| Accession Number | VN/66/0042/06 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Negative |
| Maker |
Westbury, Gerald Wallace |
| Place made | Vietnam: South Vietnam |
| Date made | 19 August 1966 |
| Conflict |
Vietnam, 1962-1975 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
221540 Leading Aircraftman (LAC) David John (Dave) Collins, of Ainslie, ACT, hangs up a bottle of ...
Description
221540 Leading Aircraftman (LAC) David John (Dave) Collins, of Ainslie, ACT, hangs up a bottle of saline for a wounded Viet Cong (VC) prisoner about to be flown to Vung Tau. On 18 August 1966, D Company, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) fought a battle against more than 2 000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan. After fighting in torrential rain for four hours, and almost being overrun, they were supported by accurate artillery fire from the nearby Australian task force base, an ammunition resupply by two Iroquois helicopters from 9 Squadron, RAAF, and the arrival of infantry reinforcements carried by Armoured Personnel Carriers. Eighteen Australians were killed and twenty-four wounded as a result of this engagement, which became known as the Battle of Long Tan.