Operation Bribie

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Operation Bribie

Part of the Vietnam War

Date	February 17, 1967
Location	Near Ap Lo Gom, Phuoc Thuy Province, Republic of Vietnam
Result	Indecisive (Both sides claimed victory).

Belligerents

Australia

Viet Cong

Commanders

Lt. Col. Colin Townsend

Unknown commander

Strength

200+

An estimated force of two companies

Casualties and losses

8 killed,
27 wounded

50-100, but 8 bodies were recovered.

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Vietnam War

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Air operations
Ranch Hand – Pierce Arrow – Barrel Roll – Pony Express – Flaming Dart – Rolling Thunder – Steel Tiger – Arc Light – Tiger Hound – Bolo – Igloo White – Commando Hunt – Menu – Freedom Deal – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Shed Light

Operation Bribie was an Australian quick reaction operation conducted on February 17, 1967.

The operation began with the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment setting out to establish a blocking force and prevent the withdrawal of Viet Cong forces following an unsuccessful ambush attempt. However, despite their best efforts, the soldiers of 6RAR were unabled to stop the Viet Cong from withdrawing from the battlefield.

Once again the result of a battle between Australian and Viet Cong forces is disputed, but this time Australian soldiers admitted that they had been defeated, whilst their commanders proclaimed a victory.

1 Long Tan
2 Bribie
3 Result
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Long Tan

Six months before the first shots of Operation Bribie were fired, a small force of 108 Australian and New Zealanders was nearly overrun by a larger Viet Cong force of 2,500 soldiers at the battle of Long Tan. With the help of artillery the ANZAC soldiers soundly defeated the Viet Cong.

Little did they know, the Australian victory was to prove decisive and would shape the way local Viet Cong forces confront the Australian Task Force for the remainder of the conflict. As their influence declined in the region, the Viet Cong D445 Battalion and other units avoided major contacts with the Australian Army. Instead they favoured attacking isolated outposts with the hope of drawing out a major relief force, and ambush them in the process.

[edit] Bribie

On the night of February 16 the small township of Lang Phuoc Hai came under Viet Cong attack, and the Regional Force that was surrounded managed to fight its way out as South Vietnamese and American firepower broke up the enemy attack.

The 1st Australian Task Force at Nui Dat learned of the Viet Cong attack during the early hours of February 17. At that point Brigadier Stuart Graham, commander of the Australian Task Force, decided to launch an operation with the 6RAR supported by M-113 armoured personnel carriers and artillery. However, due to the fear of a Viet Cong assault on the Australian base at Nui Dat, Brigadier Graham wanted the 6th Battalion to return to the base by nightfall. That combined with the lack of planning and reconnaissance would have negative consequences for the Australians.

The 6RAR-led reaction force left the Nui Dat base during the afternoon.The first wave, led by A Company, 6RAR, descended on the landing zone at 1.45pm. The Australians came under fire within minutes. As they pushed into the surrounding rainforest, the lead platoon was suddenly swept by rifle and machine-gun fire from its front and from snipers in the trees. It charged straight at the enemy positions, returning fire and hurling grenades. In less than a minute, six men were hit and the assault stalled under the weight of enemy fire. The company commander broke contact and pulled his men back to the forest edge.

Just after 3.30pm, A and B companies pushed back into the timber. They quickly came under enemy fire. The soldiers of B Company, in the lead, advanced against concealed enemy troops, who were deployed in a wide arc and well dug in. The deeper they penetrated into the enemy position, the more their flanks were exposed to fire.

The entire B Company assault looked like getting bogged down. The commander of 5 Platoon was ordered to push forward as fast as possible to outflank Viet Cong machine gun positions and silence it. Due to the lack of coverage on his right flank, the commander of 5 Platoon received his orders with much apprehension.

Nonetheless the entire unit fixed their bayonets and charged at enemy gun positions before the attack was faltered at 25m. The men of 5 Platoon were pinned down so close to Viet Cong positions that they could neither move forward or backward. As A Company locked into vicious combat with the Viet Cong, the entire B Company were in a desperate situation with scores of dead and wounded men. Casualties build up when two artillery shells fell short and struck 5 Platoon's position.

Whilst under pressure from Brigadier Graham, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend ordered his battalion and the supporting armoured personnel carriers to assemble on the Landing Zone to return to the base. And when it became obvious that A and B Companies could not disengage from the firefight, a small force of M-113s was dispatched to help. At 1815 hours the armoured personnel carriers found the beleaguered companies after a one hour search. But tragedy struck again as the lead APC was knocked out by an anti-tank weapon, killing the driver and wounding several others.

The next morning the 6th Battalion launched another attack with all the rifle companies sweeping the battlefield, but the Viet Cong had withdrawn from the area.

[edit] Result

Operation Bribie ended with high casualties on both sides. For the Australian 6th Battalion and other supporting arms the total casualties were 8 killed and 27 wounded, plus one destroyed M-113. On the side of the disabled vehicle, `DU ME UC DAI LO' (Aussies Get Stuffed) was wrtitten. For the Viet Cong, eight bodies were recovered by Australian troops, but the real number is largely unknown.

Like other battles between the Viet Cong and Australian troops, the result is the subject of contention between the Vietnamese and Australian militaries. In the aftermath of the operation, Hanoi claimed that the Viet Cong won a decisive victory. The Australians, on the other hand, also claimed a significant triumph over their enemy, and this view was reflected by the 1ATF commander Brigadier Stuart Graham when he said that the VC "got a thrashing". The Australian victory claim was supported by intelligence reports that the Viet Cong had suffered 50-100 casualties.

Whilst their commanders made claims of victory, the Australian soldiers who had participated in the operation firmly believe that they were soundly defeated. Intelligence reports of high Viet Cong casualties were dismissed as grossly inflated, as Private Robin Harris of 5 Platoon later wrote: "I think that on this occasion Charlie's losses were overstated. It was us who had copped a hiding." This view was shared by APC commander David Clifton when he recalled: "We had been soundly thrashed on Operation Bribie."^[1]