THE 12 DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE THIS SLIDE

III Corps (Third Military Region) THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN

20 90 70 BIEN HOA N P H U Nui Thi Vai Nui Dinh C T Thua Tich U BINH TUY 80 329 Binh Ba 1 ATF Nui Dat 2 P R O I N Nui Dat THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY 23 Ba Ria DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © 44 Long Hai ON CREATIVE CONTENT Hills Hoa Long V Long Tan Long Phuoc Long Dien C Xuyen Moc 328 E 60 50 15 LEGEND SOUTH CHINA 40 SEA Main Towns & Villages Rubber Plantations Mangrove Swamps Scale: approx 5 Kilometre grid Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 30 70 23 Dat Do 1 ALSG Vung Tau Y 90 C Long Son Island Nui May Tao 328 Binh Gia Nui Nghe 15 GANH RAI BAY LONG KHANH O Hat Dich GIA DINH RUNG SAT 70 Slope 30 2 60 50 60 Courtenay Plantation To Saigon 15 80 50 40 30 40 50 Thursday 12 June 2003 MAP 1 - PHUOC TUY PROVINCE, SOUTH VIET NAM 60 40

35 75 Hat Dich Binh Ba P Nui Nghe N 50 45 40 55 H U O C P R O V I 75 T U Y N C E 2 70 Nui Dat 65 2 70 Nui Dat (2) THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY Long Tan DAVE SABBEN Long Hoa Phuoc Long WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT LEGEND Main Towns & Villages Rubber Plantations 1 ATF’s perimeter 1 ATF’s “Line Alpha” Scale: approx 5 Kilometre grid Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 40 45 50 MAP 2 - 1 ATF’s “NUI DAT” BASE, PHUOC TUY PROVINCE, SHOWING “LINE ALPHA” 65

HOA LONG village NZ 161 Bty 105 mm (6 guns) US 155 mm Bty (6 Guns) Aust 105 Bty 105 mm (6 guns) APCs area HQ & vehs Task Force chopper pad Nui Dat 1 hill Task Force HQ & Arty Fire Control Centre (Jackson, Darlington) Aust 103 Bty 105 mm (6 Guns) Engineers wire gap THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT (The dam wasn’t here in our day!) 6 RAR chopper pad (where choppers loaded ammo) (where the concert was being held) 5 RAR area NO RTH 6 RAR area N Ts. Afromay Airfield (Was not there in Aug 66) Nm. Getsrethis w O L 000 un 5 eg th Concert area 6 RAR Bn HQ (where Townsend was until boarding APCs) A Coy area (where the APCs picked up A Coy) Air photo of Nui Dat taken from north-east and much later than 1966

43 2 66 Engineer lines Nui Dat TARGET AREA _ X_X__ XX_X___ XX___ XX___ _ XX __ __XX XX______ _ XXXXX __XX 43 65 Nui Dat 2 TASK FORCE BASE __ __XX __ X _X_XX Long Phuoc 69 68 Mortars 67 RCLs _ ___X ___ XX __X_XXX __________ XXXXXXXXX X_X__ XX__ X_X___ X_X__ X_ 105 Bty Artillery Song Cau X_X__ XX__ X_X___ XX__ X_X__ Task 67 Force HQ 49 48 _______________ _____ X_X__ XXXX __XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X_X_ __XX X_X__ X__XX__ XX_ _____ XXXX SAS lines 47 ___ X XX___ XX__ X 68 N X_X__ XX____ XX _ X_X__ XX__ 69 46 45 44 Suoi Da Bang THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION Long Tan Field Gun WAS PREPARED BY Destroyed Bridge DAVE SABBEN Baseplate positions WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © Rubber Plantation Weir Scale: approx 1000 metre grid ON CREATIVE CONTENT 66 65 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 44 45 46 47 48 MAP 3: THE 17 AUG BOMBARDMENT, SHOWING VC BASEPLATE SITES & TARGET AREAS 49

43 Song Cau 2 X_X__ XX__ X_X___ XX__ X_X__ Nui Dat 2 TASK FORCE BASE __ __XX __ X _X_XX _ X_X__ XX_X___ XX___ XX___ _ XX __ __XX XX______ _ XXXXX __XX 43 65 Long Phuoc 69 68 Mortars 67 RCLs _ ___X ___ XX __X_XXX __________ XXXXXXXXX X_X__ XX__ X_X___ X_X__ X_ 66 49 48 _______________ _____ X_X__ XXXX __XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X_X_ __XX X_X__ X__XX__ XX_ _____ XXXX 67 47 ___ X XX___ XX__ X 68 N X_X__ XX____ XX _ X_X__ XX__ 69 46 45 44 Suoi Da Bang THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION Long Tan Field Gun WAS PREPARED BY Destroyed Bridge DAVE SABBEN Tracks: Foot Cart WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © Rubber Plantation Weir Scale: approx 1000 metre grid ON CREATIVE CONTENT 66 65 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 44 45 46 47 48 MAP 4: THE WITHDRAWAL TRACKS USED BY THE VC FIRE TEAMS, PRE-DAWN, 17 AUG 49

D 11 12 D 47 46 D 6 RAR 10 D 49 48 68 68 N Returning to base 67 B- Niu Dat 2 6 RAR THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION Axis of WAS Advance. PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT Suoi Da Bang 47 47 48 67 Bullock Cart Tracks Rubber Plantation Scale: approx 1000 metre grid Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 49 MAP 5: D COY FORMATIONS AS THEY FOLLOW THE SINGLE CART TRACK, 1500 hours, 18 AUG ’ 66

THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT This photo shows what the battlefield looked like on the day of the battle. The ground was bare mud – not even the low grass and leaves shown here.

12 47 46 D D 6 RAR 11 D 10 D 49 48 68 68 N B- Suoi Da Bang 6 RAR Returning to base 67 47 47 Niu Dat 2 THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION of WASAxis PREPARED BY Advance DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT 48 67 Bullock Cart Tracks Rubber Plantation Scale: approx 1000 metre grid Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 49 MAP 6: D COY FORMATIONS AS THEY FOLLOW THE TWO CART TRACKS, 1520 hours, 18 AUG ’ 66

12 47 46 D D 6 RAR 11 D 10 D 49 48 68 68 N B- 6 RAR Suoi Da Bang Returning to base 67 47 47 Niu Dat 2 THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION Axis of WAS PREPARED BY Advance 6 -man DAVENVA SABBEN Patrol WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT 48 67 Bullock Cart Tracks Rubber Plantation Scale: approx 1000 metre grid Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 49 MAP 7: D COY FORMATIONS AT FIRST CONTACT WITH SMALL NVA PATROL - 1540 hrs, 18 AUG ’ 66

12 47 46 D D 6 RAR 10 D 11 D 49 48 68 B- 6 RAR 68 N Suoi Da Bang B Coy asked to hold position 67 Niu Dat 2 THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © Bullock Cart Tracks ON CREATIVE Rubber Plantation CONTENT 67 NVA Bn (est) Scale: approx 1000 metre grid 47 47 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 48 49 MAP 8: 11 PLATOON LOCATION AND FIRST ENEMY ENVELOPING MOVES - 1600 -1630 hrs, 18 AUG ’ 66

LOAD …fire support made the vital difference on the day. . . THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY SABBEN A 105 mm Howitzer is loaded DAVE and fired from an emplacement at Nui Dat. WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT FIRE

D 12 47 46 6 RAR D 10 D 11 D 49 48 68 B- 6 RAR 68 N Suoi Da Bang B Coy stopped 67 Niu Dat 2 THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE Rubber Plantation CONTENT 67 NVA Bn (est) Scale: approx 1000 metre grid 47 47 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 48 49 MAP 9: 10 PLATOON MOVES TO NORTH-WEST OF 11 PLATOON TO HELP - 1630 -1700 hrs, 18 AUG ’ 66

D 10 47 46 6 RAR D 12 D 11 D 49 48 68 B- 6 RAR 68 N Suoi Da Bang B Coy called to move to D Coy 67 Niu Dat 2 THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE Rubber Plantation CONTENT 67 NVA Regt (est) Scale: approx 1000 metre grid 47 47 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 48 49 MAP 10: 10 PLATOON RETURNS; 12 PLATOON MOVES SOUTH THEN EAST - 1700 -1800 hrs, 18 AUG ’ 66

43 N X_X__ XX__ X_X___ XX__ X_X__ Nui Dat 66 43 65 47 D 48 6 RAR TASK FORCE BASE 49 69 Nui Dat 2 __ __XX __ X _X_XX 68 5 4 Red smoke - ammo dropped! 6 RAR 3 _ ___X ___ XX __X_XXX __________ XXXXXXXXX X_X__ XX__ X_X___ X_X__ X_ 2 46 ___ X XX___ XX__ X 5 RAR _____ XXXX 67 45 2 choppers join for ammo run _______________ _____ X_X__ XXXX __XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X_X_ __XX X_X__ X__XX__ XX_ Song Cau 68 44 Circling over the river X_X__ XX____ XX _ X_X__ XX__ 69 6 RAR Helipad 1 67 6 DOHLE & LANE Orange smoke seen - Wrong Suoi Da Bang THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY Destroyed Bridge DAVE SABBEN RILEY & Monsoon Storm GRANDIN Rubber Plantation WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © Weir Scale: approx 1000 metre grid ONPhuoc CREATIVE CONTENT Long _ X_X__ XX_X___ XX___ XX___ _ XX __ __XX XX______ _ XXXXX __XX 66 2 Long Tan 65 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 44 45 46 47 48 49 MAP 11: ROUTES TAKEN BY RAAF AMMUNITION RESUPPLY HELICOPTERS, 18 AUGUST 1966 (1) Riley & Grandin (R&G) move forward to locate Delta Company while Dohle & Lane (D&L) take a holding pattern over the river. (2) R&G overfly Long Tan village, turn north west towards the battlefield. (3) R&G call for smoke - see “Orange”. “Incorrect”. Circle anti-clockwise and see “Red”. “Correct”. (4) Rejoin with D&L and guide them to Delta Company position. (5) Ammo drop made “. . . right into the CSM’s lap. . . ”. (6) Both helicopters return to Task Force helipad.

. . . 3 Tp 43 N X_X__ XX__ X_X___ XX__ X_X__ 66 TASK FORCE BASE _ X_X__ XX_X___ XX___ XX___ _ XX __ __XX XX______ _ XXXXX __XX 43 65 46 47 48 D 6 RAR Long Phuoc 49 69 Nui Dat 2 68 __ __XX __ X _X_XX _ ___X ___ XX __X_XXX __________ XXXXXXXXX X_X__ XX__ X_X___ X_X__ X_ 2 6 RAR ___ X XX___ XX__ X Nui Dat _____ XXXX 67 A _______________ _____ X_X__ XXXX __XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X_X_ __XX X_X__ X__XX__ XX_ Song Cau 68 45 X_X__ XX____ XX _ X_X__ XX__ 69 44 1 APC Sqn 67 2 Suoi Da Bang 1 APC’s Contacts Long Tan THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY Destroyed Bridge DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © Rubber Plantation Weir Scale: approx 1000 metre grid ON CREATIVE CONTENT 66 65 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 44 45 46 47 48 MAP 12: THE ROUTE TAKEN BY THE APC & A/6 RAR RELIEF COLUMN, 18 AUGUST 1966 49

APCs crossing water. Note that on 18 Aug 1966. the water was flowing swiftly

D 47 46 6 RAR 48 11 Platoon: 15 Missing In Action 49 68 68 N Niu Dat 2 THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT D B Coy moving to D Coy B- 67 Suoi Da Bang 47 47 6 RAR APCs & A/6 RAR advancing 44 5 67 Rubber Plantation Scale: approx 1000 metre grid 48 Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 49 MAP 13: D COMPANY CONCENTRATED: THE MAIN ENCIRCLING MOVES - 1800 -1830 hrs, 18 AUG ’ 66 Reduced 6 RAR HQ Group in APCs following

48 D 11 Platoon: 15 Missing In Action 6 RAR 68 68 Niu Dat 2 N Composite Section 11 Platoon 7 & 8 Sections, 12 Platoon 9 Section, CAP CHQ & 12 Platoon FOO CHQ Section 1, 2 & 3 sections, 10 Platoon Approx. 100 metres THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT 67 D 445 Battalion moving to “close the door” on the Australian position. This force was contacted and negated by the APC Relief Column (1845 hrs). 67 Rubber Plantation Scale: approx 1000 metre grid Copyright Dave Sabben 2002 48 MAP 14: D COMPANY DISPOSITION IN THE FINAL STAGES OF THE BATTLE - 1830 - 1900 hrs, 18 AUG ’ 66

THE 12 DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE 3 INDO-CHINA WARS THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY DAVE SABBEN WHO RETAINS COPYRIGHT © ON CREATIVE CONTENT presented by DAVE SABBEN MG 05 – Long Tan Questions?

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THIS SLIDE THE FINE PRINT THE “COMMERCIAL” This Powerpoint show is copyright to Dave Sabben but is freely available for any non-profit use. It may be downloaded free from Dave’s website: www sabben com As at 2011, Dave Sabben leads one tour per year (second half of October) to visit some of the areas of Australian/ANZAC operations of 1966 -1971. The highlight of these tours is to walk the Long Tan battlefield with Dave (a platoon Commander in that battle). The walk takes about 4 hours – about the time of the battle – so the group goes to all the key locations of the battle and hears about what happened pretty much in “real time”. It was prepared for presentation to those who join his Decisive Battlefields and Long Tan Trek Tours of Viet Nam (see green panel for the “commercial”) as introductions for the various battles. Because the shows are live presentations, much more is in the narrative than is included in the text on the slides. The shows are intended to be introductions and overviews – not detailed expositions or analyses. Views and conclusions are the author’s and are not offered as the only possible or even as fully comprehensive views. For further enquiry into these tours, please visit: http: //www sabben com/longtantrek/ and select VN%20 Long%20 Tan%20 Trek%20 Tours. html or VN%20 Decisive%20 Battlefields%20 Tours. html http: //www. sabben. com/contact%20 us. html As well as the once –a-year-in-October tours, Dave can arrange a similar tour at any time of year for a group of 20 or more. Dates, durations, standards of accommodation, inclusions etc will be all your call. Please contact Dave (with numbers and preferences) at http: //www. sabben. com/contact%20 us. html THIS SLIDE AND PRESENTATION WAS PREPARED BY An optional extension to the Long Tan Trek Tour takes in the main DAVE SABBEN US battles of northern South Viet Nam including Da Nang, Hue, the DMZ (including Khe Sanh) and the A Shau Valley (Hamburger Where possible, permissions have been WHO obtained to RETAINS use maps or COPYRIGHT © Hill), then visits both Hanoi (‘Hanoi Hilton’, War Museum) and photos but some have been used without specific permission. the Dien Bien Phu valley (both Viet Minh and French positions). Copyright holders who want their material either not used or ON CREATIVE CONTENT credited, please contact Dave Sabben at Anyone wishing to make an anonymous donation towards the cost and time of putting this show together is invited to make a donation of any amount to (Australian) Westpac bank account BSB# 733 000, Account# 853 546 (branch = 360 Collins St, Melbourne), or (Australian) CBA bank account BSB# 063 550, Account# 1024 7640 (branch = Hampton, Victoria), either account in the name of David Sabben. Note that these are “battlefield-oriented” tours – they do NOT go to the popular tourist sites. “Tourist” tours can be added before or after. If passing this slide show to others, please don’t remove this slide.