RAR in Vietnam
The regiment was arguably the most significant military component of Australia’s involvement in the deeply controversial conflict
Australia’s involvement in the Us-led conflict in Vietnam has left a controversial legacy
For the United States, the Vietnam War was a humiliating disaster that broke its military aura of invincibility and cost many lives. It is often assumed that the USA fought alone to support South Vietnam against North Vietnamese forces, but the Americans received significant support from regional allies, including Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian contribution was significant, and between 1962-73 almost 60,000 members of its armed forces served in Vietnam, which included ground troops as well as air and naval personnel. 521 Australians were killed and over 3,000 more were wounded during the war. In many ways Australia’s Vietnam experience was a reflective microcosm of the USA’S: domestic opposition was huge and there were hostile protests, bitter politics and strong resistance to draft conscription.
Since WWII, Australia had adopted a ‘forward defence’ strategy that aimed at making small and effective military commitments, in order to keep Britain and increasingly the USA committed to security in Southeast Asia. Australia had already shown dedication to
“IN MANY WAYS AUSTRALIA’S VIETNAM EXPERIENCE WAS A REFLECTIVE MICROCOSM OF THE USA’S”
this policy by deploying troops (including large numbers of the RAR) to wars in Korea, Malaya and Borneo in order to prevent communist insurgencies from undermining regional stability. In this sense, Australian politicians saw the situation in Vietnam as similar to previous conflicts, but the war would leave a bitter legacy.
A substantial deployment
Australian military advisors first arrived in Vietnam in 1962 as part of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) and transport aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) followed in 1964. In early 1965 the USA began a major escalation of the war and asked for support from allies, including Australia. 200,000 American troops were now fighting in Vietnam, and the Australian government followed suit by despatching 1 RAR in June 1965 to serve alongside the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bien Hoa province.
The deployment of 1 RAR was only the beginning of a relatively large Australian presence in Vietnam. In March 1966 the
First Australian Task Force (which included
New Zealand units) of two battalions and support services arrived in Phuoc Tuy province to replace 1 RAR. This force was able to perform its own independent operations and controversially included conscripts. All nine battalions of the RAR eventually served in this task force before it was withdrawn in 1971. At its height there were 8,500 troops serving in it.
Away from the ground troops, RAAF jet bombers joined US patrols over the North Vietnamese coast, and the Royal Australian Navy also provided a diving team and helicopters to assist the US Army.
The arrival of the task force inevitably exposed Australian troops to heavy combat, and the RAR in particular fought intense battles such as Long Tan, Coral-balmoral, Hat Dich and Binh Ba. The regiment held its own in these battles and won impressive tactical victories, but ultimately the tide of the war was against them. In 1968 North Vietnamese forces launched the Tet Offensive, and although it was militarily defeated the Americans began to question if a decisive victory was actually possible in Vietnam. It was an opinion that many were already vocalising in Australia.
Protests and withdrawal
Australian protests against the war mirrored their American counterparts. Opposition was initially divided between moderates and radicals, but from 1969 the protests became more unified. A campaign called “Don’t Register” aimed to dissuade young men from registering for conscription, and the ‘Moratorium’ antiwar movement held major demonstrations. In May 1970 approximately 70,000-100,000 people peacefully occupied Melbourne during a Moratorium march, and there were similar protests throughout Australia. A large factor in these protests was the escalation of the war into Cambodia, but by 1970 Australian involvement in Vietnam was already ending.
RAR battalions began to be withdrawn from Vietnam in November 1970 and were not replaced, with the last departing a year later. Military advisors remained until December 1972. The governor-general finally proclaimed the end of Australia’s participation in the war in January 1973.
Vietnam caused the most serious dissent in Australia since the conscription referendums of WWI, with many protestors, conscientious objectors and draft resisters being fined or jailed. Returning soldiers sometimes encountered hostility and many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Like in America, the Vietnam War was a hard experience for Australia, with a legacy that remains divisive today.
“THE ARRIVAL OF THE TASK FORCE INEVITABLY EXPOSED AUSTRALIAN TROOPS TO HEAVY COMBAT, AND THE RAR IN PARTICULAR FOUGHT INTENSE BATTLES”