1968 Vietnam War

OPERATION lAWLEY

22 - 23 December '67

Operation Lawley was the first operation in which part of the company participated. This was a Battalion cordon and search of the village of Ngai Giao situated on Route 2 north of the task force base. While the fly-in was in progress, a road convoy carrying the Screening Centre and 2 Platoon W Company moved to the area by Route 2. The convoy was protected by the Cavalry Squadron which also had the task of securing Route 2 during the air lift. By nightfall on 22 December the village was successfully cordoned and the villagers were informed by voice aircraft what was happening. 2 Platoon provided protection for Battalion Headquarters and the Screening Centre. 1,218 persons were screened and 93 were detained, mainly for minor misdemeanours such as identity card irregularities. 2 Platoon returned to Nui Dat late afternoon on 23 December.

horseshoe

28 December '67 - 11 February '68

W Company deployed to the Horseshoe by road convoy on 28 December 1967 to relieve V Company, leaving a small rear party in Nui Dat. V Company moved out from the Horseshoe on foot to the south east to conduct operations in the Long Green. This was part of Operation Forrest which was being conducted by the battalion to the north and east of the Horseshoe. The other companies had many contacts with the Viet Cong who were obviously redeploying for the Tet offensive. Operation Forrest concluded on 5 January and the battalion, less W Company, redeployed on 10 January for Operation Duntroon, conducted in the north west corner of the Phouc Tuy Province. Meanwhile W company continued operations from the Horseshoe. The Horseshoe was a fully developed Fire Support Base, on a low volcano-like feature on the northern edge of the village of Dat Do and it provided a grand stand view of the activities that took place in the surrounding villages during our time on the Horseshoe.

It contained bunkers for a rifle company, a mortar section, an artillery battery, and two M108s (Self Propelled 105mm Guns). One small rocket was fired into the Horseshoe during the height of the offensive but caused no casualties or damage. While there the Company conducted patrolling, ambushing, check point duties, specialist and co-operation training with supporting arms. During platoon and section patrolling in the Horseshoe Area of Operations (AO) there were several clashes with the enemy resulting in one enemy being killed, three surrendering and one being captured. Several other enemy were wounded in clashes but attempts to follow blood trails were unsuccessful. During this period Corporal G. Hoerara was killed and another soldier wounded when an anti-personnel mine was detonated by a patrol. Shortly after we lost George was the beginning of the Tet Offensive which we could see much of in the province from the Horseshoe.

Because of other operations in progress, an artillery battery was not available at the Horseshoe so night activity was restricted to Mortar illuminating range. With usual Kiwi ingenuity, the Hygiene NCO (John Colemen) managed to get the M108s running again after being immobilised for many months. Ad-hoc gun crews were formed from mortarmen, and ex armoured and artillery members of the company to provide direct artillery support to patrols outside the Horseshoe. With a little experimentation and some on-the-job training, two guns were soon in action thus allowing patrols to go out further from the base. Much to the amazement of the Artillery Regimental Headquarters an "unknown battery" at the Horseshoe sought permission each night to register targets and fire H and I Programmes (Harassing and Interdiction). It was not surprising that when a field battery finally arrived at the Horseshoe "someone" had used all their ammunition! On the 11 February the Company was relieved by C Company and returned to Nui Dat, only to deploy on operation Coburg the following day.

operation coburg

12 - 24 February '68

Long Binh-Bien Hoa complex (near Saigon). W Company was initially placed under operational control of 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment for reconnaissance in force operations. The preceding week had seen the commencement of the 1968 Tet Offensive and the task force were deployed across enemy exfiltration routes from the Bien Hoa areas which had been under heavy attack during Tet. During this operation the Company had three contacts, the most significant on 15 February was with 12 to 15 Viet Cong. Two Viet Cong were killed, one wounded, and a weapon and pack recovered, with no friendly casualties. However, a day earlier, a member of the Company returning from patrol was wounded by friendly fire as he approached the company base through thick undergrowth.

operation pinnaroo

27 February - 24 March '68

From the 27 February to 23 March 1968 W Company was engaged in Operation Pinnaroo. This was initially a battalion sized clearing task but grew into a task force operation. It involved a clearing operation in the village of Long Dien and then a search and destroy action in the Long Hai hills. This operation was launched with only four to five hours notice based on information that the Viet Cong were occupying part of the village. Along with the rest of the battalion, W Company was moved by assault helicopters to surround Long Dien. Although there were signs that the Viet Cong had been in the village before the assault took place (a Viet Cong check point was observed from a helicopter), they had fled or hidden before the blocking positions had been established.

By the 29th the village had been swept without result. The battalion was then ordered to conduct patrols to the south and east, between the village and the Nui Da Dung hills. The 1st of March was an active day for W Company. A group of 20 Viet Cong were contacted and after helicopter gun ships were called in they withdrew with unknown results. Later there were two mine incidents resulting in the wounding of seven members of W Company. On 4 March, the Company and a squadron of armour conducted a cordon and search of Tam Phouc village with limited intelligence results obtained from the screening of all villagers. A further soldier was wounded by a mine during the cordon and subsequent search of a house. On 8 March, while establishing an overnight company base, a group of 20 Viet Cong crossed the open ground in front of the company perimeter and were engaged with artillery and small arms fire with unknown results. The following night five enemy approached the company position resulting in three being killed and two taken prisoner. Another two contacts occurred on the 12th with two small groups of Viet Cong. These actions resulted in two Viet Cong being killed and at least one seriously wounded. Following up on a blood trail led to the location of an enemy platoon sized camp which had just been vacated. Patrolling continued with another member of the Company being wounded by an enemy mine. The Company returned to Nui Dat on 24 March, only to re-deploy the next day on Operation Ashgrove Tram.

operation ashgrove tram

25 - 26 March '68

This was a traditional battalion cordon and search of the village of Xa Long Hai situated at the foot of the Long Hai mountains south of Nui Dat. W Company flew in by helicopter as part of the cordon and some companies moved by road. It was believed that the Viet Cong had been driven from the Long Hai mountains by Operation Pinnaroo and had sought refuge in the village. The operation resulted in the apprehension of 9 Viet Cong suspects, the detaining of 80 persons with ID Card irregularities and the arrest by the Vietnamese authorities of 106 draft-dodgers or soldiers absent without leave.

The Company returned to Nui Dat on the night of the 26th, where it conducted local patrols around the base area until 6 April, when it was deployed on Operation Cooktown Orchid.

operation cooktown orchid

1 - 23 April '68

Cooktown Orchid was a series of concurrent company group operations conducted generally in the area of the Long Hai mountains and surrounding the Horseshoe. Initially, on 6 April, W Company participated in Cooktown Orchid IV with C Squadron, 1 Armoured Regiment. This was a mounted reconnaissance in force in the Long Green area. Only one contact was made with a small enemy party but 14 Viet Cong camps were destroyed and a quantity of equipment captured by the time the operation concluded on 9 April. On 10 April the Company commenced Operation Cooktown Orchid V.

The aim of this operation was to destroy the mines in the minefield between the Horseshoe and the sea, using a Centurion Tank towing a heavy platform. A Troop of the Armoured Squadron, elements of the Cavalry Squadron and an Engineer Combat Team were placed under command of W Company. During the occupation of a night harbour on 10 April three members of W Company were wounded by a mine or booby trap. Clearing the mines commenced on 11 April but was terminated later in the day because of extensive damage to the tanks. While closing the gaps in the minefield on 12 April a mine, only recently laid by the Viet Cong, was detonated and killed Pte Awatere of 1 Platoon and wounded five others. The armoured group dispersed on 13 April and W Company participated in a cordon and search of a village on 14 April (13 suspect Viet Cong were detained), and then returned to Nui Dat late on that day to conduct local patrols.

On 18 April W Company relieved C Company on Operation Cooktown Orchid I - land clearing with bulldozers in the jungle area along the northern slopes of the Long Hai mountains. The platoons provided protection for the engineers and conducted active patrolling either side of the cut. A number of new and old camps were destroyed and a large quantity of small arms ammunition and other equipment was recovered.

On the 22 April W Company was relieved by the Task Force Reinforcement Unit, and returned to Nui Dat.

campaign toan thang

25 April - 10 May '68

The 1st Australian Task Force joined this allied campaign when the US Headquarters III Corps requested assistance to counter an expected Viet Cong offensive against Saigon and the large military installations of Long Binh and Bien Hoa. W Company was placed under operational control of the Task Force Headquarters and was given the task of an airmobile assault to secure Fire Support Base Hunt, then to co-ordinate its local defence. The Task Force deployed into the area on 26 April but the offensive failed to eventuate. On the 29 April and 1 May the Company conducted an APC mounted clearing operation of the rubber plantation south-west of "Hunt", with little success.

As all was quiet, a new operation was planned for the Task Force to sweep south towards Nui Dat but after only three days patrolling the US III Corps again asked for assistance and all companies were air-lifted back north to Fire Support Base Anderson for ambushing on likely approach routes to the Bien Hoa complex. After a further five days patrolling and night ambushing outside Fire Support Base Anderson, with very few contacts, the battalion returned to Nui Dat on 10 May, where the Company conducted local patrols and retraining.

From the 20th to 23rd of May W Company joined C Company to protect an engineer land clearing operation near Ap Soui Nghe (Operation Toolong), then returned to Nui Dat for the preparations for the departure of 2 RAR and the settling in period for 4 RAR. The opportunity was also taken for many of the Company to take their seven days "R and R" leave out of theatre.

OPERATIONS LAWLEY - TOAN THANG