The Battle of Long tan Long tan is located in Vietnam and the battle , which was fought on the 18th of August 1966, was during the Vietnam wars where allied American, Australian and New Zealand forces fought against North Korean and Viet Cong forces at a rubber plantation. The allied forces , led by Major Harry Smith, were completely outnumbered with only 108 soldiers against the Vietnamese combined forces, led by Nguyen Thanh Hong , Nguyen Thoi Bung and Bui Quang Chanh which totalled between 1500-2500 men. Despite being completely outnumbered the allied D company and the 6RAR company managed to hold off and defeat the Vietnamese forces. This may have been largely due to the allied forces being able to hold off the Vietnam forces long enough for A and B company to show up with artillery which was used to bombard the Vietnamese positions. The battle was long and well fought but after the allied ammunition and artillery showed up and started to decimate the Vietnamese forces the Vietnamese ordered a ceasefire and ran away. In the end only 18 Australians were killed and 24 were wounded. the Vietnamese forces on the other hand suffered numerous more casualties due to the barrage of artillery and the result was a loss of 245 soldiers and 350 were wounded as well as 3 were captured. The forces at the battle were primarily Australians but there were a few Americans and a 3man squad of new Zealanders who were an artillery squad. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFrTA8BzX4A&w=560&h=315] The Cross of Long Tan The cross of long tan is a large cross used to remember the men who died fighting in the battle of long tan is one of only two foreign memorials that were allowed to be placed on Vietnamese soil. Erected on the 18th of July august 1969 by the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) to mark the battle ground where Long Tan took place. The cross that stood at the memorial was stolen during the communist uprising in 1975 and used to commemorate the grave of a North Vietnamese priest. it was recovered by Dai Long Province Museum in 1984. A replica was since crafted and sent to its original resting place and the real Cross travels to different museums and memorials and was recently at the Australian War Memorial. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae-uEiH57ao&w=560&h=315]
