http://www.britainatwar.comwww.britainatwar.com^2121BATTLE OF BINH BA|COMMONWEALTH FORCES IN VIETNAM
experience of battle.” He left behind
a pregnant wife and never got to see
his son, who was named Wayne in
memory of his father.
“The operations officer said that the
fighting ebbed and flowed, becoming
so fierce and confused that it defied
detailed description,” Ekins said. “Not
all of the civilians had got out, for one
reason or another, and a number of
Australian soldiers performed very
brave acts, risking their own lives
to lead some of these people to safety.
“The tanks were an absolute godsend
and we shouldn’t underestimate that.
One of the commanders later said,
‘We should never leave home without
them’.
“The tanks really were the saving
factor in this battle, and [the number
of] infantry lives lost were very
small because of the contribution
of the tanks and the APCs and their
concentrated firepower from heavy
machine guns.”AFTERMATH
When members of the 1st Australian
Civil Affairs Unit entered the
liberated Binh Ba on the morning
of June 8, they found a scene of
utter devastation. “They found that
about one in five of the houses were
completely destroyed and about halfBELOW
Men of 'B' Coy and
5RAR's Intelligence
Section inspect
weapons captured
from Binh Ba.
The haul includes
a light machine gun
(behind the square
ammunition box)
an AKM rifle with
several magazines,
a small mortar and
a Chinese-copy of
the US-built M20
75mm recoilless
rifle. (AWM)experience of battle.” He left behind
a pregnant wife and never got to see
his son, who was named Wayne in
memory of his father.”THIS WAS SEEN AS A GREAT VICTORY FOR
THE TASK FORCE, BUT IT HAD BEEN A
FEROCIOUS FIGHT”ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT 5TH BATTALION IN VIETNAM
The Royal Australian Regiment’s 5th Battalion, (5RAR) was raised at the Holsworthy
Barracks in Sydney on March 1, 1965. It was comprised of surplus 1RAR soldiers
and some of the first conscripts. The unit arrived in Vietnam during April and May- It formed half of the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) with 6RAR. 1ATF
replaced 1RAR in Vietnam and was stationed at Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy province.
Once the Nui Dat base area had been cleared and secured, the task force began
patrolling the province. The purpose of these missions was to undermine Viet Cong
(VC) and North Vietnamese Army operations in the area. This was achieved by
seeking out and engaging the enemy in small contacts and limiting its ability to
access supplies. These duties dominated 5RAR during its first tour.
In March 1967, 5RAR was given the task of establishing and defending a base on
the forward rim of an extinct volcano known as the Horseshoe. The reason was to
deny the VC access to supplies from Phuoc Tuy.
The battalion 5RAR was relieved by 7RAR in late April 1967, departing for Australia
the following month and then on to Holsworthy Barracks. The battalion returned to
Vietnam in February 1969, taking over from 1RAR.
Throughout its second tour, 5RAR was mainly involved with pacification operations
in Phuoc Tuy. 1ATF adopted a pacification programme as its first priority in April - This involved seeking out and destroying the enemy in its base areas,
preventing them access to the civilian population and helping to create a secure
climate for South Vietnamese social, political and military life. The work was
demanding, dangerous and monotonous and the primary task carried out by the
battalion during its second tour.
On March 10, 1969 5RAR joined the ongoing Operation Federal-Overlander in
the Bien Hoa province. The battalion was engaged in searches and patrols of the
area following the 1969 Tet Offensive. It returned to Nui Dat on April 8. The unit
was stationed outside of Phuoc Tuy from May 13 to 22 and was sent to the Bien
Hoa province to meet an anticipated VC threat. The situation did not develop as
expected and the battalion returned to operations in Phuoc Tuy. 5RAR was relieved
by 8RAR on February 16, 1970 and returned to Australia later that month.
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