Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download Duty First PDF full book. Access full book title Duty First by David Murray Horner. Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: David Murray Horner Publisher: Allen & Unwin ISBN: 1741765331 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 561
Book Description
Duty First is the complete history of the Royal Australian Regiment, which has been the mainstay of the Australian Regular Army for over sixty years. With the formation of the regular army, including the Royal Australian Regiment, for the first time Australia had a permanent professional army, available in peacetime and in war for any task the government might direct. The Royal Australian Regiment is the key fighting force of the army and has carried the main burden of active service since the Second World War. Its history throws important light on the development of Australia's defence. In late 1945, three battalions were formed to serve with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. Active service began with a 'baptism of fire' fierce combat in the Korean War. This was followed by counter-guerrilla service in Malaya during the Emergency, action in Borneo during Confrontation, including the top secret 'Claret' operations into Indonesian territory, and active service in Vietnam. The book examines how the regiment adapted after the Vietnam War to the demands of peacetime soldiering, including the pressures of peacekeeping. Finally, it reveals how the regiment's traditions of flexibility and readiness have stood it in good stead in recent operations in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. Duty First concludes with a series of short pieces in which former members of the regiment, from general to soldier, present fascinating accounts of their personal experiences in a range of different operational and peacetime circumstances. This is a story of humour and courage, of professionalism, and above all dedication to duty. The Royal Australian Regiment's motto, 'Duty First', continues to reflect its ethos and spirit today, over sixty years since its foundation.
Author: David Murray Horner Publisher: Allen & Unwin ISBN: 1741765331 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 561
Book Description
Duty First is the complete history of the Royal Australian Regiment, which has been the mainstay of the Australian Regular Army for over sixty years. With the formation of the regular army, including the Royal Australian Regiment, for the first time Australia had a permanent professional army, available in peacetime and in war for any task the government might direct. The Royal Australian Regiment is the key fighting force of the army and has carried the main burden of active service since the Second World War. Its history throws important light on the development of Australia's defence. In late 1945, three battalions were formed to serve with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. Active service began with a 'baptism of fire' fierce combat in the Korean War. This was followed by counter-guerrilla service in Malaya during the Emergency, action in Borneo during Confrontation, including the top secret 'Claret' operations into Indonesian territory, and active service in Vietnam. The book examines how the regiment adapted after the Vietnam War to the demands of peacetime soldiering, including the pressures of peacekeeping. Finally, it reveals how the regiment's traditions of flexibility and readiness have stood it in good stead in recent operations in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. Duty First concludes with a series of short pieces in which former members of the regiment, from general to soldier, present fascinating accounts of their personal experiences in a range of different operational and peacetime circumstances. This is a story of humour and courage, of professionalism, and above all dedication to duty. The Royal Australian Regiment's motto, 'Duty First', continues to reflect its ethos and spirit today, over sixty years since its foundation.
Author: Ron Boxall Publisher: ANU Press ISBN: 1760463337 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 484
Book Description
The Vietnam War, and Australia’s part in it, was a major military event, calling for willingness to face death and destruction on the battlefield on the part of those sent there, especially the men of our infantry battalions who formed the spearhead of our forces in Vietnam. For many reasons, the Australian public know relatively little about what our Army did in Vietnam during the war, particularly during the years of our peak commitment, 1965–72. This book attempts to make the true nature of the war clearer to readers, emphasising how hard fought it was during major operations. Twenty-seven of the contributing authors of this book were involved in the 1966 deployment of the 1st Australian Task Force into Phuoc Tuy Province. This formation was the first Australian Army force larger than an infantry battalion group to be deployed into a major war since World War II. 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR), was in the vanguard as the task force’s first element committed to operations to seize and occupy Nui Dat base and embark on establishing dominance over the enemy. The narratives presented in this book give rare insights into thoughts of the soldiers at the time and how they have come to view the Australian Government’s hurried expansion of its initial commitment to that war, the Army’s state of preparedness for that wider involvement, and how those in its forefront adapted to get the job done, both in and out of operations, despite numerous shortcomings in higher level planning. Both professional soldiers and conscripted national servicemen have contributed viewpoints to these pages.
Author: Harry Smith Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 192226556X Category : History Languages : en Pages : 379
Book Description
On the afternoon of 18 August 1966, just five kilometres from the main Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat, a group of Viet Cong soldiers walked into the right flank of Delta Company, 6 RAR. Under a blanket of mist and heavy monsoon rain, amid the mud and shattered rubber trees, a dispersed Company of 108 men held its ground with courage and grim determination against a three-sided attack from a force of 2,500 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army troops. When the battle subsided, 18 Australian soldiers lay dead and 24 had been wounded. Battlefield clearance revealed 245 enemy bodies with captured documents later confirming the count at over 500 enemy killed and 800 wounded. These men were led by a gruff and gusty perfectionist, Major Harry Smith. Now, some 53 years after the battle, Harry tells his story. The Battle of Long Tan is more than just an account of a historic battle. Harry Smith takes his readers on an extraordinary journey — one that ultimately reveals a remarkable cover-up at the highest military and political echelons. The Battle of Long Tan is also Harry’s life story and portrays his many personal battles, from failed marriages to commando-style killing; from a horrific parachute accident through to his modern-day struggles with bureaucracy for recognition for his soldiers. Harry’s battles are tempered by his love of sailing, where he has at last found some peace. The Battle of Long Tan portrays the wrenching, visceral experience of a man who has fought lifelong battles, in a story that he is only now able to tell. Harry can still hear the gunfire and smell the blood spilt at Long Tan. For him, the fight continues.
Author: Frank Walker Publisher: Hachette Australia ISBN: 0733628001 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 217
Book Description
'thoroughly researched and compelling . . . a chilling account' - The Sun Herald An eye-opening account of Australian combat history, untold . . . until now. In 1969 a ragtag unit of 39 men were thrown together at Nui Dat, Vietnam. It was so slapdash a group it didn't even have an officer or sergeant in charge. A rugged ex-Royal Marine stepped forward to take the lead. Jim Riddle was only an acting corporal but he knew enough of war to keep these young diggers alive. When the platoon was involved in a high-risk ambush Riddle proved his leadership skills, bringing his men through unscathed and leaving the battlefield littered with enemy bodies. Despite their success, immediately afterwards the platoon was disbanded. According to the army they'd never existed ? theirs was a ghost platoon. Frank Walker details what happened at that ambush and why the army buried their existence, and the secrets that went with it. His findings are a shocking indictment of the long-term effects of war. The men of the platoon ? who'd fought so hard for their country ? had to fight again to reveal the truth. But the price they all paid was far too high. Ghost Platoon is a gripping story of the soldiers who should never be forgotten . . . or denied.
Author: Fred Fairhead Publisher: ISBN: 9780992470401 Category : Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Languages : en Pages : 190
Book Description
"The book describes some fifty major operations each with accompanying maps and sketches and covering all of the sixteen Battalion tours of duty in Vietnam - from 1RAR in 1965 to 4RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion's last operations in 1971." -- publisher's website.
Author: David Murray Horner
Author: David Murray Horner
Author: Ron Boxall
Author: Craig Stockings
Author: Harry Smith
Author: Frank Walker
Author: Fred Fairhead
Author: 
Author: William P. Bolger
Author: 
Author: Paul Anderson