ANZAC Day
An early ANZAC Day cherio for tomorrow.
There are a lot of ANZAC legends, and stories we know well, this year I'm going to link you to one not so well known but no less legendary,
The Battle of Long Tan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_long_tan
The above documentary is long... but good. Grab a beer this ANZAC day and settle in for it if you get the chance.
It tells the story of 100 odd Aussie diggers that got ambushed by a few thousand Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars in a rubber plantation near Long Tan. They dug in and fought for their lives against human wave VC who surged at them for hours. It was only through the support of distant artillery (some Kiwi I should note) and an APC counter attack that they were somehow able to win the battle.
In the end the losses amounted to 18 Australians dead and 24 wounded, for the VC/NVA 245 dead and around 350 wounded.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. Lest we forget.
o/
4 Comments
Recommended Comments