D Company 6 RAR 1 ATF August 18 1966

wombat666 · Aug 17, 2016

August 18, 2016 marks 50 years to the day that the men of D Company, 6 RAR, 1st ATF held out against vastly superior numbers of NVA and VC in the rubber plantation at Long Tan.
Less than 24 hours before the annual commemorate ceremony was due to commence, the site was closed by Vietnamese Police and the organising committee informed that the Government of Vietnam had decreed the ceremony was banned. Many Australian Vietnam Veterans (around 1000) had arrived in country, some for the first time in 40+ years, to join with family and friends of the men from Delta who did not return from Long Tan.
Vietnam has a relatively small number of expat Australians residents, living out their retirement in harmony with the Vietnamese, while most of the Australians who have visited Long Tan to pay their respects have found a mutual understanding with their former 'Enemy', an understanding that sadly may be destroyed by the present Vietnamese Government action.

Quote: 'The Vietnamese Government has advised the Australian Government that it will not permit the ceremony to commemorate Vietnam Veteran's Day at the Long Tan cross site at 3:30pm on August 18 to proceed," DFAT said in a statement.':Unquote.

A brief summary of the Battle of Long Tan follows:

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Heavily outnumbered but supported by strong artillery fire, D Company held off a regimental assault before a relief force of cavalry and infantry fought their way through and finally forced the Viet Cong to withdraw. Initial estimates of the Viet Cong force ranged from several companies to a battalion, yet following the battle Australian intelligence assessed it as having totaled between 1,500 and 2,500 men, while 1,000 were believed to have directly engaged D Company. Achieved against odds of ten to one, the fighting left one-third of D Company killed or wounded. A decisive Australian victory, Long Tan proved a major local setback for the Viet Cong, indefinitely forestalling an imminent movement against Nui Dat. Although there were other large-scale encounters in later years, 1 ATF was not fundamentally challenged again. The battle established the task force's dominance over the province, and allowed it to pursue operations to restore government authority. Yet such actions were atypical of the Australian experience, and although 1 ATF invariably inflicted heavy casualties on the Viet Cong when encountered in large numbers, they were less important than routine patrolling in separating the guerrillas from the population and maintaining constant pressure, coupled with pacification operations to extend South Vietnamese control. Nonetheless, Long Tan represented a watershed in the campaign, increasing the confidence of the Australians in their ability to defeat the Viet Cong and enhancing their military reputation. Celebrated in Australia ever since, in time the battle became part of the legend of its involvement in the war. The best known of the Australian Army's actions in Vietnam, it has assumed a similar significance as battles such as Gallipoli, Kokoda and Kapyong. The date it was fought is observed annually as Long Tan Day and is also known as Vietnam Veterans' Remembrance Day, the national day of commemoration of the Vietnam War.

glh · Aug 17, 2016

Tell me what RAR and ATF stand for, please. I am not familiar with Australian military nomenclature. Thanks.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.

wombat666 · Aug 17, 2016

glh said:
Tell me what RAR and ATF stand for, please. I am not familiar with Australian military nomenclature. Thanks.

Rest in peace, gentlemen.

'6 RAR' shorthand for the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.

'1 ATF' also shorthand for the 1st Australian Task Force.

SSI01 · Aug 17, 2016

What excellent men.

glh · Aug 18, 2016

Thanks, Wombat. I will ditto SS101's remark.

D Company 6 RAR 1 ATF August 18 1966

wombat666

Administrator

glh

SOH-CM-2023

wombat666

Administrator

SSI01

Charter Member

glh

SOH-CM-2023