Reaction To Australian SASR in Vietnam
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- Опубликовано: 27 апр 2024
- Reaction To Australian SASR in Vietnam (Australian Military History)
This is my reaction to Australian SASR in Vietnam
In this video I react to Australian military history by looking at the Australian special forces unit Australian SASR and their role in Vietnam
Original Video - • The SASR in the Vietna...
Two Australian films about Vietnam to watch are "The Odd Angry Shot" (1979) and "Danger Close(the battle of Long Tan" 2019.
The character Graham Kennedy was based on is a close family friend. He was also known because of his unorthodox method he used to 'force' artillery backup for Long Tan battle which saved countless Aussie lives and allowed safe extraction from the rubber plantation. They would have been slaughtered had he not forced those in charge at the time. Sort of held his pistol to his superior's head demanding he order the artillery and light tank support as well as air support. Non of which would have occurred without his action. All that was said after was "you know you're not allowed to pull a gun on your superior, but well bloody done." He was based at Victoria Barracks in Sydney and retired a highly distinguished and decorated colonel. On retirement he built his yacht 'Dalliance 2' spending years just sailing to wherever he decided at the time before solo sailing around the world in Dalliance, a 36 foot steel cruising sloop (single masted sail craft)and became the first foreigner to sail to and cruise in Soviet waters. Also made world headlines when he became the first non Soviet naval craft to dock at a Soviet naval base on invitation in 1985/6? just before USSR broke up. He wrote the book Long Tan and beyond; Alpha Company 6 RAR in Vietnam 1966-67. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mollison. I used to love going into the barracks and seeing the full military respect he was given by every ADF member as a kid which lit the spark for me to join the ADF.
Long Tan is an amazing story. The Kiwis and the Aussies kicking arse.
"Danger Close(the battle of Long Tan" 2019
Great movie depiction of an amazing and terrible event.
Both movies are great, but they barely touch on reality
Odd Angry Shot is the most realistic war movie ever.
After watching a few of your Reaction posts on Australia I had to talk to you! I was born in Glasgow in 1946. Migrated to Australia in 1966. Joined the Australian Army in 1969. Passed SASR selection in 1970. Spent only 3 months in Vietnam (I was a reinforcement to 2 Sqn) and was on the last SASR patrol in Vietnam five days later I was back in Sydney! Left the Army in 1971. Started a new career with Telecom Australia. Now retired. What I really wanted to say to you is. You should move to Australia. You would love it. The humour is so much like Scottish humour. Not surprising considering that the Scots and the Irish were the two largest groups of European migrants post WW2. Oh just to add when you watched the AC/DC clip you saw the Bagpipes. That's because the original member were all from Glasgow!!!
Rats of Tobruk pipe band.
The Greeks took that title of largest migrants, then Vietnamese in the 70's, when everyone was Australian, not Chinese Australian, not Palestinian Australian, once that crap started, multiculturalism failed and we became divided as some would not leave the world they fled, but instead brought their problems and hatred with them. Now Aboriginals lie at every chance to increase their hold on land that was never theirs and the useful idiots were born, I am ex Navy, born here but parents are Irish, Scottish, English, from the Isle Of Wight
We have a lot of Scottish societies and celebrations as well. I have been part of several and my Clan flourishes here
In war, all give some but some give all. Lest we forget.
Lest We Forget 🙏
Never forget them.
My Dad was a 1RAR Charlie Company (body snatcher) infantry soldier 65/66
Proud son here!
He’s still going strong 💪
I was a member of Bravo Company. One of McFarlane's boys.
👍👍👍👍💪💪💪💪🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
My brother was one of them. He wasn't the same when he came home.
The difference in styles of fighting between Aus and US troops. I read about it in a library of a kind Parisien family in 1975. The US made a lot of noise, encouraging the VC and NVA to come at them, then hit them with heavy arms. The RAR went quietly into the jungle, set up ambushes and softly softly into villages. Phuoc Tuy Province, Australia's responsibility, after Long Tan, the NVA never came back and Phuoc Tuy was the quietest province in Vietnam. Proud of the blokes and pleased not to have had to join them (survived the ballot)
Well said, from another "ballot survivor".
Didn't the Australian's enter and leave Vietnam as a unit whereas the Americans came as individuals so there was less unit cohesion?
All Australians no about Vietnam and what we did their
@@juicycooch9810 "All Australians no abou..." know.... there... Supported the US which, in its turn, responded to the South Vietnamese Govt's request for help against North Vietnam.
@@alanmacpherson3225 Correct. Australian infantry battalions, trained extensively together in Australia before going to Vietnam as a unit, replacing another battalion.
The Australian Army was involved in the Malayan Emergency from 1955, and Australian soldiers remained in the region until 1963, three years after the conflict's official end. 39 Australian soldiers were killed in the Malaya conflict
Locals recall Aussie soldiers as ghosts being able to deal with different terrains
Two SAS members died due to a Rogue Elephant attack, until Afghanistan you were more likely to die from a Rogue Elephant then enemy gun fire in the SASR (and an order of magnitude more likely to die in training)
The Malaysian emergency & the Malaysian, Indonesia confrontation are 2 different things. The emergency happening in West Malaysian, communist insurgency. The Indonesia confrontation in East Malaysian, Sabah & Sarawak . Australian military was involved both conflicts.
@@arffadailey8055 they actually don’t specify it was a single war, just that they were in the region.
The Malay-Indo confrontation was known more as simply Borneo or Indonesian confrontation. That war helped shape our strategic focus for many years, as Indonesia has not always been friendly with us/us with them.
My brother-in-law was a froward scout in Vietnam and used secateurs to move through the jungle rather than a machete...it was all about being quite. Also soap, toothpaste or anything with a scent was ever taken on patrol. Hard men
💯 all while the yanks were wearing cologne, playing music and smoking cigars
@@maxfish4770 Not all.... it is a great mistake to over emphasise the actions of conscripts vs the professional Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Coastguard and Airmen who served from the U.S.
Truth be told when it comes to forgotten wars, sadly the neglect and lack of recognition of our Korean war vet's is greater than that of the Viet Nam conflict. The Korean war came to soon after WW2 and was followed too closely by Viet Nam, it's is like the proverbial middle sibling that seems to be ignored by everyone.
Yes.
no Australuan movies or TV shows that talk about the Australians in Korean War.
I thought the term ‘Forgotten War’ was in reference to Korea.
This is the first time I’ve seen it referring to Vietnam.
Borneo, Malaya and Confrontation would be just as ‘forgotten’ by the general public as Korea, but Vietnam being forgotten? I wouldn’t have thought so either.
@@mickflower3010You’re correct. Vietnam has never been known as the forgotten war.
The commander of the NVA famously said we breathe a sigh of relief and knew we would win the war after the Aussies left Vietnam
Australia has not forgotten the Vietnam War and our involvement. Two solum days placed aside here to remember. Firstly ANZAC Day April 25 then Vietnam Veterans Day August 18th. Also referred to Long Tan Day. The battle of Long Tan where 108 Australian Infitary held off an entire army of Noth Vietnamese numbering approx 2,500 strong in the Long Tan rubber plantations.
the Nui Dat artillery, just within range, certainly helped.
For anyone who are decendants of, or relations of the men who were in this war.....it is not forgotten.
My granddad was a veteran's of WW2 in the pacific he was in Zforce a commando unit that operated against the Japanese, they later became the SAS in Australia....
He then served in the occupation of Japan he served in Korea and finally did two tours in the AATTV.....
ANZAC day just gone(also my Bday) my son wore his medals whilst in his cadet uniform as he marched....
Very proud day for dad...
We travelled to Charters towers for Anzac day every year to visit my Grandfather who served with the 2/25th battalion on thr Kokoda track and my son, also in the cadets at the time would ride in the Jeep with him then stand beside him at the ceremony. One day after it was over they had lunch at the Eventide nursing home for the residents and my Grandfather got up, made a small speech then took his jacket off, medals and all, and handed it down to my son. My son went on to serve in the Cavalry eventually as a gunner on an Azlav and is now in the reserve infantry while back doing his trade, I know how you feel mate.
My father was in Vietnam as part of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. He told me many stories and it would be great if we were recognised more. The men deserve that much. Soldiers returned from Vietnam were treated terribly.
Persevere 🇦🇺
It’s a real indictment on the USA, that they value their most loyal ally so little, the average American doesn’t even know that Australia fought alongside them in Vietnam (as well as every other war since WWI - though of course, in every case until Vietnam, Australia had joined allied forces long prior the U.S.)
But hey, they love our accent.
@riiidiculos "It’s a real indictment on the USA, that they ..." It isn't really. The Aus US thing isn't only our military support, it's our origins and our common settlor destination origins. My / our origins go back to the 1850s and most of our families survived the Famine and poverty in Europe, including Britain, went to the US. Go easy on our older cousins, it's not easy being American, the World's policeman and so many vanquished with axes to grind.
we actually fought on both sides of the American revolution too
Most of them live in their own little bubble where USA is number one at everything
America has never won a war that they turned up on time for.😂
@@timothydunn5889 LOL they have never won a war against a foreign power, they mock the French and yet the French has the greatest military of any country in human history while America barely even has a record
The movie "The Light Horseman" is a movie about the battle for Beersheba in WWI, a classic Aussie movie & is based in facts. I was talking to a mate who was a chopper pilot who served in Viet Nam War. Some of the stories he told me chilled me to the bone. One thing that stood out is the he said that in the worst of the fighting some of the American pilots didn't want to fly in to assist in the rescue of their own. It took some ballsy Aussies to fly in to save their bacon. Which the American's were in aura of them.
When it comes to war it seems through history that we have no problem in slapping our d!cks on the table.🤠❤️🇭🇲
Depends on who you want to listen to, there are a number of people who say the exact opposite. Sorry but it does depend on who you want to listen to. Better to not be parochial about such things, a lot of different people had to go through awful hardship, most we never hear about.
I was led & trained by Vietnam vets for much of my time in the Army, including one Major who was an SAS Seargent during the war. I was privileged to hear him describe one recon op where they had moved into a bamboo thicket during the night & the morning revealed them to be within a Regular North Vietnamese Battalion's position.
They stayed for 3 days observing & gathering intel before moving back to base. They discovered an enemy patrol on their way back & quickly set an ambush for them. They destroyed the enemy patrol, recovering a radio, codebook & other documents without taking any casualties of their own.
Hans?
Which is fascinating as their were almost no NVA units in the Australian operations area. I recall listen to a few Vet bullshit stories too. My cousin served with 8th battalion. You could tell. He never said anything.
@@russellmiles2861 I don't know where you're getting your information, but it's not accurate. The Major I'm referring to won two citations for his actions on that operation, so definitely NOT a bullshit story. He told the story to a group of soldiers undergoing recon training to demonstrate the benefits of stealth, care & attention whilst performing close recons. One of his Sergeants told us about the subsequent ambushes & the Major's awards.
1 RAR, 3RAR, 4RAR & 5RAR all had major engagements with NVA regular troops on several occasions, Including Operation Coburg, Operation Goodwood, Battle of Binh Ba, Battle of Coral-Balmoral & The Tet Offensive. They had countless other minor encounters with NVA main force units throughout the war.
@@RARDingo yes, a few ... it just wasn't a key part of the war. So I doubt the finding themselves in the middle of NVA battalion. Think about; that is major failure for the patrols ... perhaps finding themselves near an enemy outpost. I am sure you know the sort of tales that certain vets use to tell. Gosh, most of those with multiple tours were batty ... they had suffered. Should have been helped. And medals and PTSD ran together.
@@russellmiles2861 You are attributing things that I did not say. No one said anything about "in the middle of", that's your ignorant assumption.
Just another armchair expert with no clue & zero actual experience.
I remember seeing an interview with a Navy Seal who served in Vietnam and he said the Australian SAS were the best jungle fighters he had ever operated with. A great book to read about SAS operations in Vietnam is Sleeping with your Ears Open by Gary McKay that gives first hand accounts by SASR veterans about operations in Vietnam. The Australian Army now have the specialist Jungle Training Wing in Queensland that teach skills learnt and developed by operations in New Guinea in WW2, Malaya, Bornea and Vietnam.
another great book is Phantoms of the jungle.
In response to the Japanese , Australian started a jungle warfare base in 1942 . Tully is still in operation now , my wife’s eldest brother did 2 tours in Vietnam and 15 years as an instructor at Tully.
there is a book called Phantoms of the Jungle, which cover the SASR from there foundation to the 1970s
Updated to include East Timor I believe. But nothing about some of their disgraceful members actions in Afghanistan.. real shame to have had those bad eggs. But a really top notch outfit, I’m proud of my cousin’s service
And a bloody good book it is to.
Another excellent book about the SASR in Vietnam is Sleeping with your ears open👍
Awsome book
The image at 4:40 is iconic to the Australian involvement in Vietnam.
18 August 1966 is the date of the Battle of Long Tan which involved D Company, 6 RAR. This date is now reserved in Australia as Vietnam Veterans Day.
As Vietnam was never a "declared" war, it was always held as a "police action" by the RSL (Returned Services League) who refused Vietnam veterans membership until 1985 (with many sub-branches refusing entry as well), when the government finally had a welcome home parade for those who went. Most Vietnam veterans I know/knew refused to attend as it was too little, too late. These lads were not only run-down in the media and disowned by their government, they were also abused by protesters upon their return. Most of those who served were conscripts and had no choice in going to Vietnam.
In 2023 the current head of the NSW RSL (himself a Vietnam veteran) issued an offical apology to Vietnam veterans on behalf of the RSL. Many have decried it as a politcal stunt.
From 1962 to 1975 about 50.000 Australian men served in Vietnam.
Died: 520. Wounded: 2,396. Victoria Cross: 4.
Allied participants included South Vietnam, United States, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines and Taiwan.
65% were Regular Army volunteers , not nashos.
@@warwickruse2556 that's true. It's odd though, the number of guys I know who went and were conscripts versus volunteers.
My father in law served in Vietnam with RAR. He said he hated going out on patrols with the regular American troops as they wore deodorant, aftershave, smoked cigarettes and made so much noise that the VC knew where they were most of the time.
There were a couple of photos that did the rounds in the 80s, that showed a section of a Vietnamese trail. One showed an American squad moving along the trail, the other showed an empty trail and that was labelled as the Aussies on patrol.
South Korea sent some 320,000 troops to fight alongside the U.S. in Vietnam, the largest contingent of any U.S. ally.
Who remembers that?
Not many.
I’ve read a lot of military history, mostly about Australia, but didn’t even know that SKorea, Phillipines and Thailand were other allies until just a few years ago. Seems sad that when the Yanks write their history they leave out contributions from other countries, then I see that many Australian historians overlook other countries just as much in many publications.
South Korean forces were feared, but they were NOT as feared by the NVA and VC as the Australians.One VX woman said this of the Australians, " suddenly we would see all our men die, and we knew the Australians were there."
@HenriHattar They were referring to the SASR (Special Air Services Regiment), not general infantry, and the Vietnamese called them the phantoms of the jungle.. The SASR is Australia's elite Special forces unit.
@@BigArnieNumeroUno Dear Dumb Ass.....I am aware of what they were referring to , particularly to their methods and kill ratio, however, the respect given by both the VC and the NVA was extended to ALL Australian Army personell in the Vietnam conflict and the ONLY foreign monument to the war that has been alowed to STAY in Vietnam is the one to the Battle of Long Tan. So I don't really need your small knowledge thank you.
We don’t get enough respect
ANZAC day is a dedication to Australian forces both world wars Korea Malaya Vietnam
Syria Afghanistan 🤔
Aussies never look for recognition from others except the Aussie soldier beside them.
My father served in Malaya and Borneo and on the Thailand border with 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment then in Vietnam with 2 squadron SASR in 1968.
As already mentioned is a book by David Horner called Ma rung "Phantoms of the jungle" the history of Australian SAS in Vietnam. My father has a story of his where he was Mentioned in despatches. 54791 Sgt A.F Stewart.
The Australian SAS while in Vietnam invented the Peel or what is accurately called the Australian Peel. This is the manoeuvre that is used by all model armies whereby you can retreat safely when encountered by a far greater force. This was one of the reasons they were called phantoms of the jungle as they were impossible to capture or defeat in the jungle.
From 1962 to 1973, more than 60,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War. Air force (RAAF), Army and Navy (RAN) units were all involved.
Menzies was a politician. His main concern was to keep the US involved , via the ANZUS treaty if Indonesia and Australia came to blows. He put pressure on the US and SVN governments to invite Australian participation in SVN.
These men are commemorated on ANZAC Day. Most Aussies have a pretty good idea of what our fighting men have done ever since they became involved in the Boer War. The Battle of Long Tan - someone below mentioned a documentary. Good idea to watch it. 5,000 Viet Cong vs 500 Australians.
My uncle did three tours and came back shell shocked was never the same he heard a helicopter and hid
I remember as a kid running around making police siren sounds playing cops and robbers, I would have been 4. I could never understand why my old man would scream shut up shut up covering his ears with his hands and looking terrified. I do now.
My uncle served in Malaysia and twice in Vietnam. There is an excellent doco about the battle of long tan that goes into a lot of detail. After long tan and the battles of coral and balmoral the US army captured a tunnel and found orders for all Vietnamese units to avoid contact with Australian forces at all costs. Because Australia has a small army the standard of infantry soldiers is on par with what a lot of countries call special forces
Not forgotten here.
My old man was Ma Rung, he deployed when I was 4 and it ended up costing him his marriage. That was the last of his 3 wars.
I'm a Swanbourne brat too. My father was 2sqd 1968 patrol commander Sgt A.F. Stewart.
Even our men who returned were never quite here again...Lest We Forget
I lived in Malaysia for a year and found one thing very interesting. When ever I took a taxi somewhere, if it was an older driver he loved to talk about Australian’s and particularly how proud they were of Aussie support during WWII, but younger taxi drivers didn’t share the same view. In recent time people traveling from Australia certainly disrespected Malaysia in my view but the older generations remember a more positive experience from oz. 🤓
What did Australian soldiers do in the Malaya?
Malayan Emergency | Australian War Memorial
In addition to air and infantry forces, Australia also provided artillery and engineering support, and an airfield construction squadron built the main runway for the air force base at Butterworth. RAN ships also served in Malayan waters had occasion to fire on suspected communist positions in 1956 and 1957. Peace out.
In asnwer to Australians fighting in Malaysia, there is a memorial plaque at the Bridge at Parit Sulong to them, this is an extract for part of the action that led to this plaque.."In January 1942 an Australian and Indian force engaged in a desperate battle against the Japanese Imperial Guards Division that ended at Parit Sulong.
Weakened by defeat at the Muar River, the 45th Indian Brigade and a support battery of the 2/15th Field Regiment retreated and an Australian force was sent to restore their lost position. The 2/29th Battalion with a troop of the 4th Anti-Tank Regiment was deployed first. The 2/19th Battalion followed, with men of 8th Division Signals maintaining communications.
Surrounded and outnumbered, this combined force was ordered to fight its way out by the senior surviving officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Anderson, 2/19th Battalion. Fighting hand to hand and under incessant aerial and artillery bombardment, they reached the outskirts of Parit Sulong to discover that the village and the only avenue of withdrawal, the bridge spanning the Simpang Kiri River, were already in Japanese hands." My adendum to this is " They had run out of ammuntion and attacked the Japanese with spades and axes and were forced back, they realsed they could not get through, so dressed the wounds of the wounded who could no long travel, left them with cigarettes and those that could, went into the swamps ,, those that survived came out behind the Japanese lines, the wounded , the Japanese came up and massacared all of them.
I met an Aussie digger several years ago, and he asked me for some money to buy alcohol, I spoke with him for a while, and he mentioned his involvement in the Vietnam War, following the exchange, I offered him my hand and shook his. He asked me what that was for, and I told him I was thanking him for his war service (I was judging him for the correctness of the war or the politics) simply for his forced involvement. He burst into tears, and afterwards, told me that no one had ever thanked him, only offering derision. Poor bastard. I gave him $5 from my pension.
did he say his involvement was forced ie National Service conscription, or Regular Army volunteer?
@@warwickruse2556 He was a conscript, but all of our soldiers were poorly received on return home.
@user-en9zo2ol4z do you mean immediately on return? According to govt sources:
anzacportal.dva.gov.au
Associated with misunderstandings about the extent and longevity of opposition to the war is a widespread view that those who had served in Vietnam were denied recognition when they returned to Australia and that many veterans of the conflict were treated with hostility by the public. For infantry battalions at least, a parade was a normal part of their return to Australia. When a battalion sailed into the country aboard HMAS Sydney, the ship was often met by the Minister for the Army, the Chief of the General Staff and other local dignitaries. Those who had just sailed in from Vietnam usually received a parade within hours of their return. Only the occasional lone dissenter indicated that support for the war was less than widespread. For other returning soldiers the situation was different. Many, replacements and members of smaller units, came home in small groups, by aircraft, often arriving at night to little fanfare. The absence of parades for these people had more to do with the piecemeal nature of their return than a policy of denying them recognition.
@@user-en9zo2ol4z not immediately.
anzacportal.dva.gov.au
Associated with misunderstandings about the extent and longevity of opposition to the war is a widespread view that those who had served in Vietnam were denied recognition when they returned to Australia and that many veterans of the conflict were treated with hostility by the public. For infantry battalions at least, a parade was a normal part of their return to Australia. When a battalion sailed into the country aboard HMAS Sydney, the ship was often met by the Minister for the Army, the Chief of the General Staff and other local dignitaries. Those who had just sailed in from Vietnam usually received a parade within hours of their return. Only the occasional lone dissenter indicated that support for the war was less than widespread. For other returning soldiers the situation was different. Many, replacements and members of smaller units, came home in small groups, by aircraft, often arriving at night to little fanfare. The absence of parades for these people had more to do with the piecemeal nature of their return than a policy of denying them recognition.
It is time for you to find The Kokoda Trail.
Enjoy the rabbit hole.
The boys always called it the track not trail.
Glad you said Trail.
@@ianwillis5309I thought it was track, trail is a yank term
Not only the Kokoda Track, Z Force, Korea, Light Horse Charge on Beersheba and of course, Malaya where my father served under Major Harry Smith as his Platoon Leader. There are many battles that we have made a great impact on, yet very little recognition. Down the rabbit hole is right!
Aussie Diggers in WWI were addressed by the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau after the Battle for Hamel on 3rd of July, 1918. He stated:
"We knew that you would fight a real fight, but we did not know that from the very beginning you would astonish the whole continent..."
Not a bad quote about our fighting skills and directly from the French Prime Minister!
@@alanmacpherson3225Yes, I've always known it to be called Track my entire life. It was only when it was turned into an endurance hike that it was beginning to be known as a trail. The media had an influence on calling it 'trail' too, yet this is more of an American reference. We need to hang on to our culture and names that have been around from the start. I will always refer to our 'guardian angels' along the track as the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angles. That's not offensive and they have been continually viewed with great honour for the help they gave us.
My father was a member of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, they were the first in and last out of the war. Not all were SAS but as "advisors" that had to have a minimum rank of sgt and have already served in combat. They were the opposite of the only 19, dad was 42 the first time he went and had 4 kids, so dont stuff around with old men!!!
If you want to find out more about the Vietnam War and what happened to soldiers, try watching the Australian Vietnam war flim the odd angry shot
An excellent movie.
The Odd Angry Shot is a great movie, but its not in anyway accurate
There is a book called Ma Rung", Phantoms of the Jungle, which goes into pretty good detail of SASR operations in Vietnam.
Thank you for your Respect. Yhe Australian SASR are Diggers. They carry the Traditions of The ANZAC Spirit with Courage, Pride and Honour!
quality not quantity
There’s an amazing book written by an SAS veteran from Vietnam called Sleeping with Your Eyes Open. Some of the stories are absolutely mind-blowing!
Ex Australian soldier here. We learned SAS tactics from the British SAS. Someone was saying we had more experience than the British because of Papua fighting. Well the British were fighting the Japanese in the nasty Burma jungles and up to the Indian border for just as long as we were fighting in PNG.
Australia had no option but to fight in a different way to the USA. They were a huge heavy infantry force with massive artillery, armour air and logistical support. They were designed, equipped and trained to confront the Soviet Warsaw Pact in Europe and they never had to engage because the Soviets recognised they could not overcome the US/German/British NATO army in central Europe. without heavy tactical nuclear strikes they were too scared to use. They believed the USA would respond with obscene force.
We Australians were not that. We had no choice and so we copied British SAS tactics as per the Malayan and Borneo fights in the 1950's.
The American strategy was to annoy the VC and NVA and provoke them to attack in force. The times the USA managed successfully get the ARVN to attack in force were devastating to the NVA and VC. The USA seemed to make tactical errors by putting small units forward with no visible support. It was to tempt the large enemy deployment that their massive area weapons like massed artillery and aerial bombing attacks would destroy. The USA massacred the NVA and VC in large engagements. The North Vietnamese strategy was to avoid those engagements with US forces because they learned they simply could not survive the heavy battle against the USA. They became aware after the TET offensive in '67 that the US Army was not permitted to invade North VIetnam so they settled in for a long slog. They tried to bleed the USA with insurgent tactics and to use main force against ARVN (Army of North VIetnam) In the end the NV leadership was willing to fight to the last Vietnamese peasant and the USA was not prepared to go on forever bleeding their young men. 10 years was enough.
Even though I am an Australian the idea that the US was incompetent and we and the NVA were really good is not true.
Good summation mate except the 'Tet' offensive was in '68
Something interesting. The SASR Headquarters are in Perth. Beyond the fact the city has a significant number of SAS guys around on R&R a large number of them fall in love with Perth and decide to settle here. Isolated we are, vulnerable we are not.
I'm in Perth and my partner is ex SAS.
I saw a story about an American special forces soldier who was lost in the jungle and came across an Australian sas team and was astonished at how professional they were. For 2 weeks they were in the jungle and only used hand signals the whole time.
In the late 1970s I was at university in Cape Town (South Africa) with an Australian man in his late 20s. He had served in Vietnam with the Aussie SASR and in the then Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) with the Selous Scouts. He had lost a leg to a mine in Zimbabwe. even with one leg, he was one of the most terrifying people I have ever met.
Lest We Forget
Australia had a LOT of jungle warfware experience. WWII Pacific Theatre, Malaya, Bornero (The Confrontation) and New Guinea before going to or in parallel with Viet Nam. The SASR were in Viet Nam as individual as part of the AATV - Austraian Army Training Team ("The Team") before being deployed as a unit with the Australian Task Force (Brigade).
SASR troops also helped set up the MACV Recondo School and had trainers assigned as cadre to the Recondo School. The Recondo School trained US reconaissance troops such as LRRP teams, Special Forces and "Greek Letter" projects. Additionally I believe SASR served with MACV SOG.
Australia was almost certainly the most effective jungle warfare army of the period with the possible exception of the Viet Namese themselves and SASR were without doubt the best reconaiissance troops in theatre. Australia had decades of experience in South East Asian jungle warfrare and SASR built on that and tuned it to a very high pitch. It should be remembered that after withdrawel from Viet Nam, even through the GWOT etc Australia still maintains an Rifle Company Butterworth - an infantry company at the Royal Malaysian Airforce base Buterworth as part of the 5 powers defence agreement, and SASR are still deployed in the region, alledgeldy to have inluded the Phillipines in the 70s and 80s so that experience in jungle warfare is unbroken essentially since WWII.
i think vietnam is fairly well known in australia due to songs and movies. i think the most overlooked is the korean war there's a good doco on youtube to watch called " Kapyong: How UN Forces Survived A Relentless Chinese Offensive | The Forgotten War | War Stories"
it's about the aussies that had to face the chinese army invasion alone until the kiwis could give the artillery cover to fall back and let the canadians finish up.
it was 700 australians vs about 20,000 chinese they held them off for 24hrs.
Fact 1 - 50,000 Australians served in Vietnam.Fact 2 - The origins and the original founders of the US Green Berets where taken on a tour at Canungra ( then the Jungle Training Warfare Centre) on Tamborine Mountain Qld.After touring the various scenarios' and courses, they were then were taken to a clearing that had a full replica of a Vietnamese Village.The US Officers were blown away by the detail,but also the realism of the courses. What is also not known widely is that the original cell/original nucleus of US Special Forces ( Green Berets) were trained by Australian SAS at Canungra. Fact 3 - The US had no conception of Special Operations/Guerrilla Warfare/Counterinsurgency. Australia had been doing it since WW2 with Z Force back in the 40's. Then Malaya,Borneo and the Indonesian Confrontation.Fact 4 - Australian SAS had the highest bounty on their heads from both the NVA and VC.Fact 5 - Tiger Camouflage was first worn by western troops in vietnam well before Kennedy allowed the US Special Forces to wear the same.Those western troops were referred to as " Tigermen", officially known as the AATTV (Australian Army Training Team Vietnam).Tigermen scared the bejesus out of the vietnamese.Their patrols would go out in VC/NVA held territory and would just disappear. We all have seen the magnificent movie " American Sniper" and some may have seen " The Shooter". Both movies mention who has made the longest shot/kill with a sniper rifle.It is a known fact that a Australian SAS Sniper took out 2 ISIS maggots at 1000m in Syria who were just about to execute a non combatant.Fact 6 - Documented though the kill was not confirmed a Australian SAS Sniper during vietnam took out a target at 1800m (1.8km),it was not confirmed because the target was inside Cambodia !!!!. Why and how do I know,My Father was a "Tigerman" who served 2 tours,66/67 & 69/70. Trust me I was told he was a very different man when he came home,and Vietnam effected more people than those that fought in it.
Mate, I'm sorry, but most of your "facts" are just BS. It's great that you're patriotic, but reality sometimes has to intrude.. (Former Cadre Staff member at the LWC)
@@Smokeyr67 Mate Beg to differ, it's all recorded historically, just like a lot of things nowadays not taught or even mentioned.But hey,we live in a country where we can have a debate,without trying to kill each other over who's right or who's wrong.
The Australian SAS are very different to the british SAS. They are a more elite force, their names are even kept secret after they are no longer in the army. As a prospector I once stumbled on a junction of a river and creek in a remote area where they met and held their own anzac day reunion. They had left notes on small bits of paper in the trees. A short walk from my place lives a friend whos father was one of the warrant advisors in Vietnam, he won the VC but unfortunately it was posthumous. Australia although in a very difficult area never lost a battle in Vietnam and probably their most known battle was at Long Tan where about 100 soldiers defeated a regiment of North Vietnamese. There was also a company of tunnel rats who chased enemy in underground tunnels armed with a pistol and torch
along with 3 regiments worth of artillery and the USAF
As an ex Ausie soldier, I was told our SASR had a kill ratio of 500 to one whilst our General Infantry was 100 to one.. (?) Most of the footage shown on your presentation was of regular RAR soldiers.
Vietnam was not known as the forgotten war, (at least in Aust,) but the Aust contribution to the Korean war, was.. I was trained by Vietnam Vets, and it was very good. A pity politics got in the way so much..
A 'beut' book on the subject is " Long Tan and Beyond by Lt Col Charles S Mollison. ( third edition)
He describes Alpha Coy of 6 RAR's war in VietNam from 1966-67
Cheers from Paul.T.
The battle at Long Tan was one of the big battle's fought in Viet Nam, here is a documentary. ruclips.net/video/8gUSq7pxux4/видео.html
it was comparatively small compared to battles the ARVN fought
The Australians were also instrumental in winning WW1. Research General Sir John Monash.
After the battle of Long Tan in August 1966, the NVA avoided battle with Australian soldiers wherever possible. It's worth researching this one clash - it's the subject of lots of documentaries and publications, as it sums up the Aussie spirit succinctly. We are honoured to have one of the 18 Aussies KIA in that battle buried just 6Km from us, and Francis gets a lot of visits ... 🌹🌹In a very interesting twist, I actually nursed his mother as a registered nurse as her health and mobility declined. The battles for fire support bases Coral and Balmoral make terrific research as well.
Our Vietnam Vets were and still treated horribly 🤦🏻♀️ there are many Australians including myself are disgusted at how they were treated 😡 when I hear about our vets being homeless I get really angry. Every soldiers that has ever fought in a war deserve our respect and so much more 😢
Our involvement in Malaya, was significant, and our troops were far more physically attuned to the tropics and survival training. The British were also there, but I cannot comment on their performance. We additionally had an air force base near to Kuala Lumper, called Butterworth, which had a number of our fast jets, such as the F-86 Sabre, armed with 4 30 MM Aden cannon, and the French Mirage, the base closed sometime in the 80s I believe.
Very much still appreciated, spent this Anzac Day with Vietnam vets from the corp of engineers, funny and great guys.
I may be wrong, but here in Australia the "forgotten war" often refers to the "Korean Police Action"....which is technically still going, as they only signed an armistice and not a true cease fire/end of hostility. Happy to be corrected if I am wrong.
Our SASR has been likened to the British brigade of Gurkhas. Don't know how true that would be. Also, I've heard one Australian soldier in Vietnam was equal to 5 US soldiers. Again not sure how accurate that would be. The SASR just kick ass, that's all I know. Every war our ANZAC troops have been involved in since the Boer war is remembered on ANZAC day, the Vietnam war is absolutely no different. Maybe we tried to forget in the 70s and 80s for some reason but in more recent years we have made stories known, remembered the fallen and made sure Australians recognise the contribution both Australia and New Zealand made to the Vietnam war. (2nd IndoChina war).
Another great classic song about the Vietnam war was Cold Chisels debut single released May 1978 called Khe Sanh. It brings a tear to the eye everytime I hear it, and so it should. Another awesome reaction. Thanks.
At least one SAS member Private Fischer died from falling off the ropes dropped by the UH-1 Iroquois (Hughey) helicopter collecting them, after a 'hot' extraction in 1969. His remains were discovered in 2008 when he was also repatriated. My father was the group leader pilot of that mission.
My cousin was a colonel in the SAS.
He did 2 tours of Vietnam.
He was awarded the Military Cross.
He set up the jungle training centre in Canungra.
4:53 that photo was taken during my dad’s time in Vietnam!
Respect to your old man.
Incredible soldiers with no fame or notable gratitude received.
Real men.
A mate of mine served in Vietnam with the Australian army. He shuts down if asked about it. I’ve known him for around 30 years, and I can feel the pain that he remembers.
I remember him saying that the US soldiers had no clue what they were up against most of the time, and that armed involvement was necessary, but unfortunate.
Yes it’s celebrated in anzaca
Read Colonel David Hackworth - in his day the most heavily decorated soldier in the US army - after fighting in Korea and Vietnam he had (and Im working from memory something like 7 purple hearts, 2 silver stars and 3 bronze stars or something of that order - pretty much the only thing he didn't win was the Victoria Cross - which of course he couldn't) -he ended up settling in Northern NSW and owning a restaurant called Scaramouch in Brisbane - this guy was the real deal - an absolute warrior of the highest order - nothing Hollywood about him - just a hard as nails no shit warrior - he said when the US landed in Vietnam they had little clue as to how to fight the war they were being faced with (they were still in Cold War mode) - the Viet Cong were all over them - but they learnt from some incredible jungle fighters - The Australian SASR (and other troops) who had fought jungle warfare in Malaya and other tropical conflicts - and based on that they changed the whole way they engaged the enemy
I don’t know if I recall accurately from the history of the SAS but the first fatality of the SAS was in Malaya was due to a trooper getting gored by a wild boar whilst laying up in an ambush.
Australia's sucess was gained in no small part from the Malayan Emergency. Small patrols, irregular times, be seen constantly, interact with the locals, provide first aid clinics etc etc.
There were many Malayan veterans still in the Royal Australian Army. That skill set was represented in combat units and training in jungle warfare. It was very current battle experience and lessons learnt with a short time between the two conflicts.
Ive read extensively over many years on vietnam but am unable to give refferences off the top of my head.
But a few things that stuck with me. There was a NVA general who was killed in combat and his diary translated. Advice to the effect of..if you find you have ambushed engaged Australian troops, retreat and watch your flanks intently as you do.
The Americans at some pount had a British Officer ( Military or maybe Police i dont recal but basically he was the head or 2IC in Malaya ) come to Vietnam to observe and provide advice based on his Malayan experience.
He advised to stop looking for the Once Were Soldiers type battles. Instead operate as the Australian s basically were operating. Of course big battalion america ignored that. Very wisely so, why ever would you take advice from a guy who had actually been in charge of troops that successfully beat a communist insurgency, perish the thought.
Korea Vietnam wars run by the US same result.
In the 80s in basic training i got this pear of wisdom from a Seargent who was in Vietnam. If your operating with yanks make sure you stregnthen the line where it joins yanks, and be very careful try to never have them behind you they tend to do a lot if friendly fire
Look up a Guy called Neil Davis somewhere there is a documentary about him as a Australian war correspondent during the Vietnam era. A character who was in the thick of it, definitely a must see.
No Australian service personnel were taken POW during the Vietnam.
6 were missing in action (MIA) which are now accounted for and returned home.
and more soldiers died in personal motor vehicle crashes than on Active service in SVN - we were very bad drivers back then
From Dec 7, 1941 until 1972 Australian troops have been deployed for combat in SEA.
The only ones not involved in was a bunch of conflicts that involved Thailand, Vietnam, China, Laos and Cambodia.
I heard a trick the SASR was using in Vietnam was days before a mission they start eating Vietnamese food so when the sweat it would smell like locals.
The UK along sides Japanese troop had already fought in Vietnam after WW2 and before the French return.
Most of the guys I've talked to about their time there said you cuold smell a Yank patrol coming miles away. Tons of aftershave, coffee, cigarette smoke and even bubblegum. That and most of them made a hell of a racket moving through the bush with their gear. Things like that are something the modern US forces look for nowadays in movement. Bitter lessons learned the hard way.
Australians learned the modern jungle warfare by operating in the Malayan Emergency alongside the British in the 1950's.
We became involved in Vietnam as there was a theory around at the time called the 'domino theory'.
The theory being that if Vietnam fell to the communists, then the other countries in SE Asia would also fall leading to communists on our Northern approaches.
Given the cold war situation, Australia didn't want communists parked on our doorstep, so we committed to the US efforts in Sth Vietnam.
We had our own area of Sth Vietnam where we operated autonomously with combined RAAF & Army operations in Phuc Tuy Province, near Saigon.
After the battle of Long Tan in 1966 the local Viet Cong & NVA regulars learnt to avoid Australian troops.
The SAS terrified the enemy in Vietnam.
A good Australian Vietnam war movie is called Danger Close, made fairly recently.
Its about the battle of Long Tan.
I served with 2 Squadron in January and February 1969 as a replacement for a wounded trooper. I think I went on three patrols with them. I then served the full twelve month tour with 3 Squadron, my assigned unit. I think I went on twenty four patrols with various combinations of members of 3 Squadron and one patrol with members of the New Zealand SAS Troop attached to our squadron. Most of the patrols were planned to be either seven or eleven days duration. A few were planned for five days and even fewer were for fourteen days. The main emphasis of our activities in the first six months or so was reconnaissance with the possibility of setting an ambush towards the end of a patrol. About half way through 1969 the Task Force Commander ( a brigadier) came up to our position near the top of Nui Dat and changed the emphasis of our patrolling from reconnaissance to ambushing actions. Most of our patrols were five man groups but after the change to ambush patrols many were ten man patrols.
Did you know R Harris an aboriginal trooper with the 2nd? He was there mid 68 to jan 69
@@jonathanlivingstonseagull3378 Yes I met Ronald “Harry” Harris in the first week I was in Vietnam as we were in the same troop under Lt David “Z” Procopis - my patrol commander. From my brief acquaintance he seemed like a friendly and good bloke. Sadly Harry was killed on patrol on the 17th January 1969.
@@michaelfagan2410 Thanks for the reply. As a young child, I was sent to reside with my uncle. I have a distinct memory of a photograph of a soldier displayed on his mantelpiece. Adjacent to it, there was another picture featuring the sldiers wife and child. Being a child, I never inquired about the identities of the individuals in the photograph. However, years later, my uncle revealed to me that the soldier in the picture was his cousin Ronald, who had served with the SAS in Vietnam. When I expressed my curiosity about Ronald's fate, my uncle solemnly informed me that he had tragically lost his life during his service. Upon further inquiry, my uncle disclosed that Ronald had met his untimely demise while being propelled from a chopper and subsequently falling to his death. I was intrigued to learn more about Ronald, so I began conducting research. I later discovered that he did not meet his end as my uncle had been told, but rather passed away due to a blue on blue incident. Cheers
@@jonathanlivingstonseagull3378 Yes Harry was shot accidentally by his patrol sergeant. His patrol had been observing a track used by the VC and had one patrol member close to the track (probably two or three metres from the track) with the other four members a little further away from the track. Harry was returning to the patrol at the same time as VC could be heard walking and talking on the track and he also must have gotten slightly disoriented as he came back to the main group from an unexpected direction. Another factor may have been that Harry was wearing a different camouflage (called tiger camouflage) clothing from that of the rest of the patrol. Whatever the reasons he was unfortunately accidentally shot and killed by the patrol commander. I remember the great shock those of us back at the base on Nui Dat felt when we heard about this tragedy. Harry was a very popular and loved member of 2 Squadron - btw he held the rank of corporal. All the best mate.
@@michaelfagan2410 Michael, I appreciate the valuable insights you've shared. Connecting with someone who served in the regiment during that time and had the opportunity to meet Ronald is truly rare. I wish my uncle was still here to hear about you. It's been a pleasure, and I wish you the best.
If you would like a great account of the Australian SAS there is a book by Gary McKay, "Sleeping With Your Ears Open". An excellent read.
The Australian Army were the best divisions in France that the Commonwealth Forces had in WW1. They stopped the Ludendorff Offensive in 1918 so sealed Germany's fate.
Three good books detailing the history & deployment of the Australian SASR in conflicts are, Ian McPhedran's book, "The Amazing SAS" c 2005, Gary McKay's "On Patrol with the SAS" c 2007. A more recent SAS / Vietnam history due for release soon is Terry O'Farrell's Behind Enemy Lines, which should be a good read. Not an SASR story, however, you must read one of the accounts about D Company's survival, Lex McAulay's Battle of Long Tan, one of my army instructor's Buddy Lee was in the battle and I remember his stories of the ferocious encounter.
The VC had huge respect for the Australians, after a conflict the Australians would bury the fallen, where as the Americans just left the fallen and moved on. The VC admired the way the Australians conducted themselves towards the enemy. Today the Vietnamese love Australians but don’t particularly like the Americans.
I know I have commented on this blog a bit , but I omitted this, there is only ONE commentatrive plaque to a foreign fighting force in all of Vietnam, this is the dedication to the Battle of Long Tan, In Turkey, every 26 April, Anzac day there is a special commeneration every year on the beaches at Turkey where the Australians landed, Kemal Attaturk , the founder of monder Turkey had this to say about the Australians, " You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." On the western front in WW1 the Australians represented 10% of the fighting force but took 25% of all the territory that the allies took off the Germans and also inflicted 25% of all casualties on them, that is ONE in every FOUR casualties the Germans took in that war was from a handful of Australian soldiers, at a small French village, Villiers Bretoneaux an Australian flag flies and in the school rooms there is written on the old black boards, "Never Forget The Australians" who came to rescue the town and they did. The Australian light horse crossed the Sinai desert BEFORE Lawrence did and took Akaba BEFORE Lawrence and gave it to Lawrence and the arabs. In WW2 and in the Pacific in particular , they won a lot of battles that the US claimed as their winds in order to keep the US home population interested, so the Australians never got credit, they were the first to push a Japanese invasion force back into the sea at Milne Bay and when22,000 Japanese arrived at Buna/Gona they met a force of 542 Australians, who were pushed back bit by bit, but reinforcements came up , one at a time on a track where two people could not walk alongside each other, and they stopped the Japanese and slowly and without any ourside help drove the Japanese back to where they had landed. There's a LOT more/
Australian infantry involvement gets some attention. RAAF and RAN does not. Nor does New Zealand. Nor in particular the substantial involvement of the South Korean army. Do a video on the ROK army in Vietnam.
Thailand and the Philippines also had troops there.
No one knows we were the fifth largest airforce in 1945.
That our pilots fought in all the great air battles and had some really hairy and amazing battles in 1941/2 in particular. I know RAN was busy too in battles like Coral sea and the tinpot navy amongst many fine actions.
Took my daughter to see the dc3 my grandfather flew over the north/papua New Guinea in the war
The contribution of Kiwi artillery to the successful battle of Long Tan will never be forgotten.
@@donttellmeitsraining8160Morri Stanley.
My dad was in 3 Squadron SASR and served in Vietnam 1969-70. A lot of above comments are inline with his stories too. The book Phantoms of the Jungle is very insightful of the SASR from inception in the mid 1950’s thru to 1990’s. He features in the book too.
Brett, is your dad Jim Phillips? I knew him fairly well and had one patrol with him as the patrol commander - he was a corporal at the time. Most patrol commanders were sergeants or lieutenants. I remember an amusing incident on this patrol. We could hear people talking Vietnamese but we could not find them no matter how hard we tried. We then saw a light plane overhead with propaganda being broadcast through loud speakers to encourage the local VC to surrender- I don’t know how successful it was. Regards
@@michaelfagan2410 Hi Michael, Yes he is. Small world indeed! I haven’t heard that story either, thank you for sharing.
Have a look into the battle at Long Tan
Ask the Vietnamese whom the actually feared during this time. The Forces of the north engaged Australians in a couple of battles, most well known being Long Tan.
It became apparent fairly quickly who knew how to fight in the jungle and who did not. Remember a few years prior, the Australian Army assisted the British forces
During the Malayan "Incedent" gaining further experience in Jungle operations. Also Remember, During WW II we (Australia) fought mainly in the Pacific gaining a rep
as excellent Jungle fighters. This continues up to today where we are considered as possibly the best in the world.
The Viet Cong had a healthy respect for us and the NVA learned to very quickly as well to the point where operations in Aus controlled areas of operation grew very
quiet as they decided it would be more "cost effective" to engage U.S. forces that comprised, mainly of poorly trained and led conscript troops.
And YES, Australia also had conscription, that is true but, we did not ship them out wholesale to the slaughter.
The Larger percentage of Aussie Soldiers were professionals, it was, at the time illegal to send conscripts over seas and/or soldiers under the age of 21..
so. the myth of 18, 19 year old Aussies is just Bull$hit. Conscripts had to ASK to serve over seas. The "draft" was merely to ensure we had enough force to defend Aus
while we were committed overseas. There is a LOT of Bull$hit surrounding the use of conscripts during this period, this can be cleared up quickly by checking first,
the Australian constitution (yes we have one as well but not the same as the U.S.) where i clearly states forces drafted can only be deployed overseas during a
Formally declared war AND, no one under the age of 21 can be sent was a federal law at the time.
The fact that the Aussies were experienced professionals, already experts at jungle warfare and counter insurgent operations led to them being the most feared
soldiers in the conflict, followed closely by the Korean Rangers.
The ROK (Koreans were incredibly vicious and professional, they didnt survive any encounter with the ROK)
While I was in high school - in New Zealand - I had two teachers who were Vietnam Vets. One was an American who served as a side-door gunner on helicopters, and the other (a Kiwi) was attached to the long-range patrols.
Checkout the battle of Long Tan, where the Aussies 6RAR Battalion took on the Vietnamese Regiment D455 Regular Army. This battle had a devastating affect on the D455 to the point where they never recovered. The Aussies were very thankful of their New Zealander mates who smashed the Vietcong with very accurate and devastating artillery. The New Zealanders ended up firing on the Australian position after the Aussies called in danger close artillery to clear out the NVA. ruclips.net/video/KCDjmn1qYNA/видео.htmlsi=GK4f1TnJp6GnjY-G
Mate you should check out the Battle of Long Tan, my brother served 70, 71.
Other Countries involved in Vietnam. Korea, 3 Battalions, Thailand, 2 Battalions, The Philippines, 2 Battalions.
Australia's military history dates back to the colonial times, at a fuzzy level this includes the Boer War (aka 2nd Boer War, 1899-1902) and the Boxer Rebellion (1900). WWI, and Gallipoli, cemented the Australian Military identity outside of being "British", followed by WWII and further development of self-reliance. The Malayan Emergency, Korean War, Cypress Intervention and Rhodesian Intervention are forgotten; the Vietnam War was the one in which there was public debate, conscription started, and the returning forces were not seen as heroes. A situation that has lead to a lot of mental health issues and physical complications. Then comes the post-Vietnam peacekeeping in Kosovo, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Tonga, Fiji, East Timor, Kuwait... and obviously the War on 'errorism, Afghanistan and Iraq. Australia has consistently had the most competent special forces, despite the more recent press coverage of actions in Afghanistan around a decade or more ago.
The first Australian conflict was NSW, Vic and Qld Volunteers in the Maori Wars on the Waikato in NZ mate.
Not having a dig, just thought ld add onto your list.
@baabaabaa-yp2jh hence the Fuzzy bit - as at the beginning of the Boer War and Boxer Rebellion Australia didn't exist as an independent federated country that it was at the end. Also didn't forget the Maori Wars, just omitted for that reason.
I was in the regular army when in 1959 I was asked if I was interested in going to Vietnam. So obviously we were there a lot earlier than was currently thought.
You are a funny old bastard, showing so much interest in Australian themes. We do appear to be a very effective military force, punching way above our weight on the world stage. The traditional arms of the military, but also most specifically the SAS in particular. We were, for instance, the only military force genuinely feared by the VC in Vietnam, because of our strict training in jungle warfare and our tight discipline. The SAS by 10-fold, even going so far as eating VC food, such as rice and fish, to conceal our smell. We used unscented deodorants and soaps etc. In addition, we removed all villagers to nicer villages outside our sphere of influence, leaving the area a free fire zone. Check the book or movie about how a small detachment of Australian regulars, with mostly conscripts, fought off an entire battalion of VC overnight, the only support was gunners from N.Z. firing their guns for support, (ANZAC'S) where we sought fire directly onto our own position, as we were being over run in any case. The Movie is called "Danger Close." The Americans were poorly trained to fight the last war, as is their habit it seems, however, we had been fighting in Malaysia, during their emergency and also secretly in Borneo. We have a tropical region in Australia, so the older squadies looked after our boys. We never wore helmets, preferring the green floppy hats for jungle warfare.
Fortunate enough to know one of these ex SAS Phantoms.. I once drove to his farm in the early hours of the morning for a run and training session. It was the first time going there and as I approached his locked gate, he did a mock ambush by driving out of the darkness without his headlights on and blocking my vehicle in with his. Before I knew what was going on, he was at my window tapping on the glass. I can see why they were called Phantoms.
I read the book Phantoms of the Jungle and it was amazing. I even met an operator that was mentioned in the book while doing static line training
My grate grandfather was im the AATTV, He was a Warrent Officer Second class. He barely made it home. Lest we forget.
Good reaction. Explore the Battle of Longtan. Australia were given a patrol region from the base Nui Dat not far from Saigon. We were also a big part of the defence of Singapore and fought in Malaya WW2. Some good stories there as well. Best.
GRATATUDE. RESPECTS 🙏. HAVE SHARED.
The Australian SAS differs from the British SAS in one important way, both regiments have different field roles within the regiment. They differ in that the Australian SAS learn every other trooper roles within the group (Cross train), so if any one trooper is taken out of their role one of the other troopers can fill in. The British SAS do not cross train each others role, so it one is taken out of their role they have to improvise on the fly to best fill that role and keep on to achieve the task they are given to complete.
Hey mate, would be really cool to see you react to the series SAS: The Search for Warriors. It is a series about the Australian SASR selection course.
Our troops, whether conscript or regular, knew what was at stake in war and took it seriously. No radios for music etc, as I noted below. We never used Vietnamese to do our cleaning or laundry, for that was partly how the USA lost the war, with every Vietnamese a potential fifth columnist. We cleared out the area, for a free fire zone, and the VC never knew our plans.
ANZAC Day is dedicated to the soldiers from Aus and NZ that fought at Gallipoli in 1915 WWI.
Australian soldiers of Vietnam, WWII and any other conflicts are commemorated on 11th November, Remembrance Day.
But most Aussies pay respects to all Soldiers on both days, as it makes us all proud of those who stood up when the world needed them to.