Patrolling in AO Columbus, 24 January − 16 February 1968 The Australians began an intensive patrol program in AO Columbus and were soon fighting up to
platoon-sized VC units in a series of bunker complexes. Between 25 and 29 January the Australians conducted
reconnaissance-in-force operations and a series of minor patrol clashes followed up to the end of January. On 26 January B Company, 2 RAR fought a two-hour action against about 25 VC entrenched in a bunker system. While on the same day 9 Platoon, C Company, 2 RAR also assaulted and occupied a camp initially believed to be of similar strength and held it for 19 hours after repeated attacks from a VC force estimated to be of company strength. Meanwhile, whilst providing flank security the New Zealanders in V Company, engaged in a series of skirmishes which resulted in 12 VC dead and many weapons captured with two New Zealanders wounded. On 27 January there were heavier contacts still, resulting in 14 Australians wounded and one VC killed. Although 1 ATF was well placed to deny the PAVN/VC the use of its AO, it was increasingly obvious that there was little role for the SAS. Indeed, the heavy presence of VC prevented them from operating normally, and the first attempt to insert a patrol was called off due to the presence of hostile forces in the vicinity of the landing zone; two VC were subsequently killed and the patrol was extracted after only 30 minutes. A second attempt lasted only fifteen minutes longer, and they were also extracted following a brief contact. Finally, two patrols were joined in an effort to provide more protection, and on 29 January they patrolled out from 7 RAR battalion headquarters. After only 30 minutes the Australians encountered a small party of VC; however, they tried again two hours later but were detected. The following day they tried for a third time and were contacted. Unable to operate effectively, the SAS patrols were withdrawn and returned to Nui Dat on 1 February. Meanwhile, on 29 January D Company, 7 RAR contacted a battalion concentrating in bunkers during a two and half-hour battle that saw nine Australian casualties, including one killed, while seven VC were also killed. On 31 January VC overran the village of Trang Bom, just south-west of FSB Andersen. The Australians reclaimed it that afternoon only for the VC to attack again the next day. Once again the Australians recaptured it, this time in savage house-to-house fighting involving D Company, 2 RAR and A Squadron, 3 CAV. C Company, 3 RAR was subsequently inserted to assist with the protection of FSB Harrison. In response to the attack on Trang Bom, D Company, 7 RAR was dispatched forward to search the area. The lead platoon advanced on a VC camp—later found to be battalion-size—and was almost destroyed in the ensuing firefight. With half the platoon soon becoming casualties, another platoon was moved forward to aid their extraction. Close support from artillery protected the Australians from further casualties however, and the VC were eventually forced to withdraw. Six Australians had been killed and 36 wounded in the engagements up to that point, while one New Zealander had also died and one wounded. More than 40 VC had been killed and nine wounded. In the early hours of 31 January key installations in the Long Binh–Bien Hoa complex in AO Uniontown had come under
heavy attack by the Viet Cong 5th Division, as part of the second prong of the VC attacks against Saigon. With the Tet offensive erupting across South Vietnam, Bien Hoa Air Base received heavy rocket fire that caused extensive damage to buildings, aircraft, and facilities, while the Long Binh Logistics Depot and the prisoner of war camp were also hit. Over the next three days the US 199th Light Infantry Brigade—later reinforced by the US
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and an infantry battalion from the US 101st Airborne Division—were forced into heavy combat fending off PAVN/VC indirect fire and ground attacks. By 1 February the Americans had gained the upper hand however, winkling out the last remaining PAVN/VC following a sweep of Bien Hoa that cleared the town. The attacks on Bien Hoa forced a change in tactics for the Australians, and 1 ATF's mission was quickly changed from reconnaissance-in-force to a blocking operation designed to intercept withdrawing PAVN/VC forces. Between 31 January and 1 February, the Australian battalions moved into company blocking positions and a number of minor contacts occurred, resulting in some VC casualties and the capture of more weapons and equipment. Once in position, the intensity of these clashes increased as the Australians sprung platoon ambushes. Indeed, during early February, the nature of contacts in AO Columbus began to change, with the Australians increasingly faced by larger
company-sized Main Force units located in static defensive positions. During the first week of February the VC began streaming through the AO, retreating from Saigon in the wake of heavy losses during Tet. Although the VC managed to avoid becoming decisively engaged, around 90 were killed and five captured, as the Australians maintained their blocking positions. C Company, 7 RAR had been detached in order to protect the task force headquarters as well as to act as a reserve, and was particularly heavily engaged during this phase. The force had been gradually patrolling, when north of Trang Bom on the morning of 5 February, it contacted a large VC force consisting of a regimental headquarters and three companies in a well constructed defensive position defended by several heavy machine-guns. The Australians assaulted the position on three occasions over the next three days in vicious fighting supported by airstrikes, artillery and helicopter gunships. During one such attack on 7 February, Lieutenant Mark Moloney—one of the company's platoon commanders—charged forward with six
M72 rocket launchers to attack a series of bunkers single handed. Moloney succeeded in destroying several before he fell badly wounded; he survived, and for his actions was recommended for a
Victoria Cross. Moloney's award was never made however, although Gunner Michael Williams and Corporal Graham Griffith were both awarded the
Military Medal for their actions under fire. The battle continued for seven hours, with the Australians eventually routing the defenders in the bunker system in a battle later hailed as "probably one of the most brilliant actions ever fought by an Australian rifle company." However, amidst the confusion of Tet such efforts went largely unnoticed by the press. Early the same morning the night harbour occupied by the New Zealanders from V Company had been attacked by a VC force consisting of elements of three companies from the 274th Regiment, shortly after stand-to at 06:15. The incident proved to be the most intense fighting involving New Zealand forces in South Vietnam to that point, and over the course of an hour the attack was successfully repelled with the assistance of highly accurate artillery support from the 108th Battery, RAA operating in direct support, as well as from mortar fire. The VC withdrew following the arrival of a light fire team of gunships, leaving behind 13 dead and a number of other blood trails. Nine New Zealanders were wounded in the engagement, six of whom subsequently required evacuation by helicopter. Elsewhere, Tet had also engulfed Phuoc Tuy Province and although stretched thin the remaining Australian forces there were soon drawn into heavy combat as VC units simultaneously attacked the main provincial towns. Dunstan was forced to dispatch the Task Force reaction force from Nui Dat, with A Company, 3 RAR under the command of Major Brian Howard moving to reinforce South Vietnamese government forces following an attack by a 600-strong force from the VC
D445 Battalion on Bà Rịa, the provincial capital, before first light on 1 February. Fighting from street to street in a series of firefights at close quarters the Australians successfully repelled the attack, killing 40 VC. Later, on 3 February, D Company, 3 RAR spoiled a harassing attack on Long Điền, and conducted a sweep of Hoa Long. Overall, the fighting in Phuoc Tuy between 1–9 February resulted in 50 VC killed, 25 wounded and one prisoner. Five Australians were killed and 24 wounded, and one New Zealander was killed with 9 wounded. While the Australians in AO Columbus had successfully interrupted the pre-positioning of PAVN/VC forces on one of the main approaches to Saigon, in hindsight they had been deployed too late to interfere seriously with the offensive. Over the period 9–12 February 1 ATF redeployed, moving south back towards the fire support bases. The remaining companies of 3 RAR subsequently relieved 7 RAR and moved north on 11 February, with W Company from RNZIR joining them on 12 February, while 2 RAR and V Coy RNZIR returned to Nui Dat on 13 February. FSB Harrison was abandoned and all command and support elements concentrated at FSB Andersen. Contact was minimal during this period, with just three VC killed.
Fighting at FSB Andersen, 17–28 February 1968 The Australian defence of FSB Andersen was left to 3 RAR,
M113 armoured personnel carriers from 1 Troop A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, and a troop of engineers from
1st Field Squadron. Artillery support was provided by
161st Field Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery and the American
M109 self-propelled medium guns of
B Battery, 2/35th Artillery Regiment. A radar detachment from
131st Divisional Locating Battery was also attached as were elements of
161st Reconnaissance Flight. A Company, 3 RAR together with the supporting arms was left to defend the base, while the other three 3 RAR rifle companies and the New Zealanders of W Company continued reconnaissance-in-force operations throughout the AO. Airstrikes and artillery also targeted known VC base areas, however the number of ground contacts was limited. Late on the evening of 17/18 February the PAVN/VC launched an assault on FSB Andersen. The first attack was preceded by a heavy rocket and
mortar barrage in the early hours of the morning, followed by two waves of infantry each of company size. The attack focused on the south-west of the perimeter manned by 3 RAR's echelon and mortar platoon, as well as an American medium artillery battery. The perimeter wire was subsequently breached, but the attack was repulsed by mortar
counter-battery fire,
Claymore mines and the heavy weight of machine-gun fire from armoured personnel carriers and the American gunners. The PAVN/VC barrage had had a devastating effect, falling among the American and New Zealand gun positions, the mortar lines and the battalion echelon, as well as scoring a direct hit on an Australian engineer standing patrol. A second attack shortly after, this time from the north, was repelled by small-arms fire from the forward Australian pits. Total VC casualties were unknown, although four bodies were found on the wire at dawn, while numerous bloodstains and bandages were found during a later sweep of the perimeter and a suspected mortar base-plate location. Seven Australians and one American were killed, while 22 Australians and three Americans were wounded. As a result of the growing threat to the Australian base, the decision was made to reinforce FSB Andersen, with C Company, 3 RAR flown in by the time of the second attack two nights later. The APCs had also been redeployed to cover the south-east ridge and the southern approach from Trang Bom. The PAVN/VC assault commenced just before midnight on 19 February, this time focussing on the south-east, and was preceded by heavy machine-gun fire. The attack was stopped short of the wire, regardless the forward pits were hit by rifle grenades, while the Assault Pioneer positions were attacked with satchel charges. The only casualties were four VC killed. The final attack on 28 February also began with a mortar attack, but the PAVN/VC assault wave was broken up by mortar fire, and was forced to withdraw to the east. Three Americans were wounded. A clearing patrol later revealed that the VC had inserted a mortar team to the edge of the rubber trees by night in a
Lambretta and a cart and had then manhandled the tubes into position. 3 RAR's defence of FSB Andersen was the first occasion in the history of their operations in South Vietnam that an Australian fire support base had been subjected to a ground assault while during all three attacks the cavalry and artillery in support had played a key role in the defence. Throughout the later part of the operation the patrolling rifle companies had systematically searched the AO and although contact was infrequent the patrols had been effective in denying the subsequent use of the area to launch rocket attacks against the bases in Long Binh and Bien Hoa. ==Aftermath==