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Post by Sir John on Jun 17, 2013 15:22:33 GMT -5
"the Country we were SUPPORTING was unable to hold their end up , they could not step up , man up , useless , utterly useless , like many Americans I detested them."
That is exactly what our grandson said about our peace loving Afghan brothers. And on top of that he did not trust them, he never knew which one holding an AK47 was planning to give him a magazine load.
Pity about the females, but let them go back to the 7th Century, and stay there.
SJ
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2013 15:42:47 GMT -5
SJ , do YOU know who was the first Country that realized the futility of the war in Vietnam ? answer is OZ . the Diggers and the 3 'Roos SAID it was a bloody gong show .
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Post by Sir John on Jun 17, 2013 15:53:09 GMT -5
I first knew that the War was 'lost' when the 'Saturday Evening Post?? (or maybe 'LIFE') announced that they had reversed their support for the war. Then I think it was Walter Cronkite did the same on US TV.
That began a total media campaign against the war. Our media did the same but quite a bit earlier. They have been anti war since Hiroshima.
SJ
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2013 17:19:38 GMT -5
The place was a logistic nightmare roads washed away during monsoon everything had too be moved by helicopter , 5400 helicopters were shot down over the 10 year period I was on two of them , pucker your lips for sure , Chinook first time huey the second , you couldn't operate tanks in the lowland don't no about the Central highland , the place would have fit right in with Flanders in the great war all mud and crap , supply convoys were 300 trucks long from Cu Chi to Saigon took all day to travel 35 miles then the trucks had to be loaded at different loading points , beer here , bullets there , condoms where ever , the Army lived on beer bullets and 'HO's .
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Post by Swampy on Jun 17, 2013 19:34:26 GMT -5
I first knew that the War was 'lost' when the 'Saturday Evening Post?? (or maybe 'LIFE') announced that they had reversed their support for the war. Then I think it was Walter Cronkite did the same on US TV. That began a total media campaign against the war. Our media did the same but quite a bit earlier. They have been anti war since Hiroshima. SJ Cronkite said that during the Tet Offensive, but that was the battle that destroyed the Viet Cong. So he was TOTALLY wrong.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2013 20:03:32 GMT -5
Most importantly the NVA got knocked on their ass , in my AO the 9th VC / NVA ID was obliterated it comprised of two VC Regiments and one NVA regiment each Regiment had about 3300 men their retreat from Saigon turned into a rout the Americans hounded them day an night nobody was taking prisoners , by the time the remnants reached safety in Cambodia they were out of the war for a long , long time .
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Post by Swampy on Jun 17, 2013 20:12:37 GMT -5
Most importantly the NVA got knocked on their ass , in my AO the 9th VC / NVA ID was obliterated it comprised of two VC Regiments and one NVA regiment each Regiment had about 3300 men their retreat from Saigon turned into a rout the Americans hounded them day an night nobody was taking prisoners , by the time the remnants reached safety in Cambodia they were out of the war for a long , long time . Exactly! But did the liberal press report it? Nooo.
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Post by Sir John on Jun 18, 2013 0:43:07 GMT -5
"but that was the battle that destroyed the Viet Cong."
It was also the battle that destroyed the allies war effort, the media made sure of that.
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Post by Sir John on Jun 18, 2013 1:34:37 GMT -5
MS,
Having a bit of a read on the British 'Centurion' tank.
This from 'Wikipedia'.
Vietnam War
In 1967, the Royal Australian Armoured Corps' (RAAC), 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) Squadron transferred to "A" Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment Vietnam. Although they successfully conducted combat operations in their areas of operations, reports from the field stated that their light-armour (M-113 ACAVs) were unable to force their way through dense jungle[18] limiting their offensive actions against enemy forces. The Australian government, under criticism from Parliament, decided to send a squadron of Australian Centurion tanks to South Vietnam.[18] The 20-pdr armed[19] Australian Centurions of 'C' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment landed in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) on 24 February 1968, and were headquartered at Nui Dat in III Corps (MR3).[20]
Colonel Donald B. Dunstan, later to be governor of South Australia, was the Deputy Task Force Commander of the Australian Forces in South Vietnam[21] Col. Dunstan had quite possibly been the last Australian to use tanks and infantry in a combined arms operation during World War II, during the Bougainville campaign. And, for the first time since World War II, Col. Dunstan would be commanding Australia's tanks and infantry in combat again.[22] When he temporarily took over command during Brigadier R. L. Hughes' absence, he directed that the Centurions be brought up from Nui Dat to reinforce the firebases at Coral and Balmoral, believing that they were a strong element that were not being used. Besides adding a great deal of firepower, Col. Dunstan stated, he "...couldn't see any reason why they (Centurions) shouldn't be there..."[23] His foresight in the coming battles enabled the 1st ATF to inflict approximately 267 enemy casualties during the six week long battle at Coral and Balmoral, as well as capturing 11 prisoners, 36 crew-served weapons, 112 small arms, and other miscellaneous enemy weapons.[24]
After the battles at firebases Coral and Balmoral, in which the 1st Australian Task Force defeated the 141st and 165th NVA Infantry Regiments[25] in May 1968; a third Centurion troop, which included two tankdozers, was formed. By September 1968 'C' Squadron was brought to its full strength of four troops, each equipped with four Centurion tanks. By 1969, 'B' Squadron, 3rd Cavalry; 'A' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment; 'B' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment; and 'C' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment, had all made rotations through South Vietnam. Originally deployed as 26 Centurion tanks, after three and a half years of combat operations, 58 Centurions had served in country; 42, of which 6 were beyond repair, suffered battle damage, and two Centurion tank crewmen had been killed in action.[18]
The Centurion crews, after operating for a few weeks in country, soon learned to remove the protective armoured side skirts from both sides of the tank, to prevent the vegetation and mud from building up between the track and the mudguards. Each Centurion in Vietnam normally carried a basic load of 62 rounds of 20 pounder shells, 4,000 rounds of .50 cal and 9,000 rounds of .30 cal machine gun ammunition for the tank commander's machine gun as well as the two coaxial machine guns.[26] They were equipped with petrol engines, which necessitated the use of an extra externally mounted 100-imperial-gallon (450 L) fuel tank, which was attached to the vehicle's rear.[19][27]
Interesting.
SJ
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2013 14:51:31 GMT -5
In 1965 the diggers were head and shoulders ahead of the American Soldier in Jungle fighting by 1967 the American was on the move our elite was the 1st Cav. ID , the 1st Cav. with all its componets was about the size of a Corps = 2divisions and every Officer and NCO who were career minded wanted to be in the Cav. .
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2013 14:59:47 GMT -5
Like to clear one thing up the VC in the 9th id were hardcore professional soldiers , not the garden verity VC in the S.Vietnam Village who was a farmer who didn't care who won , he went with the flow if the NVA was in control he was a VC if the Americans were in control he was a good guy , in other words he was flexible .
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Post by jerryfmcompushaft on Jun 18, 2013 15:00:51 GMT -5
In 1965 the diggers were head and shoulders ahead of the American Soldier in Jungle fighting by 1967 the American was on the move our elite was the 1st Cav. ID , the 1st Cav. with all its componets was about the size of a Corps = 2divisions and every Officer and NCO who were career minded wanted to be in the Cav. . Are you sure?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2013 15:12:08 GMT -5
I'm never wrong so I must be sure .
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Post by Swampy on Jun 18, 2013 15:16:43 GMT -5
I'm never wrong so I must be sure . LOL!
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Post by Swampy on Jul 1, 2013 23:33:08 GMT -5
To carry on this thread, we should have pushed north after Tet, to take some of Hanoi's southern provinces. I don't see the Chinese intervening just because we punish the NVA for their transgressions - and, of course, destroy their military infrastructure.
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