Key Facts
- Dates
- 6–7 June 1971
- Operation
- Operation Overlord
- Australian unit
- 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR)
- Armour deployed
- Centurion tanks providing close support
- Australian loss
- 1 UH-1 Iroquois helicopter destroyed
- Duration
- 2 days
Strategic Narrative Overview
Australian infantry from 3 RAR advanced on the fortified bunker system supported closely by Centurion tanks, which crushed numerous bunkers and their occupants. The VC fought a determined rearguard action to cover a withdrawal. Although Australians captured the first bunker system and a second complex further south, they suffered casualties and lost a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter during the two-day engagement.
01 / The Origins
By mid-1971, Australian forces in South Vietnam were engaged in late-stage counterinsurgency operations as part of the broader Vietnam War. The 1st Australian Task Force conducted Operation Overlord in Long Khanh Province to locate and destroy communist infrastructure. Intelligence identified a heavily fortified Viet Cong and People's Army of Vietnam base camp in the province, prompting a deliberate attack by infantry and armour from 3 RAR.
03 / The Outcome
Despite capturing both bunker complexes, Australian forces lacked sufficient combat power to cut off the enemy force. The bulk of the VC/PAVN formation withdrew intact, though it likely sustained heavy casualties. No decisive result was achieved, reflecting the broader difficulty faced by Allied units in fixing and destroying mobile communist forces during the final phase of Australian involvement in the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.