Why was the battle of long tan important at the time?

Answer 1

The battle of "Long Tan" occurred in a rubber tree plantation, near a town called "Long Tan", August 18, 1966, involving elements from the Australian's 6th Royal Regiment, which consisted mostly of conscripts (Australian Draftee's); against elements of the (VC) 275 Regiment and D445 Battalion, (which no doubt consisted mostly of conscript's also). Vietnamese losses, as has been usual in the history of the Vietnam War, are disputed, with some Australians believing some 50 Vietnamese were killed and 100 wounded (See: Helicopter pilot Cliff Dohle cited for gallantry in mission to resupply Long Tan diggers, The Australian, October 28, 2009), while others claim that at least 250 Viet Cong were killed. Australian losses were 18 men killed and 21 wounded. A number of Australian historians claim that the diary of the Viet Cong commander at Long Tan was later captured and that he listed his losses as 878 killed and 1,500 wounded. (Vietnam - The Australian War, Paul Ham, p.245 and p.704) However, Ernest Chamberlain (author of The Viet Cong D445 Battalion: Their Story) has recently claimed that no copy of that report exists. (See: Long Tan casualty figures questioned, The Canberra Times, July 27, 2012) Long Tan was one of the first large Australian battles to take place, and is considered an Australian victory.

The Battle of Long Tan was the most famous action fought by the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. It was fought in a rubber tree plantation near the village of Long Tan, about 40km north-east of Vung Tau, South Vietnam on August 18, 1966 in blinding weather conditions, with the monsoonal rain reducing visibility to a mere 50 metres. (See: Vietnam ANZACs: Australian & New Zealand Troops in Vietnam 1962-72, Kevin Lyles, p 22, Osprey Publishing, 2004)

The action occurred when D Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), part of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF), encountered the Viet Cong (VC) 275 Regiment. D Company was supported by other Australian units, as well as New Zealand and United States personnel.

Although veterans of the battle from both sides met many years later, relatively little of the Vietnamese side of the battle has been published in Australia.

This battle is frequently taught in Australian officer training, as it is an excellent case study of well-trained and disciplined soldiers; the importance of combining infantry, artillery, armour and aviation; coordination between units and the importance of firepower.