The Battle of Long Tan was a Vietnam War battle fought between the Australian Army and Viet Cong guerrillas on August 18, 1966, in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan, South Vietnam. This military engagement took place when D Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), which was part of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF), encountered the Viet Cong 275th Regiment and elements of the D445 Local Forces Battalion. The Australian D Company was commanded by Major Harry Smith and supported by New Zealand and United States personnel. The battle of Long Tan is often used in Australian officer training as an example of the importance of combining and coordinating infantry, artillery, armour and military aviation.
Background to the battle
The Viet Cong plan was to lure the Australians from their base by firing recoilless rifle and mortar shells into it. The Viet Cong commanders believed that the Australians would come out and sweep the area around the base in an attempt to stop the attacks; thus they would be able to ambush the Australian sweeping forces.
On the night of 16–17 August, 1966, the Viet Cong 275th Regiment fired over 100 mortar rounds into the 103 Battery area and 24 Australian soldiers were wounded, one later dying from his wounds. B Company 6RAR was sent out early on the morning of August 17 to find the VC heavy weapons. Reinforced by three New Zealand Army personnel, D Company relieved B Company at midday on the 18th. Australian field intelligence had tracked a Viet Cong 275th Regiment radio transmitter which moved south to just north of Long Tan.
Summary of the Battle of Long Tan
On August 18, 1966, D Company of 6RAR was patrolling in the area of the Long Tan rubber plantation when, at about 15:15 hours, the 11 Platoon, commanded by 2Lt Gordon Sharp, encountered a small group of Viet Cong. After intense gunfire, the VC guerrillas fled leaving one of their number killed by the Australians. The aggressive patrolling continued until 16:08 hours, when the main body of the Viet Cong 275th Regiment was encountered. The Viet Cong attacked the Australians with mortars, rifle and machine gun fire.
In heavy rain, the Australians returned fire with platoon weapons and artillery which was firing from the Nui Dat base, some five kilometres to the west. Close air support was also called for but couldn’t be used because the target was unable to be identified accurately in the conditions. At 17:00 hours, D Company’s commander, Major Harry Smith, radioed for ammunition resupply. Two RAAF Iroquois helicopters which happened to be at Nui Dat to transport a concert party were tasked and flew at tree top level into the battle area where they successfully delivered the sorely needed boxes of ammunition.
Although the combination of aggressive fire from D Company soldiers plus devastating artillery fire from Nui Dat had swung the battle in the Australians’ favor, the Viet Cong continued to maneuver in their effort to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile, A Company of 6RAR had been ordered to move to the support of the beleaguered D Company. The support unit arrived in armored personnel carriers from 1st APC Squadron which forded a flooded stream and then shortly afterward ran into a substantial enemy force. 2 Platoon of A Company dismounted and advanced on the enemy who fled.
The communist guerrillas could still be seen massing in failing light at 18:55 hours as the relief force arrived in the D Company area, but the Viet Cong force melted away as darkness descended. The Australians had won Battle of Long Tan was over. The Australians consolidated their position for the night and then commenced evacuation of their wounded using the lights from APCs to guide in helicopters. During the night the Viet Cong cleared many of their wounded and dead from the battle field. A number of the wounded Australians lay there all through the long terrifying night, as the Viet Cong moved around them.
The Viet Cong force, estimated at 2,500, had been badly mauled as 250 Viet Cong bodies were found in the battle area. It was apparent that the Viet Cong commanders had failed to appreciate the effectiveness of artillery fire and had paid dearly as a result. The Australians had only lost 18 killed, 17 from D Company, which included the young platoon commander of 11 platoon, and one from 1st APC Squadron, and 24 wounded.
Battle of Long Tan Part 1 (video)
Battle of Long Tan Part 2 (video)
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