161 Independent Recconaissance Flight South Vietnam January-September 1967

ARVN Fortress near Courtney Plantation that had been attacked by Viet Cong the previous night. Australian sappers rebuilding the defences of the ARVN Fort. Myself [Jim Campbell] and Engineer Captain talking to the troops. Jim Campbell on sand bag wall. Scene after attack. 54727 Ross Hutchinson 161 pilot after Jim Campbell gave him a half Mohawk haircut. Major Laurie Doyle [25621 Lawrence Gerard Doyle] the OC wasn’t real excited about this. 161 Recce Flight revetments at Nui Dat for Helicopters and Cessnas. RAAF Caribou at Nui Dat airstrip. George Constable [George Alfred Constable]. Taken July 1967 OC 161 Recce Flt. He was killed in action on 23 May 1968. Jim Campbell standing next to Luscombe Airfield sign. 7 RAR HQ position Operation Ballarat (4-16 Aug 1967). Position on hill North West of Nui Dat (Nui Nghe). Timber on the hill destroyed by air strikes, artillery and Agent Orange defoliant. Company radio operator sitting on top of hill (Nui Nghe) Operation Ballarat. Xuyen Moc township and ARVN Fort with US Army advisors. Children in Xuyen Moc. Market Place Xuyen Moc. Outside Fort at Xuyen Moc. Observation post tower at Fort Xuyen Moc. Market place at Xuyen Moc looking towards coast. US Army advisor at Xuyen Moc. Bien Hoa USAF fighter bombers. USAF Super Sabres [F-100D] returning from bombing mission. Three A-37 Cessna fighter bombers.
Two F-100D Super Sabres taking off on a bombing mission. Jim Campbell in the back seat of an F-100F Super Sabre going on a bombing mission in the Mekong Delta
Landing at Bien Hoa. USAF pilot and Jim Campbell getting out of the Super Sabre F-100F. Three 161 Indep Recce Flt pilots at Nui Dat John Wright [37498 John Trevor Right], Ross Goldspink [58680 Ross Derick Goldspink] and Kev Peacock [214641 Kevin Lyle Peacock] (deceased killed in an aircraft crash at Armidale). Tent at Nui Dat. RAEME workshop 161 Recce Nui Dat. Building tents and bunkers. USAF Sikorsky S-61 Jolly Green Giant helicopter at Nui Dat. Ross Hutchinson (161 pilot) crashed Bell Sioux helicopter near Nui Dat. Engineer Captain who was a passenger seriously injured (spinal). Return of Battalion to pick up point for return to base by US Army Iroquois helicopter. Machine gun position near road. Company providing security for Landing Zone (LZ). Pick up by Iroquois (US Army) to return Battalion to Base after mission in Long Green. September 1967 Saigon. Last day in Vietnam for Jim Campbell. Free world HQ Saigon. Saigon airport Qantas aircraft that we flew back to Australia. Sunset over Australia in Qantas aircraft. June 1968 Introduction of Pilatus Porter into Australian Army at Amberley. Pilots in Officers Mess 161 Recce Flight at Nui Dat. We were given the piano as a gift from somewhere! John Wright on piano. Ross Hutchinson, Peter Robinson [340180 Peter Mervyn Robinson], Dave McFerrier [215852 David Gordon McFerran], Jim Campbell, and US Army Major. August 1967 flying between Long Fanh and coast. Rice paddy planting. Jim Campbell flying. Horseshoe feature at Dat Do. Flooded rice paddies. ARVN. Long Phuoc Hai on coast. Fishermen off Long Phuoc Hai. US Navy patrol boat. South of Song Rai River. Bomb craters from B-52 raid south of Song Rai River in the Long Green Area. Vung Tau. Road between Vung Tau and Baria. Vung Tau airfield. Aircraft carrier. 1 ALSG Bach beach Vung Tau. Vung Tau airfield. 161 Recce Flight workshops before move to Nui Dat. 161 Indep Recce Flt pilots filling sandbags, Bob Askew [213017 Robert William Askew], Vic Salmon [19993 Victor Terrence Salmon], Chick Barron [1200008 Charles John Barron]. Bob Askew towling off. 161 Indep Recce Flight accommodation at Bach Beach 1 ALSG. Rugby game 161 versus unknown team. Pilots on the range at Bach Beach. Jim Campbell firing M-79 grenade Launcher.
Building 161 Base at Nui Dat. Vung Tau US Army helicopter. US Army helicopter Luscombe field on operations (5 RAR) Battle of Long Green. 105mm Artillery at Horseshoe feature. Artillery in centre of Horseshoe feature. Minefield between feature and Dat Do. Top of Horseshoe. Looking towards Nui Dat. .50 cal Machine Gun at Horseshoe. Mortar Platoon and Battalion HQ on operation NE of Nui Dat.
Mortar aiming post and myself with helicopter in background. Operations north of Xuyen Moc Task Force plus an American Brigade. Caribou landing at Nui Dat.
Battalion HQ on operation East of Nui Dat 7 RAR? Major Peter Smeaton [3850 Peter Colin Smeaton] cleaning rifle. South Vietnamese interpreter with 7 RAR Intelligence Officer. Mortar tracked vehicle firing. 161 Flight moving out of back beach for Nui Dat. US Army Brigade operating with Australian Task Force on the road between Dat Do and Xuyen Moc near the song Rai River. US Army Armoured Command Vehicle (ACV) that had been damaged by a mine being towed by an Armoured Recovery Vehicle (Tank) US. Replacing engine in 161 Recce Flight helicopter.
Helicopter and fixed wing revetments at 161 Recce Flt Nui Dat and workshops
USAF Hercules landing at Nui Dat. Pilots sandbagging and building accommodation tents at 161 Indep Recce Flt lines Nui Dat. Mike Meehan [55012 Michael John Meehan] helicopter pilot and Tom Guivarra [19994 Thomas William Guivarra] fixed wing pilot. Jim Campbell’s tent with landing out the front built around rubber tree.
Take off on an airmobile assault in US Army helicopters by one of the battalions from Nui Dat. Mike Meehan 161 Indep Recce Flt pilot, walking towards his Sioux. US army “B” Model gunship taking off at Nui Dat. More shots of US Army Helicopter on the airmobile assault. US Army helicopter repair ship “Corpus Christi Bay” moored in Vung Tau. Tau harbour. Jim Campbell with one of 161 Indep Recce Flt Sioux helicopters on the ship. USAF Sikorsky S-61 Jolly Green Giant helicopters at Nui Dat. USAF Forward Air Control [FAC] Cessna O-1 Bird Dog over the task force. Captain John Buck USAF – retired as a Major General. Vung Tau airfield. Damaged US Army Iroquois. US Army Iroquois, Mohawk fixed wing and Chinook helicopters.
Mike Meehan getting some repairs carried out on his helicopter at Kangaroo Pad. HQ 1 ATF. 5 RAR Battalion HQ in the field. Lieut-Col John Warr [ 3487 John Arnold Warr] CO 5 RAR with Battalion 2 IC. 5 RAR or 6 RAR on HMAS Sydney leaving Vung Tau for Australia. SAS Hill Nui Dat Captain Phil Roberts [63506 Phillip John Roberts] 161 Indep Recce Flt. View from Nui Dat of Task Force Area. Bien Hoa Saigon from 161 Sioux Choulon Saigon. 6 RAR on operations securing Horseshoe feature. CO 6 RAR Liet-Col Townsend [17000 Colin Maurice Townsend] and Battalion Intelligence Officer. Intelligence officer interrogating local apprehended north of the Horseshoe. US Army helicopters coming in to pick up 6 RAR north west of Horseshoe. Tracks bringing in 6 RAR north west of Horseshoe. Battalion HQ group 6 RAR. Sioux at base Nui Dat. Blair Weaver [1200276 Blair Munro Weaver]
Jim Campbell at 161 Recce Flt base Vung Tau Feb 1966. Vung Tau airfield. Rugby Union game Vung Tau 161 Indep Recce Flight versus unknown. US Army 175mm Self Propelled gun firing from a position at Binh Gia north of Nui Dat. I went up one day to fire at a target to the East –North East. An Australian infantry company and myself in a Sioux helicopter provided security for the move and during the days firing.