The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
New Zealand infantry troops who recently arrived in Vietnam made contact with Viet Cong during their first search and destroy operation in the Australian Task Force area of responsibility. Called operation Wellington, after the NZ city, it was a three-day shakedown mission with the Australian armoured personnel carriers of '[Able' Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, From PuckaPunyal, Victoria, lifting the Kiwi troops into the operational area and exracting them at the end. The troops of the New Zealand Company clashed with Viet Cong on the first day of the operation. In the short fight the Kiwis killed one and wounded another enemy soldier. Soon after the clash the New Zealanders captured five VC suspects who were passed on to Phuoc Tuy Province authorities for interrogation. Np other contact was made with the enemy forces and the only New Zealand casualties were a couple of heat exhaustion cases. The New Zealand sick were littered to a jungle landing zone and quickly lifted out from the area aboard medical evacuation helicopters. Operation Wellington was mounted by the NZ Company following intellience reportss of a planned Viet Cong attack on a village south of Task Force Base, Nui Dat, to coincide with Ho Chi Minh's birhtday. A VC reconnaisance officer who defected disclosed the enemy planning. He did not return to his unit as planned and it is believed the attack was cancelled for this reason. Commenting on the New Zealand troops performance in their first operation the Task Force Commander, Brigadier Stuart Graham said: "It was a good test for Victor Company in rough terrain and trying weather conditions. They came through it very well". [Identified personnel: profile of Staff Sergeant Derek Thresh NZ Public Relation cameraman filming with a 16mm Bolex H16 cine camera fitted with a Som Berthiot Pan Cinor zoom lens; Cutaway of Major John Mace of Nelson, NZ, Officer Commanding Victor Company passing information to Task Force concerning five Viet Cong suspects.]
Troops of "C" Company, 4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment - the ANZAC Battalion in Vietnam, this week found a Viet Cong base camp consisting of about 70 bunkers. The camp was capable of hold
In a 10-hour raid on a Viet Cong supply base this week Australian and New Zealand troops captured nearly 30 tons of rice - the largest rice cache ever found by the 1st Australian Task Force. They also
Australian troops and heavily-armed American helicopters clear a strategic highway area of Viet Cong to allow American vehicles to move in convoy through enemy territory. The American helicopters bom
Soldiers of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, this week received a practical lesson in Viet Cong techniques used in hiding valuable caches of rice, weapons and other equipment when they mo
Australian soldiers on continuing Operation Pinnaroo have found a Viet Cong field hospital with large quantities of equipment and medical supplies, hidden in an extensive cave complex deep in the Long
Newly arrived troops of 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, from Puckapunyal, Victoria, completed search and destroy Operation Lismore this week in which they made their first contact with Viet
