Table of Contents
What was the Vietnam War like for Australian soldiers?
By the time the last Australian personnel were withdrawn in 1972, the Vietnam War had become Australia’s longest war, eventually being surpassed by Australia’s long-term commitment to the War in Afghanistan….Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War.
Australian involvement in the Vietnam War | |
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Casualties | 521 killed, ~3,000 wounded |
How were Australian Vietnam veterans treated?
For the first time in Australian history, the nation’s troops received no universal embrace when they returned home. When that long war ended for Australia in 1972, Vietnam veterans were given no welcome home march. No cheering, no bunting. Australia was finally moved to welcome home its soldiers.
What did American soldiers do in Vietnam?
There is no doubt that some American soldiers committed atrocities during the Vietnam War. In the My Lai massacre of 1968, for example, U.S. troops raided a South Vietnamese village and killed between 300 and 400 innocent civilians (see box titled “The My Lai Massacre” in Chapter 12, “Nixon’s War (1969–1970)”).
Why did Australia commit troops to the Vietnam War?
On 29 April 1965 Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced in parliament that Australia would send a battalion of combat troops to Vietnam. The decision was motivated by a desire to strengthen strategic relations with the United States and to halt the spread of communism in South-East Asia.
Why did Australia support America in the Vietnam War?
Australian support for South Vietnam in the early 1960s was in keeping with the policies of other nations, particularly the United States, to stem the spread of communism in Europe and Asia. Their arrival in South Vietnam during July and August 1962 was the beginning of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Why were Australian troops sent to Vietnam?
Why was fighting in Vietnam so difficult for American servicemen?
Explanation: Firstly most of the war was fought as a guerrilla war. This is a type of war which conventional forces such as the US army in Vietnam, find notoriously difficult to fight. The Americans, laden down with conventional weapons and uniform were not equipped to fight in the paddy fields and jungles.
What did the Viet Cong call American soldiers?
American soldiers referred to the Viet Cong as Victor Charlie or V-C. “Victor” and “Charlie” are both letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet. “Charlie” referred to communist forces in general, both Viet Cong and North Vietnamese.