Luke is joined by Martin Walsh, the co-writer & co-producer of ‘The Battle of Long Tan’ documentary released in 2006 and the producer of the feature film ‘Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan’ released in 2019, to share his insight into the Battle of Long Tan.

It’s another extraordinary story of bravery – On 18 August 1966, in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan, Australian soldiers fought one of their fiercest battles of the war.

The men of Delta Company, 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, faced a force of some 2000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops.

By the end of the day, 17 Australians had been killed in action and 25 were wounded, one of whom died a few days later. This was the largest number of casualties in a single operation since the Australian Task Force had established its base at nearby Nui Dat the previous April.

Although initially viewed as a defeat, the action by our soldiers was later reassessed as a strategic victory since it prevented the VC moving against Nui Dat.

A remarkable story giving us all pause to reflect today.

*The Battle of Long Tan Documentary, narrated by Sam Worthington,  is available to watch on YouTube

**Mr Walsh served in Australian Special Forces – 2 Commando Company, 1st
Commando Regiment & the Australian Army Reserve

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