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The Pamphlets were dropped in to areas known to be used by the viet cong in an attempt to get them to turn themselves over to government forces. They also were used as a "safe passage pass" if they met patrolling Australians.
This is the other side of the pass and it shows vc firing a mortar and a village in the area.
This rather grusome photo is in fact from a Chieu Hoi flyer; one of only two I saved from my tour. |
PHUOC TUY PROVINCE..........THE ENEMY.... THE BULLET PHUOC TUY PROVINCE SEE MAP ON 'Advance to Contact' page. In 1962 a government decree changed the name of the Province to "Phuoc Tuy". When it was decided in 1966 that Australian forces would be responsible for Phuoc Tuy Province, preliminary operations were planned to clear the designated base area at Nui Dat from immediate threat of Viet Cong attack. In May 1966 two battalions of the 173rd US Airborne Brigade cleared the area around Nui Dat. One US company suffered eight killed and 23 WIA in one action. Phuoc Tuy Province which was about 50 km from north to south and 40km from east to west, has an area of 1958 km2, which is approximately the same size as the Australian Capital Territory. In 1966 population was about 106,000 in villages and hamlets grouped around Routes 15, 23 and 44 to the south of the province. The dry season is from November to April and the wet season with its overbearing high humidity from May to October, with year round temperatures of 27°C (80 degrees F) except January and February which averaged about 16° C (60 °F). The adjacent Vung Tau Special Zone was considered secure from Viet Cong interference and provided an area "in country" for rest and convalescence (R&C), were allied troops could wander through streets unarmed and quite secure. Vung Tau had a port and airfield both of which were relatively secure and provided the nucleus for development of US and Australian logistic facilities. In 1966 The local V.C., commanders could not allow the Task Force to set up and operate without taking them on or they would 'loose face' with the local population. To deal a major blow to the "Uc Dai Loi" and perhaps change the Australian commitment in Vietnam, the V.C., commanders planned an attack against the new Task Force base, if it came off, it would be devastating. Also it was important that the local V.C., units to play a large part in the attack against the Australians, so D445 was to be used for the initial and main assult. The Battle did take place but not as the commanders envisaged it would. Rather than a direct attack against the Task Force Base, the Aussie Diggers in the form of D Company 6RAR and the V.C., met in an 'encounter battle', under the rubber trees on August 18th 1966. Named after the area it was called the "Battle of Long Tan". Those wanting to know more about the Battle should read Lex McAulay's brilliant book "The Battle of Long Tan". However for the purpose of this background brief on the Enemy in Phouc Tuy my information is taken from a paper written by a former Platoon Commander of D Company 6RAR who played a major part in the Battle by the name of Dave Sabben. In the paper Lt Sabben puts the facts to close examination and establishes clearly the aims of the VC were to devastate the Task Force Base and kill as many 'Uc Dai Loi' as possible. Without the D Company Diggers performing above and beyond, as they did against the V.C., many more lives would have been lost that day and on into the future. The battle took place outside the Task Force Base area and well within the fearsome power of the Artillery, starting about 16:00hrs when 11 Platoon had a contact following tracks, rain started to fall. The Company was spread out tactically not allowing the V.C., to identify the formation and carry out mass attacks to over run the Diggers. Many major assaults took place during the battle as the V.C., sort to destroy the Australians before any help could arrive. The situation for ammunition was critical and 2 RAAF Choppers arrived overhead in the nick of time to drop boxes of ammo directly in Company Head Quarters area. D Company Sergeant Major Jack Kirby was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his bravery under fire in moving about the position handing out ammo and his outstanding leadership. Tragically he was killed some weeks later by our own artillery. During the battle the Aussie Artillery Regiment of 18 guns fired close to 200 rounds per gun, not counting the support from the Kiwis and a USA Battery firing in support. They were responsible for destroying many assault lines of the enemy as they formed up again and again to attack the Diggers of D Company. Meanwhile desperate measures were being taken at Nui Dat to scramble a force of APCs and Infantry to come to the rescue of D Company. About 18:00hrs they are on the way, needing to find a way over the swollen Suoi Da Bang river. By 18:50hrs the APCs and their infantry crews are in heavy contact with the V.C., who are still trying to encircle D Company, for a final assult. By 19:00rs the arrival of the APCs finally breaks the determined enemy and they stream from the battlefield leaving 240 of their comrades behind. By their skill, courage and determination the 100 Diggers of D Company 6RAR fought off over 2000 enemy solders in a desperate 3 hour battle in pouring rain and fading light. Many years later Veterans of 6RAR who fought at the Battle met to hold a service to remember fallen mates and then carried out the practice each year. That anniversary day also became known as the "Australian Vietnam Veterans Day" and is honoured right across Australia on 18th August each year. THE ENEMY in Phuoc Tuy Province There were four levels of enemy in the Province. 274 Viet Cong Main Force Regiment, 1200 to 1500 strong, was based in the area of the boarder between Bien Hoa, Long Khanh and Phuoc Tuy and operated in all these areas. There were two Viet Cong Local Force Infantry Battalion: D440, 350 to 400 strong, based in the Phuoc Tuy-Long Khanh boarder area astride Route 2: and D445, of about the same strength, based in the south-east of Phouc Tuy. There were also three substantially district-based Viet Cong Local Force Companies: C23, the Xuyen Moc District Company, 30 strong; C25, the Long Dat District Company, 110 strong; and C41, the Chau Duc District Company, also 110 strong. The lowest level of enemy was found in numerous village guerilla units from eight to 20 strong. At times there was some evidence of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) as reinforcements in D440 and D445. The enemy was armed with a wide array of weaponry. Main Force and Local Force units had Chinese or Soviet 7.62mm AK47 assault rifles and SKS rifles as their standard weapons. Officers often carried 7.62 mm K54 pistols. The most common machine gun was the Chinese or Soviet 7.62 mm RPD. Perhaps the most effective Viet Cong weapons were the rocket propelled grenades-the RPG, often called the B40 by the VC and the RPG7 (B41). Each RPG had the capacity to inflict a mass of shrapnel wounds with a single shot and had considerable anti-armoured personnel carrier capability. Before the arrival of 1ATF at Nui Dat and the Task Force taking over the responsibility for the larger part of Phuoc Tuy, D445 virtually operated at will as a Battalion. Its bases were closer to the areas of population and it had a particular unhindered association with the people who supplied the intelligence and supplies needed for its operations. Since the destruction and denial of these forward bases and difficulty of large scale movement being undetected for any length of time the Battalion must spend more time in preparation for operations. Also it must be prepared to accept heavier casualties if it does concentrate for an operation and is discovered by air or contacts a reaction force. DEFENCE:- Experience has taught D445 Battalion that the only way to be safe from air and artillery is to dig. If camps are located in areas remote from the possibility of ground actions then only minor attention is paid to the siting of the whole camp tactically. Where it is considered that the camps could come under enemy attack they are sited bearing in mind mutual support, depth, camouflage and counter attack. The defence works are well built and capable of withstanding all but a direct hit. Sentries, mines and booby traps are extensively employed to warn of any approach and to provide a low level protection of an caches the Battalion may have placed. When it choose to fight it will press an attack tenaciously and with skill. The main enemy group during the war was D445 and just naming it will evoke a response from a Digger who served in the field. During the war the number of VC killed by our forces in D445 Battalion would have been enough to wipe out the battalion a few times over, but the unit some how survived the war and vets of the unit have been interviewed many time over the years about their battles with the Uc Dai Loi and about the Battle of Long Tan in particular. In my humble opinion the mauling the VC received at the hands of D Company on 18th August 1966, set the tone for future operations against the Australians. While there were a number of big battles over the years between our forces and the enemy I am sure that the memory of and the losses inflicted on the VC at Long Tan caused them to try and avoid contact unless it was absolutely unavoidable. NOTICE:- The information about Nui Dat, Phouc Tuy Province and the Enemy came from the 7RAR Association publication "Conscripts and Regulars, with the Seventh Battalion in Vietnam" with the kind permission of Major General M. O'Brien the author of that book. The information about the Battle of Long Tan came from a paper written by former a 6RAR D Company Platoon Commander Lt David Sabben. The paper is called "Was The Battle of Long Tan a VC Ambush", and was presented to the Australian War Memorial on Friday 1st November 1996. PAGE 9 of A GRUNTS VIEW:- "Enemy in Phouc Tuy" To move to "THE ODD ANGRY SHOT" Page use Right SLR. To return to "CONTACT WAIT OUT" Page:- use Left SLR. To go to the "ENTRY" PAGE use the PIG. This page was updated on the 7th July 2003.
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