On this day 42 years ago, one of the most significant conflicts involving Australians in the Vietnam War occurred. A group of Australian soldiers were patrolling in the area of the Long Tan rubber plantation when they encountered a large body of Viet Cong soldiers, considerably outnumbering the Australians. There was a vigorous engagement in the pouring rain, and the Australians who fought with great courage were supported by artillery fired from the Nui Dat base some five kilometres away.
The battle died down around 7pm as darkness descended, and the Viet Cong forces retreated. During the night both sides evacuated their wounded. A number of wounded Australians lay in the battlefield all night as the Viet Cong moved around them. 18 Australians had been killed in the battle and 24 wounded. The casualties suffered by the Viet Cong were many times greater.
The Vietnam war continued for several more years. The US and its allies including Australia were ultimately unsuccessful in achieving their objective of repelling communism from Vietnam. As so often seems to be the case in modern warfare, the objectives seemed reasonable at the start of the conflict, but by the end the cost far outweighed any benefit which could be gained. The current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have proved to be a lot more drawn-out and expensive than originally anticipated.