Australian in Vietham

[Ozzy]

I and my friends we are engaged in reconstruction of the Australian units in Vietnam, somebody can can answer, whether the Australian soldiers on the form carried any emblems and patchs, except for ranks and "rising sun", for example emblems of battalions on the jangle hat how it was done by the British soldiers in Malaya?
Beforehand thanks!

[digrar]

Some Battalions wore 'fourbie" (white weapon cleaning cloth with a red stripe every 10cm) threaded through the bands in their bush hats for recognition.
We aren't real big on patches on our uniforms. Especially out bush. A name tag and rank insignia would be about the most a digger would wear.
I have seen pictures of Cav blokes wearing their black berets and silver armoured corps badges in the field in Vietnam. I think that would be rare though.
On parade at Nui Dat (also a rare occurance) the boy's would wear their slouch hats with their corps badge on the upturned brim (where we now wear the rising sun badge) with no badge on the Pugaree (where we now wear the corps badge).

[grendel]

Here's a few sites available on the web:

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-conflicts-periods/vietnam/0-vietnam-cat-index.htm

http://www.hotkey.net.au/~marshalle/

http://www.aattv.iinet.net.au/index.html

Good Luck! woot

[marktigger]

new book comming out

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/title_detail.php/title=S7026
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/title_detail.php?title=S7026&view=spread

[Geezah]

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Vietnam/index.htm

Check this site out it has a whole bunch of good info.

[Dave the Dawg]

A couple more:

RAR arriving at Tan Son Nhut Airport, Saigon:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/allied/images/p11.jpg

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/allied/images/p13.jpg

Civic Action Team member:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/allied/images/p15.jpg

RAR soldier and banana plant:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/allied/images/p16.jpg

Humping the pig in Hoa Long:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/allied/images/p20.jpg

Another 60-gunner:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Vietnam/allied/images/p21.jpg

[Ozzy]

Thanks all who has responded!
The majority references is known to us, book Osprey, I as one of artists of this publishing house has already ordered.
Can at somebody there is a private information on this theme. A lot of interesting contains in memoirs of the present participants of war.
To a word, at many causes the big surprise participation of Australians in war in Vietnam...
And what, they there were at war?...
Yes! For that moment they were considered as the best experts on war in jungle....
Strange, first time about it.

Somebody can knows, such TV-serial was, young Nicole Kidman there was still removed, on a plot its brother was at war in Vietnam. How this film refers to?

Once again thanks all who has responded!

[ßå$tĮТHÏ¿ð]

I was researching Vietnam awhile ago, threw my research/word of mouth I was told that some Australian unit's used "Tigerstripe" camoflauge.
Apparently from what I've heard (no qoutes please) that most Australians also "painted" there gear also to match the Tigerstripe. One friend has told me he was serving in the Navy at the time, he seen many Australians totally decked out head to toe in Tigerstripe.

Any information/links/pictures would be greatly appreciated, as this has been something I've been searching around for a long time.

[digrar]

The two units that would have used tiger stripe or othetr variations of cams would be the SASR and the AATTV (Australian Army Training Team Vietnam or the team). But it would be fair to say that these blokes would be wearing it on a case by case basis and that it wouldn't be a standard uniform for the whole unit.
Most SASR pics I have seen, have had the boy's in greens both in camp and out on patrol, but with some blokes wearing tiger stripe or other variations of cams in the bush.
The AATTV blokes generally worked by themselves with their indigenous troops, so had fairly flexable dress standards.

Australia had a few reasons to go into Vietnam. We had just got rid of the Japanese from around our northern islands in the last 20 years and had spent the last 15 years fighting the communists in Korea, Malaya and Borneo. We were concerned about the security consequences for our island neighbors to our North (Malasia, Indonesia, Singapore), so fighting the communists coming down through Vietnam wasn't a big stretch in our foriegn policy.
As with our commitment to the current war on terror we were also keen to help the Americans. While our military commitment was small it still showed the flag politically.

Try the Australian War Memorial Site for photos, they have a large data base of photos, their address is http://www.awm.gov.au/
This page is dedicated to the AATTV http://www.aattv.iinet.net.au/album.htm

[ßå$tĮТHÏ¿ð]

Thanks digrar, that cleared up alot. I knew there was some but I didnt know exactly who had them. I didnt see much instances of "painted" gear, must of only been a few soldiers that did it.

Thanks woot

[marktigger]

the Nicole Kidman series is called vietnam

[fantassin]

There was a very good "Time Life" book on the subject called:

"Vietnam: the australian experience" by John Rowe, published in 1987 by Time Life Australia. Black cover with a 60 gunner on the cover and 100s of very good pics.

Another good book with pics of diggers in Tiger Stripes is "The team' about the AATTV in Vietnam; forgot the name of the author though...

[digrar]

Just finished re-reading a book by Terry O'Farrell who was a SASR trooper during his first tour of Vietnam and a patrol comander in his second tour (ended up being RSM of the unit). He commented that during his first tour the tiger stripe was worn by only a couple of blokes in the squadron.

[marktigger]

Digar what's your opinion on
'Crossfire' and 'Trackers' by Peter Haran
and
'Hit My Smoke'

read all 3 in Iraq and thought they were superb putting the Aussies in vietnam in a good light.

[BiZ]

Re: Camo uniforms.

AATTV- Were to my knowledge "issued" tiger-stripe, not by the Aus Army but by the Yanks so all officers were wearing standard uniforms and could be recognised from standard troops.

SASR- were not officially issued camo, and I remember reading somewhere that the top brass were against it and painting gear/weapons and memos regarding such were issued (and sensibly ignored). Weapons that were painted were kept in country and passed on to the incoming rotation of troops.

SASR troopers "aquired", begged, borrowed and bought tiger stripe and US "leaf" pattern camo from the yanks, but weren't issued any, let alone non SF Aussie troops getting any fancy camo gear.

[digrar]

Trackers and Crossfire are both good reads MT. I haven't read Hit My Smoke though.
I found the books very familiar, (even though I served 30 years after the authors) as I was in the same regiment and I was also in recon and a visual tracker. The more things change the more they stay the same I suppose.
Dogs and Peter have written another book called Flashback which follows half a dozen blokes through their tour and the resulting PTSD and other problems they face due to their service.

I think that because we haven't put more than 3 Battalions into the field at once since WWII we haven't been able to show how good we are to the rest of the world.

[marktigger]

since WW2

let me see Korea,Malaya,Borneo,Brunei,Vietnam,Various 'Humanitarian' Ops in Thailand, UN Duties across the world, CMF Rhodesia,Various Humanitarian ops, Timoor, Op Desert Fox,GW2.

Digar i'd say for an army the size of the Oz army thats fairly good going. And the Digger always has a good reputation for both his military, technical and personal skills no matter where he/she goes.
I know that on Commonwealth exchanges you and the Kiwi's are very highly though of.

[guitarwolf]

Has anyone seen an Australian movie called The Odd Angry Shot (1979)? I think it's about the Aussie SAS in Vietnam based on a memoir.
The SEAL who writes the SPECWAR comic recommended it
as a movie that gets tactics right.

[Ngati Tumatauenga]

That movie is all good.

"..All right what are your names"

" Grey,Green, Brown and Okeover"

Good mini-series from the late 80's called 'Sword of Honour'. About a couple of Duntroon grads who serve a tour. Good contact scenes.

[DANJANOU]

Has anyone seen an Australian movie called The Odd Angry Shot (1979)? I think it's about the Aussie SAS in Vietnam based on a memoir.

The movie is extremely well done. One of the best "war movies" available. Very low key, with some of the most realistic filmed patrolling sequences (drills etc) I've seen in a movie. Kind of hard to find but worth the effort.

[RoBBo]

it was just re-released on dvd about 3 months ago so you should be able to find it at most blockbuster's.

[Ozzy]

Guys,
Prompt the exact data of these films: the name, date of an output, the director?
Very much it would be desirable to get... Can eat on the Internet what nibud a resource?

[digrar]

The Odd Angry Shot
Staring:
Graham Kennedy
John Hargraves
John Jarratt
Bryan Brown
Graeme Blundell
And as the driver of the mail car my first CSM WO Geoff Bain.

Directed by Tom Jeffrey
Director of photography Don McAlpine acs
Screenplay by Tom Jeffrey
Adopted by the novel The Odd Angry Shot, by William Nagel
Produced by Tom Jeffrey and Sue Milliken
Produced by Samson productions pty ltd in association with Australian Film Commision and the New South Wales Film Corporation.

Samson Productions pty ltd 44 Liverpool St Paddington N.S.W. Australia




"In closing I would just like to say that this is the most well constructed wanking machine I have ever seen."
"Hooray for Padre, Hooray at last, Hooray for Padre he's a wankers arse."

[digrar]

Just found this other address on the video cover.
Tru-Value Entertainment P/L
PO Box 723
Campsie NSW
2194

Ph (02)9718 8555

[RoBBo]

if ur interested in getting it to buy go to your local blockbuster, i work at one and the film is rarely rented so most would either sell it off to you or order one in for you.

[DANJANOU]

Figures I first saw it in the 1980's and when I decided to get a copy for my collection it took some doing. Special order from a video store, several weeks to arrive and more money then I should have had to pay for it.

If it's that easy to get now maybe I'll update to a DVD version.