sprayed the defoliants was mostly carried out from fixed wing aircraft. The defoliants were a herbicide that was mixed with water. Might want to ask him how he got burnt that way.
A little help for those who dont know who fired artillery throughout that battle.. 1 new Zealand regiment, 1 American Regiment .. and when Stanley realized 1 Australian regiment wasnt enough. He ordered s 2nd regiment and all 24 guns of the 1st field Regiment.
108 man company. 105 Australian Troops and 3 New Zealand Troops.
The artillery Company's that did an enormous job the entire battle ...
1st Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery
Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery
2/35th Artillery Battalion, Aerial Support
Amid the noise of machine-gun and rifle fire and the VC bugle calls, Stanley brought the 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery into action to support the Australian infantry.
As the fighting continued, Stanley realised a single artillery battery was insufficient, and at 16:19 requested a regimental fire mission using all 24 guns of the 1st Field Regiment.
Stanley organised counter-battery fire from the American 155 mm self-propelled howitzers at Nui Dat, which appeared to silence them.[
Artillery was the mainstay of the defence, with D Company supported by 24 guns of the 1st Field Regiment, RAA and A Battery, US 2/35th Artillery Battalion
. In total 3,198 rounds of 105 mm ammunition were fired by the Australian and New Zealand field guns and 242 rounds of 155 mm high explosive by the Americans.[5
Thanks for coming to defend my South VN Your sacrifices will never be forgotten by The South Vietnamese
(old soldier from S VN ling in Housto USA)
Sorry, American people support Vietnam 🇻🇳and support Vietnam united country ,they are against the war
Most of us Aussies just wanted to help, i'm sorry we didn't win...
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Your documentaries are amazing... !!
I was a National Serviceman, 1969 - 1971, served as a Sapper in Vietnam 70/71 based at Nui Dat and as a 3rd. Generation war veteran (Grandfather WW1 infantryman crippled in the German Spring offensive of 1918, Father RN Telegraphist WW2, on board HMS Hardy when she was torpedoed while on North Atlantic Convoy Escort duty) I am extremely proud of my own, my Grandfathers and my Fathers contribution to this ever declining democracy. What I am greatly concerned about is the PC Wokeness being forced down the necks of not only the general population but the armed forces of this once great Nation. We are presenting armed forces full of unfit, improperly trained pussies, gays and LBGTS (I can accept females in the armed forces, but do not believe they should be ever given combat roles or positions of leadership). Armed forces that are now led by gutless, woke PC leaders, who are doing their best to take the sting and real fighting spirit out Australian troops. Heaven help us if we ever have to mobilise the youth of today to defend our country. We're lost! The current Chief of Army has even outlawed what he describes as "Arrogant Hubris", what we true soldiers (when men were men) once called esprit' de corps. I remember walking from my tent at Nui Dat to and from the showers stark naked, without fear of offending females, gays, bi-sexuals or transgender "people". Today, I would not dare. Just my thoughts as a 75 year old Vietnam Veteran (Father of 3, Grandfather of 5, Great Grandfather of 2) with extensive real life experience of a once real life world, with a modicum of common sense, and the ability to think for myself, factors clearly lacking in the leaders of today. Australia deserves better, much much better than we are currently being offered by these woke PC leftist loonies on both sides of the political spectrum. As a framed meme on my bedroom wall says "Vietnam Veterans Betrayed by Gutless Politicians".
Hi Paul, I forget now, it is so long ago, but I think I was in the same draft. Never got spat on.
Well said you old champion...well said!!!
Thanks mate. Bloody oath.
a COUPLE OF THINGS HERE as you dont seem too bright, 1: Do you think I am stupid enough to use my REAL NAME? You are OBVIOUSLY stupid enough, 2. If you doubt what I say post a denial with your reasons! That seems pretty don't you think? Apart from that..go brush your brains!.
@@johnnichol9412
My grandfather (mothers side) served in the Vietnam war (We like to call him poppie tassie) He saw the helicopter he got out of crash into a mountain due to thick fog (can’t remember the full reason why it crashed), and that traumatised him to the point where he never wanted to fly again. Sadly, I never had the chance to meet him. :(
My uncle Ray ward served with 5th royal Australian regiment in Vietnam war and he was a tank commander on the centurion tanks during the Vietnam war at battle of binh ba 1969
my uncle spent 38yrs in the australian army, went as high as you can go for a soldier in rank. he spent along time in na,m and i'm so proud of him. his highly decorated and when me and my son play call of duty he ask me, is he good at it as he has my uncles blood line ,his only little but i tell him yes mate . so proud of all the soldiers of the different wars, going to risk there lives and witness hell to try change the world
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I got to run a few opps with Australian and British troops in Iraq, awesome group... Lads and ladies.
Conscription happened at the same time Australia was concerned about Indonesia and that is why we had conscription, known as National Service. Our Nasho's were good soldiers!
I was one of the early Nashos, being in the second intake, September 1965. Many of the 20 year old conscripts of the 1st and 2nd intakes were used to top-up the newly formed 5th and 6th Battalions. I think we could opt out of overseas service, but after training for up to twelve months before deployment, you were fully involved in your unit and no-one I knew withdrew. In my own case, I was fortunate that my overseas service was with an anti-aircraft battery defending Butterworth Air Base in Malaya. Sadly, one of my mates from Recruit training was killed at Long Tan and another had to retire in his early fifties because of illness resulting from his service in Vietnam.
Hard hard fighters!!! Respect from 🇬🇧
Thank you for your service and sacrifices God Bless you 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Its good that the battles at FSB Coral and Balmoral got a mention , and there were other bigger battles than Long tan that the aussies fought and were out numbered as usual
Big Thank you to our brave Aussie men. Lest we forget.
Fine overview . Excellent film " Danger Close "
As a kid in school we followed your fight through our friends older brother enlisted fought and got home .
Also, aussie SAS go through the same training as the UK, hard hard bastards those lads! 👍
No, not at all, they were better than the UK SAS and their record in Vietnam shows this.
They DO NO go through the SAME training.
⬆️ Obvious Anglo brit hater???,... that means if it hates the anglos and brits he hates you???.... You as in Anzacs, canucks and even yanks?..... So lets all thank this 🐌 sucking, 🐸 sniffing moron for its help in reminding us all of who he/she, that/it hates...
Totally different. Australian SASR was modeled off the British SAS and share the name. Of course all ally special forces share their skills, but to say they do the same training as the UK, or SASR are trained by SAS is totally incorrect. Australian special forces roots started from units called "Z force" and "M force" in WW2. Killing high value Japanese targets and gathering information covertly behind enemy lines in the jungles and islands in the South Pacific. If anything Australian SASR selection and training maybe of a higher standard, and defiantly different to other SF as they all are.
@@yendor9078 slide orf pal?? Ye no nuffin??...
A mate of mine (now deceased) was an Aussie Fighter pilot in Vietnam. He said the thing that pissed him off the most was having to avoid strafing the British-flagged ships in Saigon harbour, when the Brits were still trading with a country that Australia was supposedly at war with !
Having the same queen could have been a bit of a problem.
..and WHY was Aus at war with Vietnam? Domino theory? That was bullshit. The Viets won, then went next door to depose the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, (which the west didn't, and which the USA voted in support of until the 1990s!!! at the UN), then the Viets WENT HOME. I think we know who was trying to build an Empire. Not the Vietnamese.
@@rowbearly6128 You make a good point.
Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam, the country the USA and Australia were fighting to defend.
Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam with Haiphong being the main port in the north.
Why the hell would an Aussie want to attack British ships in a South Vietnamese port you muppet.
Girlfriend ,are you for real...
Don't embarrass by writing comments. ( Strafing British glades ships in Saigon harbour. Saigon was the capital of the south and remain a democracy until the north over ran it in 1975. The Australian's pulled out in 1973
You're slightly confused there is only one Royal Australian Regiment the number is the battalion number ...... so 1 RAR is 1st Bn RAR
Duty First.
There were nine batallions of the RAR,and one SAS regiment,they were the ten regular batallions,then there were two WA,one SA,two Vic,Four NSW,three Queensland reserve batallions
Plus one Tasmanian,thirteen reserve batallions
Proud to have served in Vietnam with Australia.
When I worked offshore I was stunned to find that none of 6 Americans I was working with were aware of Australian involvement in Vietnam.
Even worse, 3 of them were US ex-servicemen .
A good friend of mine emigrated to NZ , in the Air Force he worked on C130 Hercules Aircraft that had been used to transport 'Agent Orange' He lived an awful life and eventually died of the symptoms 😢
A few of things here to comment on , there were no australian conscripts in the Vietnam. Conscription for overseas service was defeated twice by referendum during WW1. Australian servicemen called for duty for the defence of Australia Nashos had to sign a consent form to be sent overseas. A mix of regulars and nashos was the combo that formed a very formidable combination in the bush. 🇦🇺 🪃 🇦🇺 🪃 🇦🇺
Every small town you go to will usually have a memorial in Australia, really sad to read all the names and the people with last names you recognise, usually most from Vietnam drafting.
Book called "One Crowded War" Niel davis very good aussie read
I believe the book was called One Crowded Hour. That said I do agree that it was an excellent read...Neil Davies as a photographer left behind some fine footage and commentary and both the war in Vietnam and Cambodia...Worth the search....
A very well documented video. The only thing I can pick up on was the APC unit that took A coy in to help D coy at long tan was in fact an Australian unit (1APC Sqn) not american.
True Gary, It's told correctly in the Australian movie "Danger Close", enough said.
Quite correct...and if we knit pick...It wasn't "rushed in" The C.O dithered about sending it. Held it up until he joined it and was concerned that Long Tan might be a feint with a real attack on the base at Nui Dat the main objective
@@stuartquin8390 Was that whole war just being scared of Điện Biên Phủ? Johnson said "I don't want any damn Dien Bien Phu," whilst the Tết Offensive was underway (Khe Sanh too hence the quote.)..
@@Rodney_1984 Bought from the US
@@hardroaddavey5399 Apparently my comment was deleted...Shrug
Very interesting video 👌👍
Many thanks for military services and involvement from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea to aid, train, fight along our South Vietnam Armed Forces - RVN Brave Soldiers against those bloody and aggressive attacks from Northern Communist troops to defend our South Vietnam country and Freedom - Democracy even we lost the Vietnam War to those invading Communist Troops in April 1975. We are grateful in debts of your sacrifices and involvements ❤🪖🎖👍👍👏👏
I can relate to this. I was called up for National Service in 1967, but was offered deferrals due to engineering studies. The change of Government in 1972 suspended the scheme.
Yeah I was there from the start in 1965, lest we forget.From VOAV Dunn who wrote.
Very few came back unaffected
How do you know how enthusiastic the conscripts were or were not at Long Tan? Was there a survey before or after the battle that looked at enthusiasm?
I had the opportunity to hang out with some of the Australia soldiers and I have never met a finer bunch of soldiers on or off the field.
My dad nearly went to Vietnam war with the Australian special forces sniper team and he was a sas regiment long distance sniper with the Australian special air service regiment at Swanbourne perth Australia
I mean... Australians just built different, they literally have to fight a kangaroo every time they wanna get out of their homes
It is a good thing that Vietnam is united as one country. Unlike poor Korea, where tensions still run high.
As far as I'm aware, when it came to conscription in order to be deployed to Vietnam as an Australian concript you had to volunteer to go. It was a legal requirement to sign up for conscription and to go when your number came up, but if you didn't want to go, you didn't have to.
That is exactly how the dictionary defines it.
You are correct
Thank you all, my Brothers.
The Australian battalions had a policy of maintaining a ratio of conscripts to regulars 50:50 down to the section level. That means a section would have 5 professional soldiers with 5 conscripted riflemen, gunners and scouts (pointmen). No Australian conscript was sent to Vietnam with less than 6 months training in jungle warfare back in Queensland, Australia.
Battalions were also rotated through Vietnam as whole units rather than being left in the field indefinitely with reinforcements drip fed in to the unit as the US system did. This means that a battalion trained together in the lead up to deployment, deployed together for one year and then returned to Australia together.
Ahhhh Canungra...
Luckily for us here in Australia our military involvement in Vietnam was quite small and we only lost 521 men, which was significantly less than the number of Australians killed on New South Wales' roads in a single year in the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.
In the library on board USS Blue Ridge there was a book i read on Australian participation in Vietnam
THANKS THE AUSTRALIANS
YOUR SACRIFIRES FOR THE SOUTH VIETNAM WILL NEVER FOEGET
a South VN fallschrimjager
Cuong Truong, You guys in the South were worth the effort!!!
I as a South Vietnamese would like to thank to all of you whom are servered in Vietnam , to help us to defend the evil North. But unfortunately they have win the war after US abandoned us. I salute all of you.
The ignorance and cowardice of the defeated armies is shameful
You obviously don't know your own history. It is like someone from Poland thanking the Germans for invading Poland.
If you knew what the US did to the people of South Vietnam you would not be saluting them.
The US was there to defend its dictatorships from the people of South Vietnam, who had risen up against their terror and violence.
Maybe learn the history of the conflict before you go saluting people without a clue.
Thank for killing children , destroying country and culture,,rapping women.???
80% of Vietnamese hated them.Hatred will come back to life if aroused!
@@thuankhong Đúng là bò đỏ. Ngu vừa vừa thôi. Đi mà hỏi người dân ở Huế kìa. Uncle Lake là 1 tên ngu si độc tài, bắt chước Mao cẩu...!!!
I'm proud to be an Australian
And you always should ever be!, and never let the beasterds grind yer down and take or shatter that staunch ancient warrior creed?? much respect and lest we never forget from up over, 🏴🇬🇧....
I lived in Sydney Aus. During the time Australian troops were in Vietnam. I had a friend nicknamed Donkey who did three tours he was kind of wild he’d go to Vietnam as a Private rise to Sargent and come back get drunk and be busted. He always had the same complaint about serving in Vietnam. American troops smoked while on patrol during rest stops. He would swear and curse the habit saying I could smell them a mile away. Suggesting so could the Vietnam cong.
This is where the Aussie and Kiwi Combat Experience was missed by the Brits.
Proud of our soldiers. Proud to be Australian.
Britain was never going to commit to fighting in Vietnam for a host of reasons of incapacity and strategic irrelevance, but they would also have been under the shadow of Australia (again) and that was something that they weren’t able to cope with.
Actually they fought the Vietnamese before the US did
Source: czcams.com/video/1w-cv2CJbfI/video.html
I am Australian. Such a sad, sad time!
In the wars we where in I have never heard a soldier say weather we should have be their or not most all of them say that it was bloody awful?
19:30 I didnt realize Budweiser made a specific can for our Allies from down under . lol
it should be pointed out that National Servicemen (Nashos) could be conscripted into the Army but not sent to Vietnam. They had to volunteer. So although many National Servicement served in Vietnam they were all volunteers.
Correct
You'd be amazed how many British and Americans don't know of our involvement. In Vietnam.. long tan was the equivalent of Britain's rorks drift in south africa
Brits know very well about it thanks?? bbc was the the same establishment as abc back then so it was on the news here alot and vise versa as in falklands for them?.. , and after all the brits had already done it before with their anzacs close cousins in malaya and already in vietnam straight after ww2....
Australia always had our backs good people
WW2 Pacific, all good; Don't want to be in all your wars though, I think Afghanistan was a mistake after 5 years (actually 3...).
Interesting enough.
It was said that after the "Long Tan" that the Viet Cong gained a healthy respect for the fighting skills of the Australians.
I was in high school during the Vietnam War. I supported the troops but not the political agendas. I have a friend in the next town. He was one of the New Zealand artillery spotters with D company.
I'm from that era, and I'm the same,scared as hell of being conscripted,but supported the soldiers, but not the politicians' ideals!
@@alexlanning712 I think the politicians had the right idea but their restraint and the military's idiotic idea of war-fighting pulled down the men.
@@johnnotrealname8168 agree with you in parts, John,but sometimes I think all the Gung Ho, pollies, should sometimes be sent to the frontline, themselves
@@alexlanning712 In one day and age politicians led their men alas Monarchs rarely fight, although William has I think. It was right to stop communism spreading, although even I find it spreading to Australia, at least soon, rather far-fetched.
@@johnnotrealname8168 John I'm more scared of the "far" Right, than the Far Left, because we know from our perch, Communism will never find fertile ground, here
God Bless them.
Conscription: My uncle was killed in Vietnam he was conscripted & the myth is they were pressed ganged into going & that's not true, if you don't want to go? You don't have to ...
conscripted or enlisted , the pressure comes from the men you train with your mates NCOs Officers want you to come with them & fight if you are any good. If you don't want to go you will be reposted or discharged & that is the fact. The soldiers themselves don't want anyone that is not up for it, think about it before you peddle the communist line.
Lest we forget, and I never will.
From Sandhurst to South Vietnam.
Odd how my Uncle Ian still wanted to be a soldier, even when he was asked to leave Sandhurst Military staff College. Something to do with failing the Nuclear Physics Paper and out he was. With a quick stop at Australia House and a guarantee to be sponsored to become an Australian Citizen if he signed up as a regular with the Royal Australian Military. Which he Did...
A short time later, he was posted to South Vietnam with the Combat Engineer's side of things. As a junior 2nd Lieutenant given the job at one point as a Tunnel Rat. As family folk lore has it...
Retired, with the rank of Major, in the later 1980s.
Strange how a Brit gets mixed up in Wars, well it least he wasn't killed or injured in Northern Ireland, if he had stayed back home..in the British Army of the 1970s. Still Brave thing to go and do when 26.
Soldiers don’t stop or start a war, they just fight it and suffer the consequences. Grew up watching this war and served in Afghanistan beside ANZAC troops with the Canadian Forces. We’ve been brothers for over 100 years, and together ended the First World War.