Photos Aussies and Kiwi's in Vietnam

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28 May 1968. 379212 Private (Pte) John Edwin Bryant, 2786784 Pte Ian Robertshaw; and 3789749 Pte Paul Donnelly, all of 11 Platoon, 4 Section, D Coy, members of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) in a sandbagged gun pit early morning of first enemy attack on Fire Support Base Balmoral.

 

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28 May 1968. Private Chris Gilbert of Oakleigh, Vic (right), a member of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), and another soldier in a sandbagged gun pit with their M60 general purpose machine guns at Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral.

 

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28 May 1968. Front view of the gun pit after the first attack on Fire Support Base Balmoral. Shown from left to right: 3789749 Pte Paul Donnelly and 2786784 Pte Ian Robertshaw, both of 11 Platoon, 4 Section, D Coy, members of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR). Note the empty M60 general purpose machine gun shell cases on the left hand bottom of the picture, some of the approximately 8,000 rounds fired by the Australians.

 

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28 May 1968. Private (Pte) Les Coff of Dudley Park, SA (left), and Pte Robert Wells of Burnie, Tas, in their sandbagged weapon pits at Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral. Both are members of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR). Pte Coff is armed with an M16A1 5.56mm gun with a shell dressing taped to it, and Pte Wells is armed with a Self Loading Rifle (SLR). Note the section radio lying between them. This allowed sections to talk to the Platoon Commander. Both men are wearing steel helmets due to FSB Balmoral receiving rocket and mortar fire. Note also the US Army C ration tins.

 

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3RAR Radio Operators working at FSPB Balmoral. Supply by Tom Spring [May 1968]

 

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28 May 1968. Completion of the personal weapon pit which was dug by 379212 Private (Pte) John Edwin Bryant, all of 11 Platoon, 4 Section, D Coy, members of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), at Fire Support Base Balmoral.

 

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28 May 1968. Bien Hoa Province, South Vietnam. Private Ross Murie of Campbelltown, NSW (right), watches fellow 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) soldier, Private John Smith of Manning, WA, repair his bunker. The bunker was hit by enemy mortars when two North Vietnamese battalions attacked Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral, about twenty five miles north of Saigon. After the battle, which lasted for four hours, forty eight enemy bodies were found on the battlefield.

 

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Three weary soldiers rest and eat near a weapon pit at first light following an attack on Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral in north-west Bien Hoa Province on 28 May 1968. All are members of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), which had established the base only twenty four hours before the first rockets and mortars slammed into the thickly wooded area.

 

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28 May 1968. 379212 Private (Pte) John Edwin Bryant, all of 11 Platoon, 4 Section, D Coy, members of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) digging a personal weapon pit following the first North Vietnamese Army (NVA) attack on Fire Support Base Balmoral. The pit was approximately six feet (two meters) deep with 3 feet overhead cover.

 

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Dave Ellis digging in at FSPB Balmoral. Photo supplied by Gordon Robertson [May 1968]

Comment: Dave was part of the 104 Sig Sqn Radio Det working with 3RAR

 

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28 May 1968. A cheeky Private Ross Jeffrey of Launceston, Tas, wearing his sweat rag, normally worn around the neck, as a mini skirt. Private Jeffrey, a member of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), had spent the day working in the hot sun at Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral and was wearing his sweat rag in a bid to cool down. Note he is carrying his helmet.

 

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May 1968. Private Pat Raleigh of Richmond, Vic, holding a young squirrel he found while digging his weapon pit at Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral in north-west Bien Hoa Province.

 

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28 May 1968. Scene overlooking the battlefield from the sandbagged gun pit on Fire Support Base Balmoral. A M60 general purpose machine gun in the foreground, Centurion MkV/1 tank in the middle ground and the smoke rising in the background tree line is from a bomber strike.

 

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28 May 1968. A group of soldiers from 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), take a few moments to rest in a thickly wooded area following a pre-dawn strike on Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral. A heavy barrage of rockets and mortars followed by a ground attack slammed into the base and lasted for almost two hours.

 

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May 1968. Bien Hoa province, Vietnam. Members of 'A' Squadron, 3 Cavalry Regiment, relax around a campfire at their living area at Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral. One of the troopers is standing and reading a magazine (centre), while behind him and in the foreground (left) are two of the troopers' hoochies. One of the unit's M113A1 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) stands (right). (Donor G. Murray)

 

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A view of the north east sector of Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral during the final moments of the attack at dawn. Established by the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) to disrupt the approach of enemy forces towards Saigon, FSB Balmoral was attacked by three battalions of NVA on the early morning of 28 May 1968. Supported by tanks from C Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment, the attack was easily thrown back. After dawn a combined infantry/tank force consisting of D Company, 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) and C Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment carried out a reconnaissance-in-force from the FSB to follow up and destroy the force which had attacked hours previously. A MkV/1 Centurion tank, callsign 32 of 2 Troop, C Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment can be seen through the scrub at left.

 

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28 May 1968. SOUTH VIETNAM. KILLING AREA IN FRONT OF THE POSITIONS HELD BY MkV/1 CENTURION TANKS CS32 AND CS32C OF 3 TROOP, C SQUADRON, 1ST ARMOURED REGIMENT, AT DAWN, IN THE NORTH EAST SECTOR, FIRE SUPPORT BASE (FSB) BALMORAL, AS CONTACT IS BREAKING OFF.

 

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28 May 1968. SOUTH VIETNAM. VIEW TO THE NORTH WEST OF THE POSITIONS HELD BY MkV/1 CENTURION TANKS CS32 AND CS32C OF 3 TROOP, C SQUADRON, 1ST ARMOURED REGIMENT, SHOWING THE KILLING AREA FOR 26 MAY AND 28 MAY, NORTH EAST SECTOR, FIRE SUPPORT BASE (FSB) BALMORAL.

 

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28 May 1968. Scene overlooking the battlefield from the sandbagged gun pit on Fire Support Base Balmoral overlooking the rim of a B52 crater in the early morning, with the smoke haze still hangs in the air after the second attack. North Vietnamese Army (NVA) prisoners being brought in by unidentified members of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR)

 

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28 May 1968. Overlooking the battle field and slightly left of sandbagged gun pit on Fire Support Base Balmoral, in the middle is a D3 bulldozer backfilling a B52 crater containing 42North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers killed in the action.