Long Tan

The items displayed on this page are just a small sample of the many pieces of memorabilia in the Museum associated with the battle of Long Tan and soldiers who fought on the day. Colonel Harry Smith SG MC The Museum has been fortunate to acquire, on permanent loan, the medal group awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith. Harry was awarded the Military Cross after commanding Delta Company 6 RAR during the battle of LONG TAN on the 18th August 1966. This award was recently upgraded by the Australian Government to a SG (Star of Gallantry) which is one of only three ever awarded for acts of great heroism. Under the new awards, the SG is the next highest award after the Australian Victoria Cross. Museum Director John Meyers said that the Harry Smith medals are equal in historical significance to Keith Payne's Victoria Cross for the Vietnam War (1964 to 1973). Medal group consists of SG (Star of Gallantry), MC (Military Cross), AASM (Australian Active Service Medal) with clasps for Malaya and Vietnam, GSM (General Service Medal) with clasp Malaya, Vietnam Medal, Defence Force Service Medal with one clasp, National Medal, National Service Medal 1951-1972, National Order of the Republic of Vietnam, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with palm, Vietnam Campaign Medal with clasp 1960, Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal. Also awarded the Australian Unit Citation for Gallantry, Presidential Unit Citation (Army) USA, Cross of Gallantry Unit Citation (South Vietnam). Unnamed medals - It is interesting to note that the two original medals awarded to Harry Smith for Vietnam service are unnamed. In late 1968, he led the Army portion of the Australian Contingent to Paris for the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War 1. The Vietnam Medals had just been released for issue and the unnamed medals were given to members of the Contingent unnamed prior to leaving Australia. The medals to this Contingent were the only ones issued unnamed for service in Vietnam. Biography Harry was born in Hobart, Tasmania 25 July 1933. He joined the School Cadets at Hobart High School in 1946 and rose to be Cadet Under Officer by the time he left school in 1950. In 1952 he was called into National Service, where he reached corporal. After National Service Harry decided to remain in the Army. He was posted to Korea 1954 but that was changed to 2RAR Malaya and he served two years in the Malayan Emergency as 9 Pl C Coy Commander 1955-57. On 18th August 1966 in Vietnam it was Major Harry Smith's Company which contacted a reinforced enemy Regiment of six battalions in the Long Tan rubber plantation, which was about to move to attack the Task Force Base that night in conjunction with another Regiment further north. The six enemy battalions suffered horrendous casualties from the 24 guns of the Task Force artillery, the USAF strike he called in, plus the 10,300 SA rounds fired by his men. The enemy started to withdraw at the time of the arrival of a platoon of Bravo Company 6RAR at 1845hours and the approach from the south of an APC Troop with Alpha Company 6RAR on board. This force contacted two enemy companies 1000m from the battlefield, accelerating their withdrawal and by the time it reached Delta Company the main enemy had withdrawn, leaving over 245 bodies. Delta Company lost 17 KIA and 23 wounded, with the APC Troop losing one man DOW. Harry was awarded the Military Cross in December 1966, downgraded by COMAFV from the original recommendations (by CO 6RAR and COMATF) of the DSO. Vietnamese and US Army awards were rejected by Canberra due an inability to accept foreign awards, although that policy was later changed after embarrassing the US and Vietnamese Governments by rejecting their awards. In 2008, Harry was awarded the Star of Gallantry by the Long Tan Review on the ground that it was the contemporary equivalent of the DSO for gallantry in action, rather than just for distinguished service. His former Delta Company 6RAR was awarded the USA Presidential Unit Citation in 1968, the Vietnamese Cross Of Gallantry Unit Citation in 2008, as offered but rejected by the Government in 1966, and in October 2009, the Australian Unit Citation For Gallantry. Harry was awarded the National Order of Vietnam 5th Class in 1966, and along with the Vietnamese Citation in 2008 he wears the Vietnamese Cross Of Gallantry with Palm awarded to the unit commander. Harry had a long and distinguished military career which ended when he sustained a serious freefall injury in late 1975 while trialling a new type parachute which failed to open properly. He was medically downgraded and left the Army in May 1976. Incense burners were one of the many items recovered from the derelict village of Long Tan. This one was 'souvenired' by Harry Smith and bought back to Australia. It is thought to be of Confucian Religion design, with the 'Dog of Foo' on top. Harry presented it to this Museum in 2009. North Vietnamese Flag from the Long Tan battlefield presented by Eric Andrews of Stanthorpe (2nd Lieutenant, 8 Platoon, C Company, 6RAR). Eric Andrews said, "At first light on the 19th August 1966, I was commanding 8 Platoon of Charlie Company 6 RAR, when we arrived at the Long Tan battlefield. Our task for the day was to provide protection for Battalion Headquarters and to assist in clearing the battlefield. I souvenired this North Vietnamese flag on this day whilst my platoon buried fifty-two enemy dead. This was a very emotional day". Eric explained that the blood stained flag had been kept in cupboards for the last 40 years, as firstly his wife would not allow it to be displayed, and then when he gave it to a mate, his wife also felt the same way. Even today you could hear the emotion in his voice. Eric had been introduced to the Military Museum by Adrian Pitman, when Eric came to Maryborough in preparation for Orienteering competitions to be held here. Eric is the map maker for Orienteering Australia. He was impressed by the standard of the Museum and was glad to see items being displayed other than in Canberra – it was the perfect place for his flag. A bit of history .... In May 1966 the first soldiers of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) arrived in South Vietnam; the rest followed in June. Within two months elements of the battalion found themselves engaged in one of the largest battles fought by Australians in the Vietnam War. By August 1966 the Australian task force base at Nui Dat was only three months old. Concerned at the establishment of such a strong presence in their midst, the Viet Cong determined to inflict an early defeat on the Australians. In the days before the battle, radio signals indicated the presence of strong Viet Cong forces within 5 kilometres of the base but patrols found nothing. On the night of 16th-17th August Nui Dat came under fire from mortars and recoilless rifles. The defenders stood to, expecting the barrage to be followed by an assault. None came. Searches of the area the next day located some of the sites from which mortars had been fired, but nothing else. Patrols continued the following day, 18th August. D Company left the base at 11.15 that morning bound for the Long Tan rubber plantation. As they departed Nui Dat the sounds of a concert by Little Pattie, the Australian entertainer, reached their ears. They entered the Long Tan plantation at 3.15 that afternoon. Less than an hour later the Viet Cong attacked in force, putting the Australians under mortar, machine gun and small arms fire. Only the quick response of a New Zealand artillery battery to desperate calls for support saved D Company from annihilation. Almost as soon as the battle began a torrential downpour added to the gloom in the rubber plantation. The Australians, surrounded, short of ammunition and fighting an enemy whose strength they could only guess at, called for helicopters to drop ammunition to them. Flying at tree-top height, braving the terrible weather and heavy Viet Cong fire, two RAAF helicopters located the beleaguered Australians and dropped boxes of ammunition and blankets for the wounded. The survivors of D Company along with accurate artillery fire from New Zealand's 161 Field Battery as well as the Australian 103 and 105 Field batteries and a United States battery inflicted heavy losses on the Viet Cong. As the fighting continued Australian reinforcements were committed to the battle. B Company was on the way and A Company, loaded into Armoured Personnel Carriers of 3 Troop, 1 Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron, which fought its way into D Company just before 7 pm as daylight was fading. The Viet Cong had been massing for another assault but were forced to retreat into the plantation. They had suffered terrible casualties, but only when the Australians returned to the scene of battle the following morning did they realise the extent of the defeat that they had inflicted on the enemy. The Australians counted 245 enemy dead still in the plantation and surrounding jungle with evidence that others had already been removed from the battlefield. Captured documents and information from prisoners suggested that D Company had faced some 2,500 Viet Cong. Eighteen Australians were killed in the Battle of Long Tan and 24 wounded, all but one of the dead were from D Company.