Searching for info on Australian Infantry tactics during the vietnam war.

[Denmark]

Hi All

Nice to be here at Defense Talk..

I am currently reading a book by Col. Hackworth who ended up running a battalion during the Vietnam war. He mentions on several occasions how he arrange cross training for his junior leaders with the 1st RAR. Should any of you know where to find a good book, rapports, lessons learned etc. on "Australian jungle warfare tactics - Vietnam style" - I would appreciate it very much. (Just for the record! - Any restricted materials that belongs to the Australian Government should not be sent around the Internet - thanks!)

 

[Bonza]

Hi All

Nice to be here at Defense Talk..

I am currently reading a book by Col. Hackworth who ended up running a battalion during the Vietnam war. He mentions on several occasions how he arrange cross training for his junior leaders with the 1st RAR. Should any of you know where to find a good book, rapports, lessons learned etc. on "Australian jungle warfare tactics - Vietnam style" - I would appreciate it very much. (Just for the record! - Any restricted materials that belongs to the Australian Government should not be sent around the Internet - thanks!)

Although I haven't read it myself, this book might be the sort of thing you're looking for.

Delta four: Australian riflemen in ... - Google Books

 

[Denmark]

Looks like an interesting piece of reading.. Thanks

Any more out there - let me know.. thanks.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Any restricted materials that belongs to the Australian Government should not be sent around the Internet - thanks!)

anyone dealing with Restricted or other classified levels certainly won't even be discussing them - let alone promoting it on the internet.

Gary Mackay is a good source though, he was there, and has written a number of books.

Also, do some research on Australian SASR and Australian military working dogs for other perspectives...

 

[xjtomjx]

Just finished reading In action with the sas by david horner. Chapters 11 to 16 deal with the sas in vietnam and how they were deployed with alot of info on how various australian infantry units were used aswell. Also has background info onhow alot of patrolling tactics were developed in borneo against the indonesians around 1965.

In Action with the SAS - Google Books

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Chino]

deleted

 

[gf0012-aust]

.............keep firing "to provide suppressive or exploratory fire, to establish psychological dominance over the enemy, to pin the enemy and prevent his movement, and to provide covering fire to support friendly movement."

hence the danger and folly of looking and analysing war by the use of stats - and out of context (McNamaras problem)

it should have been patently obvious as to why rounds were being used in volume - all they had to do was talk to platoon leaders and the teams on their initial debriefs. They would have been told the same. (In fact if they looked at the info being pulled from the AATTV then they would have seen that some of Petersens basic engagement patterns were to use volley and intermittent burst as a part of domination.

 

[Denmark]

..info being pulled from the AATTV then they would have seen that some of Petersens basic engagement patterns were to use volley and intermittent burst as a part of domination.

Never heard of such "engagement patterns" - info available anywhere?

Thanks for all the info so far.. Please keep 'em coming.

Have bought several books for now - and since I'm not "minister of finance" of the house, I will read these first..

Should any of you have cached up on the subject, I would recommend "Australian military operations in Vietnam" by Albert Palazzo. It's part of the Army History Unit, Canberra, and write for members of the Australian Army with focus on leadership, command, strategy, tactics, lessons and personal experience of the war.

 

[Abraham Gubler]

I am currently reading a book by Col. Hackworth who ended up running a battalion during the Vietnam war. He mentions on several occasions how he arrange cross training for his junior leaders with the 1st RAR. Should any of you know where to find a good book, rapports, lessons learned etc. on "Australian jungle warfare tactics - Vietnam style" - I would appreciate it very much. (Just for the record! - Any restricted materials that belongs to the Australian Government should not be sent around the Internet - thanks!)

Hackworth was probably referring to the practice of Australian infantry to patrol heavily in the jungle to dominate it. Compared to the US practice of brief sweeps to and from bases.

The Australian Army also placed a lot of emphasis on infantry section (squad) and palatoon tactics and techniques to retain control over soldiers fire and movement in the very close terrain of the jungle. This being based on experience going back to WW2.

Australian units were also intensely trained in jungle warfare as a whole unit before rotating to Vietnam for a year. If I remember Hackworth's book correctly he also commanded an infantry training school and hid himself as astudent amongst his first class to see the level of training. The final exercise was everyone sitting around a bonfire at night talking crap in the middile of the North American winter. These 'trained' infantryman would then be sent as individual replacements straight into Vietnam.

 

[Denmark]

thanks alot..

I think the book you'r referring to is 'About Face' by Hackworth. An 800-something pages wall, so not quit there yet

"The final exercise was everyone sitting around a bonfire at night talking crap in the middle of the North American winter" .. hmm seems kind of..wrong?

From what you are mentioning, it sounds like what was introduces by Col. Hackworth taking over the 4th Battalion /39th Infantry, after his co-author work on "The Vietnam Primer". During this period he introduced several "Australian inspired" tactics. Called jitterbugging, Bushmaster and Checkerboard Operations, they all had an American twist to them with extended use of helicopters.

Interesting book for anyone who is in to this: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Steel-Soldiers-Hearts-Transformation-Battalion/dp/1590710029"]Here at amazon[/ame]