Vietnam War Museum Exhibit History Assignment Term 3: 3D Gallery

The first army officers and officials arriving in south vietnam

Circa July 1962

The first squadron of raaf caribou arriving in south vietnam

Circa August 1964

The first australian troops arriving in south vietnam

Circa June 1965

The first regiment, composed of two battalions of infantrymen

Bien hoa province

The Australian troops were initially given camps in the bien hoa province. This was the Australian home camp before the main base of operations was established in Nui Dat

L1A1 Self Loading Rifle

The L1A1 Self Loading Rifle was the standard rifle utilised by the Australian Infantry during the Vietnam War. The model displayed in the exhibit was made at the small arms factory in Lithgow, New South Wales. It is a later model of the gun constructed in 1969 during the mass construction of guns and general weapons to be sent to Vietnam. The L1A1 Self Loading Rifle is a gas powered, magazine fed rifle. This weapon is only capable of firing in the semi-automatic mode. The sophisticated gas system uses a multitude of pistons and inertia driven operations which drastically reduce the chance that the weapon locks and jams during a gunfight. This allows the weapon to excel in heavy mud and rain conditions, much as the American M14 was unable to do due to poor internal mechanisms and frequent jammings. Being the standard rifle used by the Australian infantry, the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle needed to be a weapon that the troops could rely on to not break down or jam mid-gunfight and the weapon allowed Australian soldiers to efficiently ambush or take over North Vietnamese or Viet Cong territory and achieve their overall goals of draining the supplies to reinforce troops.

Australian Pattern Machete

All troops carried machetes as it let troops cut plantation and allowed movement through jungles to be more efficient and less energy consuming. The artefact on display is an Australian ‘Bolo’ pattern machete with a riveted laminated wood handle and a 32 cm steel blade. When not in action, the blade would have been sheathed in a stitched and riveted canvas duck sheath with a brass throat reinforcement. Due to the frequent usage of the blade itself, a sharpening stone and maintenance tools were also carried in the pouch, allowing soldiers to sharpen the blade when stopping and resting overnight. Furthermore, the blade could have also been used as a means of close quarters fighting when a gun would have been inefficient and a waste of ammunition. Supplies in Vietnam were tight for the Australian forces and using every available resource sparingly was the key to survival. Due to this, many Australian troops relied heavily on pocket knives and machetes similar to this one to assist them through the dense jungles of Vietnam. Badass items such as large knives have always been a sense of Australian culture and having weapons like these on them at all times instilled a sense of confidence and mateship in the soldiers, especially the ones suffering from homesickness or poor morale.

M114 155mm howitzer

The M114 155 mm howitzer is a Long range accurate artillery and was vital to the Vietnam war as artillery strikes were a driving factor behind Australia’s success. The gun on display is an early 1960s model produced in America and used in a multitude of wars such as Vietnam and the early 2000s invasion of Afghanistan. The success of the M114 155 mm howitzer can be attributed to the unique design structure of the reload mechanism. This was one of the first American designs to feature a simple and time efficient reload systems which utilised a single motion to disengage and open the barrel. Due to this, the gun could be reloaded at speeds faster than ever before, and could hence fire more shells in a shorter time frame. The M114 155 mm howitzer also features a longer barrel than its predecessor, the M1A1. this allowed the projectiles to be fired at longer ranges with increased accuracy and proved to be the deciding factor in many of the large scale battles fought by Australia. These battles included Long Tan, where Australians were ambushed by Viet Cong troops while in base camp. Reinforcements were called and accurate artillery strikes prevented the opposing forces to retreat and regroup in the dense forest surrounding the camp.

The Battle of Long Tan

The Battle of Long Tan is the most publicised Australian battle of the Vietnam War. This battle was one of the major exceptions to the guerilla style of hit and run warfare encountered by Australia during the Vietnam War. The Battle of Long Tan was initiated by the Viet Cong when they attacked the Australian base of Nui Dat. Nui Dat was the main base of operations from which the Australian troops operated. Located in the province of Phuoc Tuy, Nui Dat was chosen as it was on a slightly elevated hill. This allowed it to stay relatively safe from flooding during the monsoon seasons. Nuit Dat also provided the most advantageous vantage point as ambushing the base from elevated positions would be difficult. However, the main problem with Nui Dat arose when it was discovered that the base was in a hotspot of Viet Cong activity, this meant that security would be held tight and patrols around the area were ongoing. In the early hours of the 17th of August, 1966, the Viet Cong launched an ambush on the camp. With the assistance of little sunlight and enhanced camouflage, the Viet Cong had the Australian troops surrounded and fighting for their lives. In a mistake from the Vietnamese officer, the VC retreated and regrouped to prepare for the main assault.

Following the attack, the 6th battalion was ordered to scout and patrol the area, searching for the Viet Cong’s fighting positions. The australian forces drew the VC away from the base and to the nearby town of Long Tan. It was here that the main battle took place. While chasing a Viet Cong assault group, platoon 11 was surrounded and for the next 8 hours suffered from heavy fire and relentless VC attacks. The Australian troops were able to fall back and provide artillery strikes while attempting to reach the 11th platoon. It is estimated that 3,500 Australian artillery shells were fired during the near 16 hour battle. At 7pm, the Viet Cong retreated, finally ending the Battle of Long Tan. it is estimated that the Australian troops were outnumbered 10 to 1 despite casualties being a third of those suffered by the Viet Cong.

Australian Artillery Operators Counting Ammunition

Artillery Ammunition was a decisive factor in the overall outcome of the Battle of Long Tan. All ammo had to be counted carefully to ensure that none was lost or wasted.

Vietnam Veteran Mistreatment

The Military Personnel who served in Vietnam were treated drastically different to those that served in previous wars. World War 1 as well as World war 2 veterans returned home from service to be met with parades and ceremonies held specifically for their courage and service to the nation. The Vietnam War, however, was different. Returning troops and servicemen and women were frowned upon by the general public. Vietnam was the first fully televised war, and, despite best efforts, the grotesque images of war were broadcast to the general public. This led to the exponential increase of anti war movements which were, at the time, becoming all too commonplace.

Evidence suggests that the public held such a dislike for the Veterans that most were returned home in the dead of night, often without alerting family and community members of their return. Many Veterans simply explained their absence as “work trips” or “family vacations” in order to maintain a positive relationship with their close friends and social communities.

Vietnam Veterans felt that they were treated unfairly by the general public and were blamed for their involvement in the war, when in reality, they were just the politician’s pawns. Not only did the returning soldiers have to deal with potentially scarring images and countless cases of PTSD, they had issues readjusting into Australian society and were the victims of abuse from many members of the general public.

It is estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 Veterans initially formed the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia (VVAA). Although initially started as a counselling service for Veterans suffering from PTSD and physical disabilities due to the widespread use of herbicides such as Napalm, the VVAA became an integral part of the lives of some Veterans as it helped them to connect to other people that had experienced the same hardships. This assisted many poorly treated soldiers in returning to their normal lives in Australia.

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Vietnam War Museum Exhibit History Assignment Term 3