Survivors of the Battle of Long Tan

The Battle of Long Tan is one of the most noted battles involving Australian troops during the Vietnam Campaign. The date of this against-all-odds fight, August 18, 1966 is now observed each year to commemorate all who served in the Vietnam War.

What happened at Long Tan during the Vietnam War?

Delta Company forward scout Private Allen May is most likely the man who fired the first shot in what was to become one of Australia’s most pivotal battles of the Vietnam War – the Battle of Long Tan.

Walking ahead of the company, May, who was conscripted to the war under the National Service Scheme, spotted a number of enemy and signalled the company to halt before taking aim.  It was sometime before 4pm. His first shots rang through the rubber trees.

The quiet-spoken May penned a letter to his mother the next day which detailed the encounter and the bloody battle which would become Australia’s costliest single encounter of the war.

Allen May at the Australian War Memorial courtesy of the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia

May’s letter is now in the Australian War Memorial. It describes how in the  rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan, in South Vietnam, the 108 members of D Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment encountered an estimated 2,500 Communist North Vietnamese Regulars and Viet Cong insurgents aiming to overrun the new Australian base at Nui Dat.

What was the significance of the Battle of Long Tan? 

Neither side expected the other but within minutes the Australians were fighting for their lives in pouring rain. In his letter May described the battle:

“The noise of artillery, rocket fire, automatic weapons, grenades and rifles was so great that I could not hear my rifle, next to my ear, fire. The rubber trees offered no protection. To put your head up more than a few feet was to die. The enemy bravely came on regardless of losses. But we held our ground.”

The Australians were backed by pinpoint artillery fire over some three hours that decimated the attackers. RAAF helicopter pilots, ignoring orders not to, braved a monsoonal storm to drop ammunition.

When the enemy was massing for a final and most likely successful flanking movement, Australian reinforcements arrived in armoured personnel carriers. A total of 18 Australians died, including 11 National Servicemen who made up more than half the Company’s strength.

Private Allen May being presented the Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star by the Prime Minister of South Vietnam, Nguen Vanh Theu. Read: Who Won The Vietnam War?

Who actually won the Battle of Long Tan?

In remembering the Battle of Long Tan we remember the young men of both sides who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. 

Here's a rundown of the total number of forces opposing each other on the battlefield at Long Tan:

Australia & New Zealand

• 105 soldiers from D Coy, 6RAR, Australian Army
• 3 man New Zealand Forward Artillery Observation party, 161 Bty, 16 Field Regiment RNZA

Total:108 men

Viet Cong and North Vietnamese

• 2,000 soldiers from 275 Viet Cong Main Force Regiment (effectively an NVA Regiment as the unit was formed in North Vietnam)
• 500 soldiers from an unidentified North Vietnamese Army Battalion, probably from 33rd NVA Regiment
• 550 soldiers from D445 Viet Cong Provincial Mobile Battalion (local force VC)

A total of approximately 3,000 troops faced off against D Coy, 6RAR. But it is estimated that only around 2,000 to 2,500 directly took part in the battle.

Below are the details of the brave young Australians lost to the Battle of Long Tan:

Vietnam War Medals Frame

Why is the battle of Long Tan controversial?

While the names of Australia’s lost soldiers are recorded in history, details of the number of enemy combatants remain unclear. In regard to Vietnamese combatants who died in the battle, or afterwards because of their wounds, there is considerable uncertainty as to the number. Estimates and intelligence suggest the number to be more than 600. Some believe more than 1,000.  In 1975 the Vietnamese authorities returned to Long Tan to recover the remains of their fallen. These soldiers are now buried in military cemeteries across Vietnam.

Further, like in any battle, both sides claimed the battle as their victory, and the history books of both nations continue to reflect this impasse. 

On the morning after the battle, troops in a clearing in the rubber plantation of Long Tan examine some of the Viet Cong weapons captured by D Company, 6RAR, including rocket launchers, heavy machine-guns, recoilless rifles and scores of rifles and carbines.

The intricacies of the controversy were highlighted when the Vietnamese authorities imposed restrictions on Australian tourists at Long Tan on its 50th Anniversary commemorations in 2016.

Coming Home: More Vietnam Veterans Recount The Battle of Long Tan

The following brief account of the events at Long Tan accompanies the 50th Anniversary Long Tan Cross pin. It helps to explain why the Long Tan Cross has become such a potent symbol of all Australians who served in the Vietnam War. The account was created with the help of decorated Long Tan veterans, Harry Smith SG, MC and Dave Sabben MG.

Read: The Story of the Long Tan Cross  Ways to wear and share the Long Tan Cross here.

"On 18 August 1966, at around 4pm in the Long Tan rubber plantation, 5km east of the Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat, 108 men of Delta Company, 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, confronted a combined force of some 2000 North Vietnamese Army regulars and Viet Cong.

D Coy, with limited ammunition and torrential rain reducing visibility to 50 metres, formed defensive positions and returned fire. NZ 161 Artillery Battery responded quickly to radio calls for support and poured shells onto the enemy, causing heavy casualties and halting any advance. Three more Australian and US Army artillery batteries soon joined the fight.

Major Harry Smith (far left) holds a briefing in the field shortly before his company return to the Long Tan battlefield. Second Lieutenant Dave Sabben is next to him.

Two RAAF “Hueys” flew through the storm at treetop level to drop ammunition, as reinforcements in Armoured Personnel Carriers raced along muddy tracks and through swollen streams toward Long Tan, fighting off the enemy to reach the beleaguered D Coy.

For Australian soldiers Vietnam was largely a war of boots and bush. Short range contacts against an elusive enemy. While it was often infantrymen fighting on their own, there were occasions when they called on the support of other arms and services-armour, artillery or air support. Drew Harrison's painting depicts such an occasion. It captures the intensity of close range combat and demonstrates the battle winning value of combined arms action. His artwork brings together in the fight the Royal Australian Regiment, the tanks of 1st Armoured Regiment, 3rd Cavalry Regiment's armoured personnel carriers and the "Hueys" of Air Force. Discover more about the Combined Arms Contact artwork and other collections here. 

For three hours relentless and accurate shelling, as well as persistent company weapons fire, inflicted horrendous casualties on the enemy who, unable to overrun D Coy, finally withdrew as dusk fell. 

The APCs arrived in time to give chase to the withdrawing force, returning to D Coy at 7.10pm. The Battle of Long Tan was over."

At home, LTCOL (Ret) Harry Smith, the former commander of Delta Company, 6RAR, who commanded the 108 men of D Coy, fought for the recognition of his men and succeeded. 

"I am very proud to have commanded Delta Company, 6RAR who gave their all on that fateful day, above and beyond what would have been expected of them. That is why my company, which bore the brunt of the battle and lost 17 killed and 21 wounded, was awarded the US Presidential Unit Citation, and was offered the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry Unit Citation. I am also proud and thankful to those who supported us – all the artillery, the RAAF, the USAF, the APCs, our A Company and the B Company platoon, and others," said LTCOL (Ret) Harry Smith in an interview.

Dave Sabben, right, at the Australian War Memorial after the Long Tan Cross was gifted to Australia by the Vietnamese government  and was placed on permanent display in 2018.

Dave Sabben, who was Commander of 12 Platoon, Delta Company 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, during the Battle of Long Tan, says Australian forces entered Vietnam with a clear mission – to help stop the fighting in the South. 

“We didn’t go to Vietnam to invade the North,” he said. “We didn’t go to topple their government. We didn’t go to remove Ho Chi Minh from power. We went to help stop the fighting in the South.”

The uniform and equipment worn by this infantryman is representative of Australian servicemen during the conflict in Vietnam. He is armed with the iconic L1A1 Self Loading Rifle, which was the standard battle rifle of the Australian Army from 1960 to 1992. His equipment has been optimised for patrolling in the dense tropical forests of Vietnam. Several water canteens and ammunition pouches are attached to US M1956 Load-Carrying Equipment webbing and a cotton mesh sweat rag is worn around the neck. The Army issued combat shirt and trousers would have been a subdued shade of Jungle Green, often referred to 'jaygees'

“We achieved this in January 1973 (when) the Allies forced the North to sign the Paris Peace Accord. The Accord agreed to a halt to all hostilities; the withdrawal of all non-Vietnamese forces; the exchange of POWs and, importantly, that the North would honour their border with the South.”

Read: Vietnam: The War Australia Won

2023 Marks 50 Years Since The End of the Australian Involvement in the Vietnam War 

This year is a special commemorative year for Vietnam Veterans. Last January 11, 2023 marks 50 years since the 1973 proclamation of the end of Australian involvement in the Vietnam War. 

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) recognises this significant anniversary and will hold a broad awareness campaign throughout 2023 including a documentary series to be screened on the ABC, and providing historical and educational resources to schools, ex-service organisations and community groups.

In support of this, BrandNet, the operator  of Military Shop, Air Force Shop, Army Shop, and Navy Shop has created a special commemorative collection.

"We are deeply honoured to support the Australian Government's 2023 commemorations with the production of the official 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medallion," says Caris Ebeling, Branch Manager.