The battle of Long Tan
FitzSimons, Peter2022
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It was the afternoon of 18 August 1966, hot, humid with grey monsoonal skies. D Company, 6RAR were four kilometres east of their Nui Dat base, on patrol in a rubber plantation not far from the abandoned village of Long Tan. A day after their base had suffered a mortar strike, they were looking for Viet Cong soldiers. Then -- just when they were least expecting -- they found them. Under withering fire, some diggers perished, some were grievously wounded, the rest fought on, as they remained under sustained attack. For hours these men fought for their lives against the enemy onslaught. The skies opened and the rain fell as ferocious mortar and automatic fire pinned them down. Snipers shot at close quarters from the trees that surrounded them. The Aussie, Kiwi and Yankee artillery batteries knew it was up to them but, outnumbered and running out of ammunition they fired, loaded, fired as Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces just kept coming. And coming. Their only hope was if Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) could reach them before they were wiped out. The APCs did their best but low cloud and thunderstorms meant air support was stalled. A daring helicopter resupply mission was suggested but who would want to fly that? The odds against this small force were monumental... By far the deadliest battle for Australian forces in Vietnam, the Battle of Long Tan has a proud place in the annals of Australian military history -- and every ANZAC who fought there could hold his head high.
The battle of Long Tan / Peter FitzSimons.
FitzSimons, Peter, author
Gadigal Country/Sydney, NSW : Hachette Australia, 2022.©2022
lii, 460 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), maps, portraits (some colour) ; 25 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 431-450) and index.
9780733646614 (hbk)9780733646614
959.7043394959.704
English
Australia. Army. Royal Australian Regiment. Battalion, 6th -- HistoryAustralia. Army. Royal Australian Regiment. Battalion, 6th. D CompanyVietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Participation, AustralianVietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Participation, AmericanVietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Participation, New ZealandLong Tan, Battle of, Vietnam, 1966Vietnam War, 1961-1975Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- CampaignsVietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal narratives, AustralianSoldiers -- Australia
519845
Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
---|---|---|---|
Brighton Library | Adult Non Fiction - History | 959.704 FIT | Available |
Brighton Library | Adult Non Fiction - History | 959.704 FIT | Onloan - Due: 12 Oct 2024 |