The Battle of Long Tan
By Peter FitzSimons
Published by Hachette
RRP $49.99 in hardback
ISBN 9780733646614
Peter FitzSimons’ prodigious output can make other authors look positively lazy by comparison. This, by my count, is his ninth military history title among his output of thirty-eight titles across more than twenty years. And he doesn’t stint his readers. At 420+ pages, he tells the story as a novelist, in the present tense, to bring the narrative to life, generously acknowledging those who’ve gone before in recounting this story.
Beginning with a brief background of Vietnam’s colonial history in that country’s bid to oust the French and then the miscalculation of American involvement, Australia finds itself ‘squarely in the middle of a civil war’ in which it should have no role.
Yet in August 1966, Australian forces become involved in the deadliest engagement of the war, the battle for Long Tan, for Australian forces.
D Company, 6RAR were four kilometres east of their Nui Dat base, on patrol in a rubber plantation not far from the abandoned village of Long Tan. A day after their base had suffered a mortar strike, they were looking for Viet Cong soldiers.
Then – just when they were least expecting – they found them.
Under withering fire, some Diggers perished, some were grievously wounded, the rest fought on, as they remained under sustained attack. For hours these men fought for their lives against the enemy onslaught.
The Aussie, Kiwi and Yankee artillery batteries knew it was up to them but, outnumbered and running out of ammunition they fired, loaded, fired as Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces just kept coming. Their only hope was if Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) could reach them before they were wiped out. The APCs did their best but low cloud and thunderstorms meant air support was stalled. A daring helicopter resupply mission was suggested but who would want to fly that? The odds against this small force were monumental…
By far the deadliest battle for Australian forces in Vietnam, the Battle of Long Tan has a proud place in the annals of Australian military history – and every ANZAC who fought there could hold his head high.
FitzSimons, in his telling of the story of this classic battle, reveals the horror, the bravery, the wins and the losses that faced our soldiers. He brings to life the personal stories of the men who fought, the events leading up to that memorable battle and the long war that followed, and the political decisions made in the halls of power that sealed their fates. The Battle of Long Tan plays an important part in Australia’s military history. For many, the price men paid for doing their duty would never end.
LISTEN
Peter FitzSimons was interviewed on ABC Radio program Conversations by Richard Fidler about this book. Click on the link below to listen to the program.
militarybooksaustralia.com 