Good morning Earnie,
Welcome to the AHF forum.
Looking forward to reading your link.
Warm regards,
Bob
Battle of Long Tan: Another Anzac Myth?
-
- Member
- Posts: 10158
- Joined: 12 Jun 2008, 12:19
Re: Battle of Long Tan: Another Anzac Myth?
Another ANZAC myth?
Is there a list of them?
If so, what's on it?
An inquisitive Sid.
Is there a list of them?
If so, what's on it?
An inquisitive Sid.
Re: Battle of Long Tan: Another Anzac Myth?
Walsh's account of the arty action is a tad underinformed. Only the 105s provided close support, the US 155s put their fire in depth, a relative term, but at least several hundred metres beyond the contact. Whether or not they caused casualties is unclear. Second the prospect of 155s firing 6-8 rds per minute is fiction. Max 3 or 4 if you're lucky. 6-8 was a decade away, not possible until the mid-70s when FH-70 entered UK/GE/IT service. I also 'visited' the area a very few years after, as I recall it was quite flat but since the rubber was 'unkempt' there was a lot of low vegetation as well as the rubber trees.
Re: Battle of Long Tan: Another Anzac Myth?
A detailed account of The Battle of Long Tan – including an examination of VC documents (many not previously translated or available to researchers), is now “free-to-read” on the Internet ie The Viet Cong D445 Battalion: Their Story (and the Battle of Long Tan) - 2016, E. Chamberlain, is at: https://www.scribd.com/doc/306536690. In order to provide context – and to analyse and comment upon the Vietnamese writings, the book is comprehensively referenced. Additionally, signals intelligence (SIGINT) material related to the Battle of Long Tan – that was only declassified and released to the author (Chamberlain) in February 2016, is also examined. The Battle itself is related at pp.71-80 of the main text - with detailed footnotes. The work also includes 18 discrete annexes covering aspects such as VC personalities; D445 pre-Battle reports by its commander and political officer; a detailed analysis of VC casualties at Long Tan - with the personal details of 176 NVA/VC killed in action; SIGINT aspects; the operations of the 275th VC Regiment – ie the major VC force at the Battle, the 274th VC Regiment, and the 5th VC Division etc. The first noted VC sketch map of the Battle is included (with "symbology" explained) – together with other related documents. The work includes a comprehensive index and a wide-ranging bibliography.