The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment contributed companies to the 1st Australian Task Force, deployed in Phước Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1972.
While 1st Battalion, RNZIR remained at Terendak Camp in Malaysia, it sent a series of rifle companies to serve with the Australian Army in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the remainder of the regiment, six Territorial Force battalions, remained home in New Zealand.
Background
In May 1965 the United States government committed its 173rd Airborne Brigade to South Vietnam in a combat role. Being part of the ANZUS pact, Australia and New Zealand were asked to contribute combat forces too. Up until this time the Australians had committed an Army Training Team and New Zealand had committed some non-combatant engineers.
In response to the United States' request, the Australian government committed an infantry battalion, its 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR), and a squadron of armoured personnel carriers in June. They joined the Americans at Bien Hoa Air Base in Biên Hòa Province, near Saigon. 1st Australian Logistic Support Group (1ALSG) was established, in support.
A headquarters for the force, Commander Australian Army Force Vietnam (COMAAFV), was established in Saigon.
New Zealand committed a battery from the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery in July and established its own headquarters (HQ V Force) at Saigon.'New Zealand HQ V Force Vietnam' | URL: http://premierstrategics.com/nzvietnam/nzhqvforce.html (New Zealand Vietnam Veterans)
The Australian infantry regiment and the New Zealand artillery battery served under operational control of the 173rd Airborne from the Bien Hoa Air Base. Initially, 1 RAR and 161 Bty defended the base while the paratroopers from the 173rd fought in the highlands. After two months the Australian infantry and New Zealand artillery were deployed on operations in the field.' Memories of Viet Nam - Wayne Robson ', URL: https://vietnamwar.govt.nz/memory/memories-viet-nam-wayne-robson, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 08-Jun-2021
In September the Australian government committed an Artillery battery, an engineer troop from the Royal Australian Engineers, a light aircraft unit equipped with two Cessna 180 planes and two Sioux light helicopters (161st Independent Reconnaissance Flight), 104 Signals Squadron from the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, and further logistics support personnel.
Formation of 1st Australian Task Force Disparities in operational methods between the U.S and Australian forces were soon evident and in March 1966 the U.S and Australian governments decided to create an Australian task force with its own Tactical area of responsibility (TAOR). In May 1966 a second Australian battalion arrived, 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR) to help establish a new permanent base at Nui Dat in Phước Tuy Province in Operation Hardihood. Phước Tuy was to be designated the TAOR for the new task force. In June 1966 the Australian and New Zealand elements were detached from the 173rd Airborne and given their new base. 1ALSG was relocated to Vũng Tàu at what would become the 1st Australian Support Compound.
1 RAR returned to Australia and was replaced by 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) in June.Vietnam 1965–1966 URL: https://www.1rar.org.au/vietnam-1965-66/ (1RAR The First Battalion Association)'Australian and New Zealand Forces: The Australian Veteran and the Vietnam Experience Part II' | Author: Bob Teusner | URL: http://grunt-redux.atspace.eu/Order%20of%20Battle/ANZACs/anzac6b1.htm
Over the next several months the new task force at Nui Dat was brought up to strength, adding a second Australian artillery battery, an SAS Squadron, engineers from 17th Construction Squadron, intelligence elements, and Light Aid Detachments (LAD) for cavalry and artillery. Two American artillery units were also located at Nui Dat: A Battery 2/35 U.S Artillery, and 1/83 Company U.S Artillery. Eight UH-1B Iroquois helicopters from No. 9 Squadron RAAF which was based at Vung Tau Air Base provided air support for the task force. 5th Transport Company Royal Australian Army Service Corps, stationed at the newly-established 1st Australian Support Compound at Vũng Tàu provided transport logistics and mechanical engineering.'Nui Dat', URL: https://vcoy67.org.nz/nuidat2.htm (Victor Company, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Vietnam 1967)3 Cavalry Regiment, URL: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U60601 (Australian War Memorial) Retrieved 7 January 2020No. 9 Squadron RAAF, URL: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U53557 (Australian War Memorial) Retrieved 7 January 2020'A Brief History' URL: https://www.raasc.org.au/content/5%20Coy.html (5 Company RAASC) Retrieved 10 January 2020
Local patrols around Nui Dat were conducted by the 1st Australian Reinforcement Unit (1ARU) and infantry platoons that were between operations. Always on standby was one infantry platoon with cavalry, mortar, tank, and air elements which together formed the ready reaction force.'Defending the Nui Dat Base' URL: https://vietnam.unsw.adfa.edu.au/defending-the-nui-dat-base/ (Australia's Vietnam War - University of New South Wales) 1 ATF Headquarters went on to form its own Defence and Employment (D&E) Platoon which provided perimeter defence and security when 1ATF HQ had to go into the field. Eventually the D&E Platoon was utilized to conduct intelligence-gathering operations to help 1ATF planning.'D&E PLATOON ROLL OF HONOUR' URL: http://www.hq1atf.org/honour3.htm (Headquarters Company, 1st Australian Task Force Web Site)
The enemy Lying on South Vietnam's southern coast, three-quarters of Phước Tuy was covered with rainforest and grassland. The South Vietnamese Government's authority over Phước Tuy was limited almost entirely to the provincial capital city of Bà Rịa. The Viet Cong controlled the majority of the province, collecting taxes and subjecting the population to extortion and violent intimidation.
The principal communist units in Phước Tuy were main forces from the 274th and 275th Regiments of the Vietcong (VC) 5th Division headquartered in the Mây Tào Mountains at the very north east of the province. Operating in Phước Tuy, Biên Hòa and Long Khánh Provinces the 5th Division comprised both local VC guerrillas and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) Regular forces. The 274th Regiment was the stronger and better trained of the two, based in north-west Phước Tuy in an area known as the Hat Dich secret zone, with three battalions numbering 2,000 men. The 275th Regiment was based in the Mây Tào Mountains in an area known as the May Tao Secret Zone, and mainly operated in the east of the province. It consisted of three battalions with a total of 1,850 men.
The D445 Provincial Mobile Battalion also operated throughout the province with an estimated strength of 350 men. Its headquarters were located in the Minh Dam Secret Zone in the Long Hải Hills near the south coast. Since their formation in 1965 they had proven to be an efficient and well-organized force in battles against the Americans during Operation Hardihood and the Australians in The Battle of Long Tan in 1966.
Additionally, there were three district-based VC Guerilla units: C23, the Xuyên Mộc District Company; C25, the Long Đất (Dat Do) District Company; and C41, the Châu Đức District Company. The VC had built up an extensive cadre and political organisation that reached into every town and village.
Phước Tuy's villages and hamlets in the south were grouped around Routes 15 (the main route between Saigon and Vũng Tàu), Route 2, (running from Bà Rịa north to Long Khánh Province), Route 44 (running from Long Dien south to the coast), and Route 23 (running from Bà Rịa north-east to Binh Tuy Province.) The province's roads were dangerous, subject to ambush and passable only with heavy escort. Military estimates placed the number of communist forces in the province at about 5,000. The North Vietnamese Regulars and Viet Cong locals relied on the support of many of Phước Tuy's villages, each of which had its own VC guerrilla squad. Not many villagers were supporters of the South Vietnamese government which they saw as too remote, often corrupt, and not concerned with the concerns of every peasant farmer, such as the reform of land ownership laws. The village of Dat Do, along Route 23, was home to 54% of the provincial population, most of whom were Viet Cong and North Vietnamese supporters, and was concentrated around the best rice fields in the province.
Barrier minefield What would ultimately prove to be a tactical blunder by 1 ATF Command and account for the majority of Australian and New Zealand casualties throughout the war, was the laying of a minefield over a 10 km area from the Horseshoe base near Dat Do to the coast.'A minefield of mistakes' | August 18, 2005 | URL: https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/a-minefield-of-mistakes-20050818-ge0phd.html | The Age (accessed 14 August 2025)
During the laying of the minefield in May 1967, 13 Australian sappers were killed by faulty ordnance, accidents, stress, and distractions by enemy actions.
By June 1967, 20,292 "jumping jack" mines had been laid by the Australian engineers within a 100-meter-wide strip of cleared ground between a double row of fences.'Minefield of Misery' URL: <https://www.1fieldsappers.org/page/Minefield%20of%20Misery (1 Field Squadron RAE Association) Security of the minefield proved to be ineffective and the VC thereafter simply uplifted the mines and re-used them against the Australians and New Zealanders (if they had not accidentally blown themselves up first.)'A Minefield' URL: https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/history/conflicts/australia-and-vietnam-war/events/phuoc-tuy-province/nui-dat/minefield (Australia and the Vietnam War)'The Minefield: An Australian Tragedy in America's Vietnam War' Author: Greg Lockhart, URL: https://apjjf.org/-Greg-Lockhart/2447/article.html (The Asia-Pacific Journal | 4 June 2007 | Volume 5 | Issue 6 | Article ID 2447)
RNZIR in South Vietnam Initial commitments The first New Zealand infantry contribution to South Vietnam was a 182-man rifle company which arrived from Terendak Camp in Malaysia on 13 May 1967. Soldiers from C and D Companies 1 RNZIR with six months left in their two-year tour were selected. Most had seen operational service with British forces as part of the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group, 17th Gurkha Division in Malaya and Borneo. The company was named "V" for "Vietnam", with the phonetic "Victor."'Timeline for New Zealand infantry deployments to South Vietnam' URL: http://www.w3vietnam.org.nz/story_19.htm (W3 Company - Service Stories) Retrieved 12 January 2020
For the first two weeks, Victor Company (V Coy) served with the outgoing 6 RAR. The New Zealanders adopted the Australian Rifle company formation, consisting of a Headquarters (commanded by a Major) and three platoons, each with three sections (squads.) Each squad was made up of a Corporal, a Scout group made up of two Privates, a Rifle group including a M79 grenadier made up of four Privates, and a Machine Gun group consisting of a Lance Corporal, and two Privates armed with M60 machine guns. Riflemen, including the M79 grenadier, used the Australian 7.62mm SLR semi-automatic self-loading rifle, while officers, signallers, NCOs, and one of each scout group carried the U.S 5.56mm M16 rifle. Eventually the New Zealand infantry would adopt U.S-issue M72 rocket launchers, M26 grenades, and Claymore mines; and other U.S-issue webbing and equipment in addition to the Australian-issue equipment supplied by 1ATF.'Equipment and Weapons - Bruce Young', URL: https://www.w3vietnam.org.nz/story_11.htm#Equipment (W3 Company - Service Stories) Retrieved 24 April 2021