Key Facts
- Duration
- 12 May – 6 June 1968 (26 days)
- Distance from Saigon
- 40 kilometres north-east
- Australian battalions engaged
- 2 (1 RAR and 3 RAR)
- PAVN units opposing
- 7th Division plus VC Main Force units
- Fire support bases established
- FSB Coral, FSB Coogee, FSB Balmoral
Strategic Narrative Overview
From 12 May, two Australian battalions established fire support bases at Coral and Balmoral in Bình Dương Province. Poor reconnaissance left FSB Coral only partially prepared when the PAVN 141st Regiment struck on the night of 12/13 May, briefly seizing a gun position before being repulsed. Subsequent battalion- and regimental-strength night attacks on Coral (16 May) and Balmoral (26 May) were defeated by Australian firepower, including Centurion tanks rushed to reinforce the bases.
01 / The Origins
Following the Tet Offensive of January–February 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched the May Offensive to pressure the forthcoming Paris peace talks. Allied intelligence warned of renewed PAVN movement toward Saigon, prompting the redeployment of the 1st Australian Task Force northward from Nui Dat in Phước Tuy Province to interdict infiltration routes into the capital and obstruct the withdrawal of PAVN forces after the May Offensive was repelled.
03 / The Outcome
After suffering heavy casualties in repeated unsuccessful assaults, PAVN forces were compelled to withdraw. The Australians successfully blocked infiltration routes and disrupted PAVN staging areas east of Route 16. Though both sides sustained significant losses, the 1st Australian Task Force emerged victorious, having repelled every major PAVN assault and maintained control of the fire support bases throughout the engagement.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.