Australia initially became involved in the Vietnam War in august 1962 when 30 military advisors. The men were set the task of assisting in the training of the poorly equip and under trained south Vietnamese army this marked the beginning of Australian involvement in Vietnam. Australian involvement in the Vietnam War potentially was a very costly campaign loosing 520 live, but events and key battles in which Australian troops were involved played a significant role in the events of the Vietnam War. Through out the campaign a total of 49,211 Australians served in Vietnam, which in comparison is very small number to the mammoth American army of 580,000 soldiers. Although having a small number of soldiers serving the Australian forces still played …show more content…
The events of Long Tan highlight the significant role Australians played throughout the Vietnam War. The battle again saw the Australians facing an opponent far greater in numbers. 108 Australians bravely faced 2,500 Vietcong and North Vietnamese soldiers this provides another key instance of Australians preforming well above the number of men in the force, and is a prime example of Australian forces having small numbers but playing a significant role. In the battle of Long Tan 18 Australian soldiers were killed and a further 21 were wounded. The battle was a dear expense for the Australians although the death count for North Vietnamese and Vietcong soldiers was found to be approximately 245 dead. At the commencement of the battle the Australians were instantly recognised for their gallantry for facing an opponent far greater in numbers, the Australians showed in the battle of long tan the are able to repel a great attacking force which somewhat changed the Americans options towards the Australians combat skills. The battle also found the huge force was sent to eliminate the Australians in the province because they had previously been successful in eliminating Vietcong activity, this again proves the Australian forces were somewhat achieving in Vietnam. The battle of long tan for various reasons is another key example of how the Australians played a significant role in