Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War
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The Vietnam War was a conflict in which the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV, or North Vietnam) and its allies fought against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam) and its allies. South Vietnam's allies included the United States, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. US combat troops were involved from 1965 until their official withdrawal in 1973. Australian and New Zealand troops were involved from 1962 to 1973.[1] The war ended on April 30, 1975 with the capitulation of South Vietnam.
Australia as an ally of the United States, under the ANZUS Pact, together with New Zealand, sent ground troops to Vietnam and contributed material to the war effort. As a result, in late 1964 the Australian government controversially re-introduced conscription for compulsory military service by eligible males aged 18-25.
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[edit] Australia's military involvement
During 1961 and 1962, Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Republic of Vietnam, requested assistance from the US and its allies to improve South Vietnam's security. Australia sent 30 military advisers, dispatched as the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, known as "the Team". Their arrival in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 was the beginning of Australia's involvement in the war in Vietnam. In August 1964 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also sent a flight of Caribou transports to the port town of Vung Tau.[2]
From the time of the arrival of the first members of "the Team" in 1962 some 50,000 Australians, including ground troops and Air Force and Navy personnel, served in Vietnam; 520 died as a result of the war, and almost 2,400 were wounded.[2] Of these, 19,450 Australian national servicemen served in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1972, with 202 killed and 1,279 wounded.[3] Female members of the Army and Air Force nursing services served in Vietnam at the 1st Australian Field Hospital and on MEDEVACs Medical Evacuation flights.
After assisting in the Malayan Emergency, both nations had gained valuable experience at Jungle Warfare and counter-insurgency. They also believed that the domino theory was playing out, and that they could be a victim of communism too. Australia's peak commitment was 7672 combat troops and New Zealand 552. The majority of these troops served in units of the 1st Australian Task Force which was based in Phuoc Tuy Province. Australia, like the US, first sent advisors to Vietnam, the number of which continued to rise steadily until 1965 when combat troops were committed. New Zealand first committed a detachment of engineers and an Artillery Battery, and then started sending special forces. The New Zealanders in 161 Artillery Battery were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation 1st Class.
Unlike their US counterparts, the Australian and New Zealand soldiers used small scale stealthy patrols rather than large scale search and destroy operations . The ANZACs relied on cautious tactics such as; patrolling, searching & ambushing. They also employed counter-insurgency operations that were much less destructive than the search and destroy operations that the US used, with the exceptions of the Green Berets operating in the central highlands of South Vietnam. Consequently, the ANZACs received more support from the local population and suffered fewer casualties than US forces.[citation needed]But the ANZAC forces however were not without fault, the US complained that these operations were too detailed for a place like Vietnam, and the body count was lower than that achieved by US soldiers, and while counter-insurgency operations were quite successful, there were never enough troops in place to actively defend the local population and fight the enemy at the same time.[citation needed] ANZAC regular forces were committed to the province of Phuoc Tuy, south east of Saigon.
Warrant Officer Class 2, Kevin Conway of the Australian Army Training Team died on 6 July 1964, becoming Australia's first battle casualty.[4]
From an Australian perspective, one of the more famous engagements in the war was the Battle of Long Tan on 18 and 19 August 1966. It was a decisive Australian victory and is often cited as an example of the importance of combining and coordinating infantry, artillery, armour and military aviation.
The Australian withdrawal can be seen as effectively commencing in November 1970, the first time an Australian unit was sent home without replacement.[1] Australian combat forces were withdrawn through 1971.[1] On 18 August 1971, Australia and New Zealand decided to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.[citation needed] Australian troops continued to train Vietnamese troops however, and it was only on 11 January 1973 that the Governor-General of Australia, Paul Hasluck, announced the cessation of combat operations against the Vietnamese.[1] Australian troops remained in Saigon guarding the Australian embassy until 1 July 1973, however.[1]
The withdrawal from Vietnam meant that 1973 was the first time since the beginning of World War II in 1939 that Australia's armed forces were not involved in a conflict somewhere in the world.[1]
[edit] Protests against the war
In Australia, resistance to the war was at first very limited, although the Australian Labor Party (in opposition for most of the period) steadfastly opposed conscription. However, anti-war sentiment escalated rapidly in the late 1960s as more and more Australian soldiers were killed in battle. Growing public uneasiness about the death toll was fueled by a series of highly-publicised arrests of conscientious objectors, and exacerbated by the shocking revelations of atrocities committed against Vietnamese civilians, leading to a rapid increase in domestic opposition to the war between 1967 and 1970.
On 8 May 1970, moratorium marches were held in major Australian cities to coincide with the marches in the USA. The demonstration in Melbourne, led by member of Parliament, Jim Cairns, had over 100,000 people taking to the streets in Melbourne alone.[5] Across Australia, it was estimated that 200,000 people were involved.
[edit] Social attitudes and treatment of veterans
Service in the war was unpopular and opposition to it generated negative views of veterans in some quarters. In the years following the war, some Vietnam veterans experienced social exclusion and problems readjusting to society.
As the tour of duty of each soldier during the Vietnam War was limited to one year (although some soldiers chose to sign up for a second or even a third tour of duty), the number of soldiers suffering from combat stress was probably more limited than it might have been otherwise.[6]
In the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, many Vietnam veterans were looked down upon by the veterans of World War II and were excluded from joining war veteran organisations for a number of years on the grounds that the Vietnam War veterans did not fight a "real war".
Some World War II veterans held negative views and attitudes toward the Vietnam War veterans and as a result many Australian Vietnam veterans were excluded from joining the Returned Servicemen's League during the 1960s and 1970s. Further, many Vietnam veterans were excluded from marching in the ANZAC Day parades during the 1970s because the soldiers of earlier wars saw the Vietnam veterans as unworthy heirs to the ANZAC title and tradition, a view which hurt many Vietnam veterans.[citation needed] Eventually, on 3 October 1987, Australian Vietnam veterans were honoured at a "Welcome Home" parade in Sydney and it was there that a campaign for a Vietnam memorial began.
The Vietnam Forces National Memorial located on ANZAC Parade in Canberra, was dedicated on October 3 1992.[7]
[edit] Timeline
| 1950 | The Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh is recognised by the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, but Australia supports the French-sponsored government of Emperor Bảo Đại. |
| 1957 | September: South Vietnam's President Ngo Dinh Diem visits Australia and Australia's Prime Minister, Robert Menzies reaffirms support. |
| 1962 |
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| 1967 |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Vietnam War 1962 - 1972. Website. Army History Unit. Retrieved on September 20, 2006.
- ^ a b Vietnam War 1962 - 1972. Encyclopaedia. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on July 1, 2006.
- ^ National Service Scheme. Encyclopaedia. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on July 1, 2006.
- ^ Vietnam - Australia's Longest War: A Calendar of Military and Political Events. Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia (2006). Retrieved on July 1, 2006.
- ^ The Australian, 9 May 1970, estimated the crowd as 100,000. Also Strangio, Paul. "Farewell to a conscience of the nation", The Age, 2003-10-13. Retrieved on July 1, 2006.
- ^ Pols, Hans. War, Trauma, and Psychiatry. HPS (History and Philosophy of Science) in the Science Alliance Newsletter. The University of Sydney - History and Philosophy of Science. Retrieved on July 1, 2006.
- ^ Fontana, Shane; ( Revised 03-26-2002 by DGSH) (1995). Dedication of the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial in Canberra. Vietnam Veterans. Bill McBride. Retrieved on July 2, 2006.
- ^ Chronology (pdf). Impressions:Australians in Vietnam. Australian War Memorial (1997). Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
- ^ In for the long haul: 40th Anniversary of the First Air Force Deployment to Vietnam. Air Force News. Royal Australian Air Force (2004). Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
- ^ Markey, Ray (1998). In Praise of Protest: The Vietnam Moratorium (pdf). Illawarra Unity. Illawarra Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History; University of Wollongong. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
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