Description
Object description
British officer served with Logistic Support Coy attached to 173rd Airborne Bde, United States Army in South Vietnam, 1965-1966; served with 8th Royal Australian Regt, 1st Australian Task Force in South Vietnam, 1969-1970
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of operations as second in command of Australian Logistic Support Coy attached to 173rd Airborne Bde, United States Army in South Vietnam, 1965-1966: background to deployment to South Vietnam; character of unit; arrival at Tan Son Nhut Airport in Saigon, 5/1965; arrival at Bien Hoa Camp; digging in for preparations for possible attack on Ho Chi Minh's birthday; defence of Bien Hoa Camp perimeter; question of difference in standard of training between United States Army and Australian Army troops; his training American unit in ambush precautions; training and operational background of Australian Army troops. Recollections of training instructor with 8th Bn Royal Australian Regt in Australia and Malaysia, 1966-1969: posting to training depot; Australian conscription; posting to 8th Bn Royal Australian Regt.
REEL 2 Continues: reception on arrival at unit and his allocation to C Coy; training exercise in Queensland, 1967; garrison duties in Malaysia, 1968-1969; further training at Canungra; transfer to Administrative Coy; opinion of national servicemen and regulars. Recollections of operations with 8th Bn Royal Australian Regt, 1st Australian Task Force in South Vietnam, 1969-1970: arrival at Vung Tao; question of security at Nui Dat Camp; intensity of operations in Phuc Tui; character of triangular ambushes; opinion of Army of the Republic of Vietnam and South Vietnamese regime.
REEL 3 Continues: reliability of Catholic refugees from North Vietnam; character of Phuc Tui Province; strategic hamlet system; degree of support voluntarily given to Viet Cong; Viet Cong attacks on communication network; opinion of South Vietnamese regime; patronising of local orphanage; attitude of Vietnamese to foreign presence; drugs problem in United States Army; speech he gave on taking over A Coy, 1970; incident of platoon taking heavy casualties through mines; leaving Vietnam, 12/1970.
REEL 4 Continues: handing over Nui Dat Camp to Army of the Republic of Vietnam; refusal of Army of the Republic of Vietnam personnel to sign for equipment left behind by Australians; occupation of Excreta Hill; state in which United States Army troops had left Excreta Hill; signs of demoralisation of American troops on Excreta Hill; American method of rotating troops; contrasting discipline between United States Army and Australian Army troops; supply of food during patrol; role of A Coy clearing Firebase Bond; fire support from artillery, helicopter gunships and Douglas C-47 Gunship 'Puff the Magic Dragon'; method of clearing Firebase Bond.
REEL 5 Continues: consolidating position at Firebase Bond; Viet Cong's wish to avoid attrition; negative aspects of body count idea; occasion when Viet Cong made a stand at The Horseshoe; forcing down of helicopter by Viet Cong during The Horseshoe action; how search of battlefield after The Horseshoe action accounted for only five bodies; outcome of action and actual body count; Viet Cong exploitation of American/Australian obsession with body counts; use of Surrendered Enemy Personnel and defectors; capture of Viet Cong prisoner of war after ambush using Claymore Mines.
REEL 6 Continues: degree to which Viet Cong would surrender; attitude towards Viet Cong; killing of two Viet Cong female personnel by Claymore Mine; Viet Cong clothing and equipment; distinguishing Viet Cong from civilians; fire discipline in Australian Army; comparison between regulars and conscripts; question of why Malayan Emergency was defeated yet Vietnam insurrection succeeded; comparison of New Villages system in Malaya as compared with strategic hamlets in Vietnam; attitude of Chinese Vietnamese towards Vietnam War; problems caused during tour by having too much equipment; United States Army use of 'prophylactic fire'.
REEL 7 Continues: question of casualties caused by accidental fire.