Coral Balmoral The battle of fire support bases, Vietnam 1968. [86] 3 RAR subsequently occupied FSB Balmoral in AO Newport, 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) north of Coral, on 24 May in the hope of provoking another battle. Long Binh was absolute luxury compared to our tents at Nui Dat. Commanded by Lieutenant Neil Weekes, the platoon had been hit heavily by indirect fire during the initial bombardment and had suffered several casualties. [13] However, this time the Australians would use two battalions supported by tanks and air strikes in an attempt to reduce the base area. When returning from Vietnam in 1968, our orders were: “don’t wear your uniform home, remain on leave and lay low”. These are the sources and citations used to research Battle of Coral/Balmoral Bibliography. On landing, Irwin moved quickly to the original position, and despite rapidly clearing it, the insertion was further delayed. 1 RAR was allocated to AO Bondi with artillery support from the 102nd Field Battery established at a fire support base, named FSB Coral. War. Coral Balmoral The battle of fire support bases, Vietnam 1968. Meanwhile, 7 Platoon moved to assist but was also pinned down, with one section suffering heavy casualties and losing an M60 machine-gun. [Note 1] Expecting the North Vietnamese to be operating in small groups while trying to avoid battle as they had done during the last three weeks, there was little thought of a major threat to the FSB. There were six current members, at the time, of the sub-branch who fought in the battle. The Fire Support Bases at Coral and Balmoral, stood between North Vietnamese forces and … [24], Although the North Vietnamese troops were well trained and equipped, they were ultimately unable to prevail against the superior firepower of the Australian infantry and gunners, which had turned the battle in their favour. Several fire support bases (FSB) were established to provide defended firing points for artillery and mortars which would cover foot patrols to be sent out by the battalions (1RAR and 3RAR). [49] By midnight the rain had stopped, and five minutes later the 1 RAR mortar position was probed and a fire-fight ensued, resulting in possibly three North Vietnamese being killed. As such, in an operation similar to those three months earlier at Bien Hoa, it was planned that 1 ATF would be used to help block infiltration towards Saigon. No claymore mines or barbed wire were laid out either, as the wire had not yet arrived, while lack of materials also prevented the construction of overhead protection. [121] Australian logistic resupply arrangements for Operation Toan Thang I had been modelled on the experience of Operation Coburg, and again required the Vung Tau-based 1 ALSG to be split in order to provide a forward logistic element at the US base at Long Binh. Saturday, May 12, is the 50th anniversary of the 26-day long Battle of Coral-Balmoral which saw some of the fiercest fighting involving Australians in Vietnam. [102], A second regimental-sized attack against 3 RAR at Balmoral was launched by the North Vietnamese at 02:30 on 28 May, with a two-battalion assault preceded by 60 mm and 80 mm mortar fire from the south. Battle of Coral and Balmoral The battles of Coral & Balmoral: May-June 1968 Forty years ago, in May/June 1968 Australian soldiers fought their largest, most sustained and arguably most hazardous battles of the Vietnam War. In response, 1 ATF was deployed along likely infiltration routes in order to defend the vital Bien Hoa-Long Binh complex near Saigon between January and March, as part of Operation Coburg. 10 am to 5 pm daily (except Christmas Day), Get your ticket to visit: awm.gov.au/visit, Copyright [121] Westmoreland had been impressed by the results achieved by 1 ATF in May and June, and while US and South Vietnamese forces had undoubtedly borne the brunt of the fighting for the allies during this time, 1 ATF had featured prominently in American reports. [64], The Australians continued to patrol aggressively, with further clashes occurring between companies from 1 RAR and 3 RAR, and the North Vietnamese. In 1942 submarine commander Jeff Conway secretly photographs Japanese aircraft carriers in the Coral Sea but his submarine is damaged and he's forced to surrender. The attack was repelled after four hours of fighting, with the Australians having suffered five men killed and 19 wounded. [20] Having missed the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese units as they infiltrated the capital, it was planned that the Australians would be again redeployed on 12 May in order to obstruct the withdrawal of these forces following their defeat in Saigon. [31] The concept of operations called for the establishment battalion AOs, named Bondi, Manly and Newport. A 105 mm M2A2 howitzer, the No. The flank of the main assault force then ran through the position at speed before moving on towards the gun position. A series of sporadic contacts then took place between the Australians and withdrawing North Vietnamese parties, while at 05:30 a helicopter light-fire team became effective and forced the North Vietnamese rearguard to abandon its positions. 102nd Field Battery, the direct support battery for 1 RAR, was subsequently landed at FSB Coral and Major Brian Murtagh, second-in-command of 12th Field Regiment and the artillery tactical headquarters, was subsequently designated as the FSB commander, even though his guns were now physically dislocated from each other. BETWEEN 12 MAY AND 06 JUNE 1968 AT FIRE SUPPORT BASES FSB's CORAL & BALMORAL, AUSTRALIAN, NEW ZEALAND AND AMERICAN FORCES WERE INVOLVED IN A SERIES OF ACTIONS SOME 20 kms NORTH OF BIEN HOA, SOUTH VIETNAM. May 13, 2018: Below the War Memorial in Canberra those who fought in the Battles at Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral during the Vietnam War are being recognised for gallantry. [71] Meanwhile, with the approval of MacDonald, Hughes departed on a long-planned leave to Singapore on 18 May, and Colonel Donald Dunstan, the task force second-in-command, took over as Commander 1 ATF on 20 May. [33] Regardless, despite earlier warnings that they may concentrate up to regimental-strength, a breakdown in the passage of intelligence led the Australians to believe that the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong would remain dispersed in small groups in an attempt to avoid detection. Later, Major Colin Adamson's A Company detected 20 North Vietnamese moving on the perimeter utilising newly issued Starlight scopes and subsequently killed and wounded some of them. Fourteen bunkers had been destroyed, while seven North Vietnamese bodies were counted and quantities of weapons, ammunition and documents were also captured. Tim Fischer’s death reminds us that the Australians fought an even bigger, longer and more deadly battle than Long Tan (discussed in the most recent blog) in Vietnam – the Battle of Coral- Balmoral – at which he was wounded. A forward task force maintenance area had also been established, first at Bearcat and then later at FSB Coral. [30], 1 ATF would move with its headquarters and two infantry battalions—1 RAR and 3 RAR—as well as cavalry, artillery, engineer and aviation elements operating in support, including M113 armoured personnel carriers from A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 105 mm M2A2 howitzers from 12th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, Bell H-13 Sioux light observation helicopters from 161st Reconnaissance Flight and mortar locating radars from 131st Divisional Locating Battery. Our collection contains a wealth of material to help you research and find your connection with the wartime experiences of the brave men and women who served in Australia’s military forces. US casualties were also heavy and it proved to be the most costly week of the war for the Americans. The bunkers were sited to be mutually supporting, and the North Vietnamese defending them responded with a crossfire of RPG-2 rocket-propelled grenades, although the heavy armour of the Centurions proved impervious and they remained undamaged. Ammo was low no grenades the VC were all around us out of the 7 men around the M60, I had lost one dead and one wounded there was nothing I could do. Equally the fortunes of war had resulted in the Australian guns being laid in the direction of the main North Vietnamese assault, and the firepower they afforded had probably been decisive. Battle of Coral–Balmoral. This book is a must read for those readers with … [78] Finally, after a six-hour battle the North Vietnamese broke contact at 06:30 and withdrew with their dead and wounded, fighting a series of rearguard actions to prevent follow-up. At the same time the North Vietnamese conducted a feint on the southern perimeter opposite A Company—under Major Horrie Howard—using Bangalore torpedoes to break through the wire, although the gap was not exploited. [90], With 3 RAR achieving limited results in AO Manly, MacDonald suggested that Dunstan establish the battalion in a new location east of Route 16 in order to locate and destroy the North Vietnamese bases suspected to be in the area. 1 ATF was redeployed on 12 May to obstruct the withdrawal of forces from the capital, with two the battalions establishing a fire support base (FSB), named FSB Coral, just east of Lai Khe in Binh Duong Province, in an area of operations known as AO Surfers. On 27 May an Australian Sioux light observation helicopter was damaged by ground fire during a reconnaissance flight 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) outside AO Newport, and air strikes on the area exposed several bunkers which were likely to have been used by the North Vietnamese as a headquarters; they were subsequently destroyed by artillery fire. I thought you might like to know – AN OVERDUE RECOGNITION. Subscribe. Coral was again assaulted in the early hours of 16 May, coming under a heavy barrage followed by another regimental-sized attack. As such the Australian concept of operations subsequently evolved from one of searching and clearing in order to locate and cut infiltration and withdrawal routes, into a series of reconnaissance-in-force operations from heavily defended bases. [135][136] During the next three weeks, all three Australian battalions were deployed on search-and-destroy operations, yet the Viet Cong successfully eluded them. Directed by Paul Wendkos. For twenty six days in May and June 1968,units of the 1st Australian Task Force fought a series of actions around Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral,north-east of Saigon. Later, fighting patrols up to company-size with armoured support would then be used to locate and destroy the Viet Cong main force bases. … Battle of Coral-Balmoral - Vimeo SD Widescreen. [122], The fighting represented a watershed in the campaign for the Australians, and while they had deployed outside Phuoc Tuy Province previously, they now faced regular North Vietnamese formations and Viet Cong Main Force units operating in battalion and regimental strength, rather than southern Viet Cong guerrillas. Although it had been a fierce engagement the Australians suffered no casualties, a fact which was attributed to the effectiveness of the tanks, and further validated Dunstan's decision to call them forward from Nui Dat. 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