Battle of Long Tan (6RAR) : Blog
Battle of Long Tan Rubber Plantation :
In May 1966 the first soldiers of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian (6RAR) arrived in South Vietnam, the rest followed in June. Within two months elements of the Battalion found themselves engaged in one of the largest battles fought by the Australians in the Vietnam War.
By August 1966 the Australian task force base at Nui Dat was only three months old. Concerned at the establishment of such a strong presence in their mist, the Viet Cong determined to inflict an early defeat on the Australians. In the days before the battle, radio signals indicated the presence of strong Viet Cong Forces within 5 Kilometers of the but patrols found nothing. On the night of 16-17 August Nui Dat came under fire from mortars and recoilless rifles. The defenders stood to, expecting the barrage to be followed by an assault. None came. Searchers of the area the next day located some of the sites from which the mortars have been fired, but nothing else.
Patrols continued the following day, 18 August.
D company left the base at 11.15 that morning bound for Long Tan Rubber Plantation. As they departed Nui Dat the sounds of a concert by Little Pattie, the Australian Entertainer, reached their ears. They entered Long Tan Rubber Plantation at 3.15 that afternoon. Less than an hour later the Viet Cong attacked in force, putting the Australians under Mortar, Machine Gun and Small Arms Fire. Only the quick response of a New Zealand Artillery Battery to desperate calls of support to save D company from annihilation.
Long Tan : Vietnamese authorities cancel 50th Anniversary Commemoration Event.
There are concerns for the mental health of Long Tan veterans who have returned to the site of their famous battle, after a last-minute decision by the Vietnamese Government to cancel today's 50th anniversary commemorations.
Veterans' Affairs Minister Dan Tehan said he was bitterly disappointed with Vietnam's decision to cancel tomorrow's commemorations at Long Tan.
Mr Tehan said the Vietnamese Government notified Australia of its decision late on Tuesday, citing deep sensitivities in the country.
He told reporters in Canberra this afternoon that more than 1,000 Australians had travelled to Vietnam to mark the 50th anniversary of the battle and he was hoping the Government reversed its decision before today.
"For us to be given such short notice of the cancellation is to put it in very frank terms, a kick in the guts," he said.
