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The order of battle of Australian forces during the Vietnam War consisted of a small group of military advisors from 1962, but grew to include an infantry battalion based in Bien Hoa in 1965. This force was then replaced by a two- and later three-battalion task force with supporting arms based at Nui Dat which operated primarily in Phuoc Tuy Province between 1966–71, with logistic elements at Vung Tau. Airforce units committed initially consisted of transport aircraft, but were followed by helicopters and later bombers, while naval forces included destroyers and transport vessels. With the size of Australian forces in Vietnam reaching a peak in early 1968, a drawdown commenced in late 1970, with the bulk withdrawn by early 1972. The last elements returned to Australia in 1973. In total, around 50,000 Australians served during the Vietnam War, including 42,437 members of the Australian Army, 3,310 from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and 4,443 from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), with casualties including 519 killed and 2,348 wounded.
References
- Citations
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Manera 2003, p. 19.
- 1 2 3 Ekins & McNeill 2012, p. 1056.
- ↑ Wilson, Horsley & van der Hoek 2005, p. 13.
- ↑ "Service in Vietnam". Compensation and Support Policy Library. Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- Works consulted
- Ekins, Ashley; McNeill, Ian (2012). Fighting to the Finish: The Australian Army and the Vietnam War, 1968–1975. The Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948–1975. Sydney: Allen & Unwin in association with the Australian War Memorial. ISBN 9781865088242.
- Manera, Brad (2003). "The Last Slouch Hats in Vietnam". Wartime (23): 19. ISSN 1328-2727.
- Wilson, E.J.; Horsley, K.W.; van der Hoek, R. (2005). The Third Australian Vietnam Veterans Mortality Study. Canberra: Department of Veterans' Affairs. ISBN 1920720405.