Operation Coburg
Operation Coburg was an Australian military operation carried out by the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) from January 24 to March 1, 1968, in Bien Hoa Province, during the Vietnam War. Two Australian Battalions from the 1ATF took part in Operation Coburg north east and east of the Long Binh-Bien Hoa complex, near Saigon. Heavy fighting between the 1ATF and North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong units broke out during the wider fighting around Long Binh and Bien Hoa.
Operation Coburg was initiated as a result of American and South Vietnamese intelligence reports, which indicated that an imminent communist offensive during the Tet New Year festival was likely. In response the Australians were deployed away from their base in Phuoc Tuy Province to bolster American and South Vietnamese forces defending the Long Binh-Bien Hoa complex north-east of Saigon. 1ATF deliberately established fire support bases astride the communist lines of communication in the vicinity of the village of Trang Bom, expecting that they would attempt to destroy them. The Australians subsequently clashed with the Viet Cong during early patrols in AO Columbus, while later FSB Andersen was repeatedly attacked by major ground assaults.
Despite the fact that the operation began too late to prevent the communist assault on Saigon during the Tet Offensive, the Australians successfully disrupted the communist lines of communication, limiting their freedom of manoeuvre to attack the Long Binh-Bien Hoa complex, while they were also able to successfully interdict their withdrawal, causing heavy casualties. The operation was also significant as it was the first deployment of 1ATF outside its Tactical Area of Responsibility in Phuoc Tuy, and in this it set a precedent for later operations outside the province. Meanwhile, the remaining Australian forces in Phuoc Tuy Province also successfully repelled repeated Viet Cong attacks against Ba Ria and Long Dien, as part of the Tet Offensive that engulfed population centers across South Vietnam.
Operation Coburg Footage
Battles | Thor | 
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