Battle of Nui LePrint Page

The monument commemorates those who have served in the Battle of Nui Le in September 1971 during the Vietnam War.

Operation Overlord in June 1971 had forced the Vietnamese to withdraw, but by September 1971, Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army were back in Phuoc Tuy Province, attempting to lure the Australians into a large-scale ambush..

Operation Ivanhoe was launched on 19 September. Three companies of the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, including a company from the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (4RAR/NZ), and one company of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) – supported by artillery, engineers, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and helicopters from 9 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) were deployed near suspected enemy concentrations south-east of the Courtenay Rubber Plantation.

On 20 September an ambush and a series of contacts suggested the enemy was trying to provoke a reaction, luring the Australians into a well-prepared bunker system. The next morning, B Company, 4RAR/NZ came under mortar attack while patrolling south-east of the rubber plantation, suffering fifteen casualties. They then clashed with small parties of enemy in a series of fleeting firefights. As they continued patrolling the Australians saw more and more evidence of an enemy presence.

When D Company, four kilometres away, encountered an extensive bunker system and was pinned down by heavy fire, air support was called in and the enemy position was pounded for four hours. That afternoon the company pushed forward again but were immediately forced to ground by withering fire. Looking to extricate themselves, the Australians unwittingly withdrew into a more precarious position within the bunker system. Trapped, surrounded, with reduced artillery support and no tanks, they were forced to rely on US airstrikes and RAAF helicopter gunships to keep the enemy at bay. 

Running low on ammunition, D Company was in dire straits as casualties continued to mount. Artillery support kept them alive throughout the night, landing as close as 50 metres from where they lay. In the morning the enemy was gone; the battle of Nui Le was over.

Nui Le was the last major enemy engagement by Australian troops in Vietnam. The five soldiers killed in action were the last Australian soldiers to die in combat in Vietnam. For their bravery under fire, seven Australians were recognised with awards. Operation Ivanhoe concluded on 2 October. The following month, Nui Dat base was handed to the South Vietnamese and by December 1971 nearly all Australian troops had left Phuoc Tuy Province.

Location

Details

Dedication