Effects Of The Vietnam War On The Battle Of Long Tan

The Vietnam War was a prolonged conflict between North and South Vietnam that started in 1954 and ended many years later in April 1975. This war started not long after the struggle of the First Indochina War, when Vietnam was divided into two; North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The Vietnam War started because of the threat of communism spreading. Another term for this was the ‘Domino Theory’. The Domino Theory was the belief that if one country turned to communist influence, other countries would follow its actions, resulting in a domino effect. The issue surrounding the Vietnam War was the Viet Cong, North Vietnam, supported the idea of communism, whereas the South supporters were against it. This created a lot of tension with the leaders of

The Battle of Long Tan was a fight in 1966 between the Viet Cong and the Australian soldiers fighting for South Vietnam. It was the most publicised Australian battle of the war, and was significantly larger compared to most of the battles fought during the war. This battle is remembered as soldiers portraying the traits of bravery, mateship, and endurance that is associated with Australian spirit, and has been for many years.

An example of a group that fought in the Vietnam War and portrayed these rare and special traits is the Royal Australian Army. The Royal Australian Army is Australia’s military force, and are part of the Australian Defence Force. They fight alongside the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force, and are the soldiers who fight for and defend our land. Formed in 1901, the Australian Army has fought in both World Wars, as well as the Vietnam War, and continues to protect and serve this country. The Royal Australian Army fought with the American and South Vietnam soldiers against the Viet

Harry Smith, aged 84, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Australian Army. Born on the 25th of July 1933, he was only 19 when he joined the Australian Army, and during that time he fought many battles including the Battle of Long Tan. During the Battle of Long Tan, Smith was officer commanding of D Company, the main soldiers fighting the Viet Cong in Long Tan, when they came across the Vietnamese force of the Viet Cong soldiers. Smith, with the aid of his corresponding militaries, managed to hold off the assault of the North Vietnamese until both sides retreated. Personal recounts from Smith’s experience fighting in the Battle of Long Tan show his perspective on the encounter. Smith reportedly recalls hearing the ‘pop, pop’ of gunfire before engaging with “full, main force on the North Vietnamese regiments”. According to Smith, the Australians lucky escape was a lot due to the large amounts of artillery, and that the “task force did its best but was not prepared to fend off a major attack”. Although the Australian troops were not equipped for a mass attack, it is important that they are remembered for the inspiring job that they did in fighting the enemy and protecting their own. Following Harry Smith’s long years of hard service for the Australian Army in Vietnam, he returned home to Australia and continued to aid the army until his unfortunate