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Australians in the Vietnam War

Further online resources

Vietnam War 1962-1975
Australian Army War Diaries - South East Asian Conflicts
Researching Australian military service: Vietnam War
Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans

The major reference is the Official history of Australia's involvement in Southeast Asian conflicts 1948-1975 [Series of nine volumes. Individual volumes cover medical services, operations of the Army, the RAN, the RAAF and politics, society and diplomacy.]

Joan Beaumont, Australian defence: sources and statistics. Australian centenary history of defence vol. 6 (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2001). [Tables, statistics and literature reviews.]

Terry Burstall, Vietnam: the Australian dilemma (St Lucia, Qld.: University of Queensland Press, 1993). [Review and analysis of the Australian Government's rationale in entering the Vietnam War, the impact on the civilian populations and the Australia-United States relationship.]

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Viet Nam voices: Australians & the Vietnam War (Casula, N.S.W.: The Arts Centre, 2000). [Includes a diverse collection of artwork, paintings, photographs and posters created during and after the war. Also contains essays on a range of Vietnam related topics.]

John Coates, An atlas of Australia's wars. Australian centenary history of defence vol. 7 (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2001). [General maps, situation maps and maps of individual actions with explanatory text.]

Steve Eather, Get the bloody job done: the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight-Vietnam and the 135th Assault Helicopter Company 1967-1971 (St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 1998). [Account of the service of the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight. Although initially sent in as support for the Australian ground forces in Phouc Tuy, these sailors joined with members of the US Army and RNZAF to create the 135 Assault Helicopter Company which also serviced the Americans and ARVN. Includes roll of honour, short explanation of the Royal Australian Navy Detachment 9 Squadron, Unit Awards, Awards to members of the RANHFV and Nominal Roll.]

Steve Eather, Target Charlie (Weston Creek, ACT: Aerospace Publications, 1993). [Focusing on Australia's air war in Vietnam, includes a chronology of main events, account of each unit's operations, information about aircraft, honours and awards.]

Denis Fairfax, Navy in Vietnam: A record of the Royal Australian Navy in the Vietnam War, 1965-1972 (Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1980). [Includes nominal roll, detailed chronology of the RAN at war in Vietnam, Roll of Honour, honours, decorations and awards.]

Frank Frost, Australia's war in Vietnam (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1987). [A detailed account of strategy, policies and experiences of the Defence forces.]

Jeffrey Grey and Jeff Doyle, Vietnam: war, myth and memory: comparative perspectives on Australia's war in Vietnam (St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 1992). [Includes chapters on the Australian Government's commitment to Vietnam, the New Zealand stance, Vietnam in historical writing, monuments and public memory and the anti war movement.]

Peter Haran and Robert Kearney, Crossfire: an Australian reconnaissance unit in Vietnam (Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland Publishers 2001). [Personal narrative. Includes recollections of service in Vietnam juxtaposed with a more recent excursion to the Flinders' Ranges with a group of Veterans affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.]

Brian Hennessy, The sharp end: the trauma of a war in Vietnam (St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 1997). [Hennessy's personal account of his war service and experience with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.]

David Horner, Australian higher command in the Vietnam War (Canberra: Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, 1986). [Discusses the command and control of Australian forces.]

S. McHugh, Minefields and miniskirts: Australian women and the Vietnam War (Sydney: Doubleday, 1993). [The impact of the war on women who worked in Vietnam as nurses, secretaries, entertainers or consular staff, Vietnamese women, women who were victims of violence or who were involved in the protest movement.]

Gary McKay and Elizabeth Stewart, Vietnam shots: a photographic account of Australians at war (St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2002). [An illustrated history highlighting the wide range of tasks undertaken by Australians and the conditions under which they lived and operated.]

Ian McNeill, The Team: Australian Army advisors in Vietnam, 1962-1972. (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1984). [The authoritative study of the AATV written with full access to Department of Defence records as well as personal interviews. Appendices include a chronology, lists of awards, Roll of Honour and nominal roll.]

Alexander M. Palmer, Vietnam veterans: a record of service (Perth: A.M. Palmer, 1995). [Vietnam order of battle, information and statistics on awards, casualties, participation of various groups, chronology and previous operational history of those who fought in the Vietnam War.]

Alexander M. Palmer, Vietnam veterans: honours and awards, Army (Mosman Park, W.A.: Military Minded, 1995). [Alphabetically arranged listing of awards, includes citation.]

Gregory Pemberton, All the way: Australia's road to Vietnam (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1987). [Analysis of the Australia-America relationship and its culmination in the Australian participation in the Vietnam War.]

John Rowe, Vietnam, the Australian experience (North Sydney, NSW: Time-Life Books, Australia in association with John Ferguson, 1987). [Many large photographs and a thorough text. Good for background reading and school-aged researchers.]

Gerald L. Stone, War without honour (Brisbane: Jacaranda, 1966). [A journalist's account of the build-up to war in Vietnam, critical of Australian involvement. Written before the height of Australia's commitment to the conflict.]