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The '''Battle of Long Tần''' was fought in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tần, about 4 km north-east of Vung Tau, South Vietnam on August 18–19, 1966. The actual fighting lasted a few hours and came to symbolise Australia’s 10-year involvement in the Vietnam War.

The '''Battle of Long Tần''' was fought in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tần, about 4 km north-east of Vung Tau, South Vietnam on August 18–19, 1966. The actual fighting lasted a few hours and came to symbolise Australia’s 10-year involvement in the Vietnam War.

The action occurred when D (Delta) Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR), part of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF), encountered the Viet Cong (VC) 275 Regiment and elements of the D445 Local Forces Battalion. Delta Company was supported by other Australian units, as well as New Zealand and United States personnel.

The action occurred when D (Delta) Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR), part of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF), encountered the Viet Cong (VC) 275 Regiment and elements of the D445 Local Forces Battalion. Delta Company was supported by other Australian units, as well as New Zealand and United States personnel. According former VC Captain Le Tranh, D445 on the eve of the battle was only a small battalion with a strength of only 200 to 250 men.<ref>A Soldier Returns: A Long Tan Veteran Discovers The Other Side Of Vietnam, Terry Burstall, p. 142, University of Queensland Press, 1990 </ref>

 

For several weeks prior to the battle, Captain Trevor Richards' 547 Signal Troop, had tracked a radio transmitter moving south but were unsure about what unit it belonged to. Aggressive patrolling failed to find this unit.

For several weeks prior to the battle, Captain Trevor Richards' 547 Signal Troop, had tracked a radio transmitter moving south but were unsure about what unit it belonged to. Aggressive patrolling failed to find this unit.