Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Australia Danger Close

Just watched Danger Close, damned good movie and a story that needed to be told here in the USA. Also first time I heard of Little Pattie, sounds like quite a gal. Seems like she has has done a lot for the vets.

I watched, as well. Sobering movie. A reminder that officers (those who know a hell of a lot less than they think they do) get a lot of troops killed !!!

In this particular case you'd be referring to the NVA and VC officers, I take it?

I gotta see that. I've got a couple books and a short documentary DVD (with interviews from several of those that were involved) on the battle of Long Tan. I didn't realise that they had made a film about it - where have I been?

Just found this:

https://battleoflongtan.com/

First time I heard the saying "we're not here to [bleep] spiders" I had to laugh on that one.

We watched it last night, after reading about it here.

I'm sure the same $hit happens to every army, no matter allied or not.

Egos get in the way & cost lives.

Enjoyed the film.

They damned well gave better than they took!

Just watched it thanks to you guys.

The end, particularly the song.....was......tough....

Watched it last night. Not keen on the overdramatisation they added to the characters but the events were pretty much in line with what I've read and seen on documentaries about it.

I found several short interviews on Youtube with Sabben and Buick (I think Smith has passed away in the meantime but have him on a documentary on a DVD that I have to dig up) - I'll post a couple of links for those interested when I get on the computer tonight.

Watched it a couple of nights ago. Good flick. I read about the battle of Long Tan a long time ago but forgot all the details. As an aside, I caught a flight on a RAAF C-7 Caribou from Saigon to the SF base in Vung Tau once. We stopped at an Aussie base somewhere in between that had a PSP runway and they had to push the ‘Bou back to the end of the strip with the tail almost in the trees to have enough runway to takeoff. I think we hit some treetops on takeoff! I think all C-7 pilots were Stuka pilots in a former life. Happy Trails

When I was a young soldier, a few years after Vietnam, there were two members of the DS on my initial training who had been involved in the battle of Long Tan. One as a member of D Coy, one as a member of B Coy who went out to support them. They discussed the battle and lessons learned with us.

The simple facts were that 6 RAR was carrying out aggressive clearing patrols around the defensive position, the 1ATF base, as is standard Australian Army doctrine. There had been some small groups of VC found by earlier patrols. D Coy then bumped a much larger force - at least ten times their size - and in the course of an intense battle and with a lot of well-directed artillery and some air support, and then with reinforcement from A and D Coy and APCs, and in the best traditions of the Australian Army, drove them from the field.

According to our DS you do your job, trust to your training and trust the blokes around you, even when it seems that everything is going to sh t. From these blokes, that was a powerful message.

I watched Danger Close yesterday. Thanks to all here for the idea! Great movie.

I saw it yesterday. I had no idea the Australians had so many M16s!!

I think the director couldn't find enough SLRs.

Please forgive my ignorance, but what's a "Coy"?

Company? Google wasn't 100% sure.

Yes

Generally there were 3 per Section, sect commander, first and second scout

Interesting. What was the rationale behind this?

Section Commander has may things to do and many things to carry. The M16 is lighter than the SLR so it suits the Section Commander role.

The section scouts didn't all have M16s at the time of Long Tan due to issues of supply. Some did, some still had F1 submachineguns firing a 9x19mm (9mm NATO / Luger) cartridge. The M16 did replace the F1 quickly as the F1 and cartridge were fairly useless.

The unnecessary dramatisation spoiled the movie. As an example, in the movie Pte. Large attacked his Company Commander during the battle. This did not happen in real life, and would not have happened. Similarly the NZ FOO was far more competent than the contempt than he was treated with by the CO. In the end, his calls that afternoon prevented the destruction of the company, then a follow-on attack of the Task Force base at Nui Dat which would have been bad for the ATF.

Makes sense. Do you know what was stopping them from issuing the M16 to all soldiers? (Everyone would benefit from lighter weapons and the ability to carry more ammo pound for pound.)

The M16 was not, and never has been the standard issue rifle of the Australian Army.

The SLR (inch pattern FN FAL know as the L1A1) was only relatively available in Australian Army from 1964. The 1st Bn RAR had to scrape enough together for their deployment in 1965 to Bien Hoa as a Bn in the 173rd Airbourne Bde.

At the time, and well into the 1980s it was the premier battle rifle and earned the title of the "Right arm of the free world".