Wartime Magazine Issue 55
Winter 2011
Vietnam: 40 years on.
The Vietnam War cats a long shadow. Australia’s longest and most divisive war shaped the outlook of a generation and shifted or perceptions of Asia.
- The last battle by Gary McKay.
The action at Nui Le in September 1971 came at a high cost. - Tilting at tin cans by Michael Cecil.
Australian armour in South Vietnam was assaulted by a clever and determined enemy. - Operation Wandering Souls by Bob Hall.
Australians are helping Vietnam locate some of its thousands of missing in action. - Ten days at the office by Don Barnby.
Going on an SAS reconnaissance patrol meant living a life of stealth and silence. - ‘A very close thing indeed’ by Ashley Ekins.
The Battle of Long Tan was Australia’s most costly battle in Vietnam. - Unique memorial – the Long Tan Cross by Ashley Ekins.
The monument has a chequered history. - Unravelling the riddles of Long Tan by Ashley Ekins.
The late Ian McNeill wrote the book on this battle; here his research in Vietnam is described by his co-author, Ashley Ekins. - She was only 19 by Elizabeth Stewart.
The death of entertainer Cathy Wayne, in Vietnam left a puzzle that has never been solved. - Got a light? By David Gist.
Inscriptions on the side of a cigarette lighter offer an insight into the views of the ordinary soldier in Vietnam. - Battle for the hearts and minds – the propaganda war in Vietnam by Ashley Ekins.
Both sides used leaflets and posters to demonise their opponents. - A soldier’s soldier by Craig Blanch.
Abandoned as a child, Ray Simpson adopted the army to become one of Australia’s greatest front-line soldiers. - Australia and the ‘New World Order’. By Robert O’Neill.
Writing an official history is a demanding task: in this review article, an eminent official historian explains why.
