Visiting this site is actually the main reason why I have made return visits to the tunnels at Củ Chi as its proximity makes for a good day trip and is worthy of consideration if you are organising your own visit. For the American troops stationed in Vietnam during the war, it was a little different than today. ... sound bytes of provocative imagery the sensationalism quickly coalesces in to individual narratives of soldiers in the field. These are then sold as souvenirs to visiting tourists. . It was issued to Corporal Lex McAulay, who was with 1RAR during this period. Often, you’d find larger ‘rooms’, sections of tunnel that were big enough to crouch or kneel in, but you weren’t to know that when you first set out. Welcome former Troopers and guests! In the next few weeks I’ll take a closer look at the Cao Đài’s political and military activities as I begin a series of posts devoted to some of the French Indochina period insignia that I have in my collection. This was an operation involving over 8000 allied troops and is described in detail in Bob Breen’s book, First to Fight and in Blue Lanyard Red Banner by Lex McAulay, whose customised Australian Army lighter that he carried during the operation was featured in a previous post. Conflict: Vietnam, 1962-1975: Category: Unit: Conflict: Vietnam, 1962-1975: Unit hierarchy: Australian Army; Royal Australian Engineers; 3 Field Troop; Collection Items Related. . These Unit and Division plates appear Front and Rear on vehicles and designate the parent unit of the vehicle. Clearance teams from 3 Fd Tp began entering the network but breaching and securing the tunnels was no easy task. Captain MacGregor had previously recognised the inadequacies of the American approach and had begun training his engineers to enter and clear tunnels. Australian War Memorial Accession Number: P01595.021. The men of the 3 Field Force, an Australian combat engineering unit that served in Vietnam from 1965-1966, have made a convincing argument that they were the first allied troops to enter the tunnels. He recounts his experiences developing the ‘Tunnel Rats’ concept and service in Vietnam in an interview that was recorded for the Life on the Line podcast series, which is worth listening to. D Troop (AIR) 3/4 Cav & F Troop (Air) 4th Cav Home Page. National ANZAC Centre (Albany), Australia: Vic. We believe our total number is somewhere around 700. A pragmatic group they switched sides, giving nominal allegiance to the Emperor Bao Dai and the French, whilst still retaining anti-French sentiment. For the next 10 years members were rotated through the team for a 12-month tour of duty. Note the ear plug in the soldier’s right ear, the throat microphone and the switch in his mouth used to operate the torch strapped to his forehead. We had three tasks. Officers also spent a year in country, but only six of those months were in a troop command. The trapdoor of concrete is covered with earth and grass and saplings are grown in it so that it carefully blends in with the rest of the vegetation, and is virtually impossible to detect. The U.S. Air Force was tasked with designing a new breed of helicopter, one that could be multifunctional, and Bell Helicopter … Tran Van Bay, Army of the Republic of Vietnam ... 3 Field Troop Royal Australian Engineers, 161st Independent Reconnaissance Flight, and 1st Australian Logistical Support Company served as part of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. 21 Engineer Support Troop 1966-1972 . Australian Vietnam veterans were honoured at a "Welcome Home" parade in Sydney on 3 October 1987, and it was then that a campaign for the construction of the Vietnam War Memorial began. Australian War Memorial, Canberra. CRIMP was the battalion’s first major foray into an area which has become synonymous with the famous Củ Chi Tunnels and the pioneering ‘tunnel rat’ work carried out by its sappers. Bob Breen describes the situation in First to Fight. We seek to educate future Americans to fully appreciate the sacrifices that generations of American Soldiers have made to safeguard the freedoms of this Nation. 10 am to 5 pm daily (except Christmas Day), Get your ticket to visit: awm.gov.au/visit, Copyright Dawn patrols and downtime in America's ugliest war: One veteran's forgotten photos of Vietnam unveiled after 47 years, showing troops unaware of protests at home - … Our troop casualty rate was particularly high on that operation with only 12 out of 35 men remaining until the end… of the operation. See DA GO 38, 30 Jul 1957 for award citation. Photo: Julian Tennant, Cao Đài bishop (denoted by the “Divine Eye” embroidered onto his headpiece) waiting for the midday service at the Holy See in Tây Ninh. C Troop 3/4 Cav Home Page. Sappers from 2 Field Troop, 1 Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers (RAE), inspect the wreckage of Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter of 9 Squadron RAAF. There were snipers and small groups of Viet Cong everywhere – in and behind trees, popping up from spider holes and tunnel entrances at ground level, and scrambling away after firing quick bursts. Some of the organised full-day tours include a visit to the Cao Đài Holy See at Tây Ninh, approximately 96km northwest of HCMC as part of their package tour. Back to 'The Gun' The Organization of the Field Artillery in Vietnam . The Army rotated soldiers through Vietnam on one-year tours. The troop was working mainly in the Northern part of the Tay Ninh Province area. It was first developed by the Viet Minh in their fight against the French and in 1947 only 47 kilometers of tunnels existed, but with the formation of the Viet Cong the system expanded. The 3 Fd Tp sappers had built a mock tunnel at their base, experimented and developed clearance techniques but they were still entering somewhat untested territory when they commenced the operation. Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps. 5. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. For the first time, engineers of 3 Field Troop, Royal Australian Engineers (3 Fd Tp RAE), under the command of Captain Alexander (Sandy) MacGregor breached the network recovering large quantities of  weapons, food, equipment and documents. The title '2nd Cavalry Regiment' appeared as early as November 1966. Battlefield Vietnam - recenzja gry Recenzja 30 marca 2004, 11:11 Przed zakupieniem tego tytułu trzeba uświadomić sobie jedno – BF V jest grą nastawioną wyłącznie na multiplayer. Vietnam was "the most blatant class war since the Civil War," as James Fallows put it in his 1989 book, "More Like Us." 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; Korea: PUC (Navy) Collection: Julian Tennant, _____________________________________________________, Note that this site has NEW content posted every Sunday! Photo: Julian Tennant, Clergy entering the Cao Đài Holy See at Tây Ninh. Photo: Julian Tennant, M2 carbine and sewing machine in one of the workshop displays at the Cu Chi Tunnel theme park. The tunnel system breached by 3 Fd Tp was later discovered to consist of over 200 kilometers of tunnels in multiple levels, and included living, working and storage areas, forming part of the much larger Củ Chi tunnel complex. In the years following its establishment, the Cao Đài became increasingly active in politics and at its peak, during the French period, had a militia of around 20,000 troops under its command. expected to aid troop unit commanders and personnel engaged in research and development in this field. U.S. troop strength in Vietnam dropped to 136,500 by 31 January 1972, to 119,600 by 29 February, and then to 95,500 by the end of March. The second was to try and map the tunnel system so that we could work out its extent, and if need be, dig down to a soldier who might be trapped. The start of the year 1971 found A Troop 3/17 Air Cavalry, under the Command of Major David Russell operating out of Quan Loi, Vietnam. The “Tunnel Rats” as they would come to known, had their work cut out for them. Fought the NVA on the slopes of Nui Ba Den twice with numerous firefights in and around the area bordering the Cambodian border. This was the preferred sidearm for troops in Vietnam. It consists of a central compartment made from light brown canvas with fold-in weather flaps. Viet Cong locally made canvas haversack captured by Sapper Peter Cachia of 3 Fd Tp RAE during Operation CRIMP. Photo: Julian Tennant, Guide demonstrating a tunnel entrance at the Cu Chi Tunnels tourist park. Australian War Memorial Collection Accession Number: BLA/66/0025/VN, Weapons captured by the Australians during Operation CRIMP. The troop sailed to Vietnam aboard HMAS Sydney and arrived in Vung Tau on 11 June 1965. Shrine of Remembrance Galleries (Melbourne), Australia: Vic. As soon as 1RAR hit the LZ they came under fire from snipers hidden in underground firing positions, trenches and tunnels. Photo: Julian Tennant, Ordnance recovered from the Cu Chi area on display at the Cu Chi Tunnels tourist park. Photo: Julian Tennant, Hulk of a M41 Walker Bulldog tank destroyed by a mine during the fighting in the Cu Chi area in 1970. As late as 1970, more than a year into troop withdrawals from Vietnam, the U.S. Army was still planning to build two 474-seat movie theaters, additional handball courts, two in-ground swimming pools with bathhouses, and a recreational lake. The area was seeded with numerous booby traps. This site is dedicated to the members of Alpha Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division who served in Vietnam. Photo: Julian Tennant, The Cao Đài Holy See at Tây Ninh. Dawn patrols and downtime in America's ugliest war: One veteran's forgotten photos of The first was to investigate the tunnels as fully as possible to discover what they were being used for. Plan on being there! Vietnam - Vietnam - The conquest of Vietnam by France: The decision to invade Vietnam was made by Napoleon III in July 1857. Photo: Julian Tennant, Cu Chi Tunnel park workers making ‘Ho Chi Minh sandals’ in an open air workshop. In 1933, the Cao Đài commenced construction of its main cathedral, the Holy See, which is described in Graham Greene’s book, The Quiet American as “a Walt Disney fantasia of the East, dragons and snakes in technicolour.”. Australian War Memorial Accession Number SHA/65/0220/VN, Truckloads of Viet Cong documents were captured by troops of 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), when they unearthed a huge tunnel complex in the area known as Ho Bo Woods, north-west of Saigon, in Operation Crimp. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army used a personnel rotation policy that at first blush defies military logic. In the field OSS and TSS combined to form the Regimental A2 Echelon. The team was withdrawn from Vietnam and disbanded on 19 Dec 1972. Troop strength in Vietnam peaks and the draft accelerates. Photo: Kenneth Ray Blanch. Personally, I think that the visitor parks are somewhat over-rated in terms of education or real historical value, but for a visitor with an interest in the military history of Vietnam they are worth visiting, just to check them out. There was a straight drop then it doubled back up, like the U-bend under a sink. Col. Robert D. Heinl, Jr., (Ret. The tunnels at Bến Dược are smaller attracting fewer visitors than the Bến Đình site which is closer to Ho Chi Minh City and is more popular with the multitude of tour groups offering the Củ Chi ‘experience’. Diggers (Australian soldiers) noticed the ominous wires and saw shells and bunches of grenades dangling from trees and clumps of bamboo. The People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong claimed victory. Air Troop: 194 personnel, 9 … People Honours and Awards (1) Roll of Honour (1) Collections Digitised Collection (1) Heraldry (9) Share this page We pay our respects to elders past and present. The printed matter was taken by army intelligence for analysis, and Cachia was allowed to keep the haversack and lighter. Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps. 3 Field Troop (14 September 1965 - 31 March 1966) 1 Field Squadron (1 April 1966 - 18 November 1971) 21 Engineer Support Troop (1 April 1966 - 9 December 1971) Det 55 Advanced Engineer Stores Squadron (1 April 1966 - 16 February 1968) Det 55 Engineer Workshop & Park Squadron (17 February 1968 - … A Changing War (1969-1970) November 10, 2011. When the sappers blew the anthill, a tunnel was discovered leading away from the position. The third, once we discovered what a treasure trove the tunnels were, was to recover everything we could – weapons, equipment and paper – all of which was invaluable for the intelligence boys. Photo: Julian Tennant, Booby trap display at the Cu Chi Tunnels theme park. I served with 3/22nd, 25th Infantry Division out of Tay Ninh as an infantryman. During the Vietnam War, ANZUS troops uncovered a great number of enemy tunnels while patrolling or conducting larger operations. . It’s pantheon of deities includes Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Joan of Arc, Sun Yat Sen and Victor Hugo amongst others. Nor was there an opportunity for a 7-day recovery period between operations. Some of these units included: 3 FD TP, 17 CONST SQN, 1 FD SQN, 21 EST, DET 55 AESS 198 WKS SECT, MC GP, DET 30 TERM SQN, DET 32 SMALL SHIPS, 1 ACLU, Various HQ Units. Once you’d negotiated the tight entrance and the U-bend, you had to crawl along tiny passages, rubbing your shoulders on each side of the tunnel, on all fours, with no way of turning around if you got into trouble. The straps are of light brown canvas 60 mm wide tapering to 12 mm wide. During the six days that 3 Fd Tp spent on Operation CRIMP, the sappers had investigated tunnels for 700m in one direction and another 500m across that line, recovering truckloads of documents and equipment, including photographs of the Viet Cong’s foreign advisors.