11.       The first Australian killed in the Vietnam War was in 1963. What was his occupation?

The answer is: Military Advisor

Interesting Information:

In 1963, Australia sent over 30 Military Advisors as a show of support to the USA. Over the duration of the war, many Advisors led South Vietnamese companies into battle. In fact the only Victoria Cross Medals awarded during the war (4 in total) were to Advisors.

12.       What was the standard issue Australian infantry weapon during the Vietnam War?

The answer is: L1A1 SLR

Interesting Information:

The L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) was made under licence at the Lithgow Small Arms Factory in Australia and was based on the Belgian FN. The SLR was a semi-automatic, gas operated weapon that fired the NATO 7.62mm round from a 20 round magazine. It was preferred over the M16 by Australian troops because of its greater stopping power (usually one hit – one kill). It could be converted to automatic fire (by grinding down the safety sear) but became hard to control. The SLR served the Australian Army for nearly 30 years before being replaced by the Austeyr 5.56mm rifle.

13.       What happened on May 7, 1954 at a place called Dien Bien Phu?

The answer is: French defeat

Interesting Information:

It was a battle between the French and the Communist Vietminh. Fiercely fought for 57 days, the French suffered 1,726 killed, another 1,649 missing in action and over 5,000 wounded. The Vietminh never divulged their losses but they attacked with roughly 100,000 men against 15,000 Frenchmen. A conservative estimate of 8,000 killed and 15,000 wounded according to the French General Staff. As a result of this battle the impetus would now shift to the United States, which gradually became increasingly involved in Vietnam.

14.       How many crew members were on a typical bombing flight during missions over Vietnam?

The answer is: 6

15.       What Vietnamese Nationalist eventually changed his name to Ho Chi Minh?

The answer is: Nguyen That Thanh

16.       Both sides of the war used helicopters, but who used the famous “Huey”?

The answer is: United States of America

Interesting Information:

Japan did not play a part in the war. After World War Two Japan had to disband its armed forces completely in view of the acts of aggression that the country had committed from 1931-45. When it was allowed to rebuild its armed forces again from 1954 onwards their purpose was defined in the Japanese Constitution as purely for self-defense, and there were restrictions on their use.

17.       How many Air Force F-4C/D/E Phantom II aircraft were lost between 1964-1975?

The answer is: 382

Interesting Information:

Air Force F-4C/D/E combat losses; 33 to MiG fighters; 30 to Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM), and 307 to multiple forms of ground fire.

18.       During the Vietnam War, what did soldiers and Marines call the M60 machine gun?

The answer is: a pig or hog

Interesting Information:

Servicemen called the M60 machine gun a pig or a hog. It received that name because of the ammo it ate.

19.       During WWII, after most of France was occupied by Germany, the French were obliged to give up their land holdings in what had become French Indochina. To what country did the spoils go?

The answer is: Japan

Interesting Information:

Quite naturally, the riches of Vietnam’s rubber plantations, along with the resources of wealth owned by its near neighbors were exploited in turn by Japan to aid its own war-making capabilities.

After WWII, the French returned …

20.       What did MACV stand for?

The answer is: Military Assistance Command – Vietnam

Interesting Information:

**MACV was the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam. It was based at the Tan Son Nhut Airbase. It was first established in 1962 and wound up in 1973. Over the years it was commanded by Generals Harkins, Westmoreland, Abrams and Weyand.

**MACV controlled all the US Military Forces that were in Vietnam and reported to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC).

To be continued…

Vietnam War

1.      How many B-52 Stratofortresses lost during the Linebacker II Raids 18-29 December 1972?

The answer is: 15

Interesting Information:

Poor planning and poor micromanagement from Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska brought about staggering losses of the large B-52D/G/H Stratofortress heavy bombers. As the air campaign continued the crews flying the missions began to express their dislike of the continued same poor tactics by SAC, especially while the tactical fighter bombers of Tactical Air Command (TAC) continually adjusted there tactics to keep North Vietnam off balance with different approaches to target, different altitude, and SAC flew the same, day in and day out.

2.           During the Vietnam war, US infantrymen had the MOS number 11B also called 11 Bravo. What did the average soldier call the ‘B’?

The answer is: bush

Interesting Information:

Almost every soldier who was 11B was headed to the ‘Nam. Soldiers called themselves “11 bush”. Hello Vietnam’!

3.         What South Vietnamese decoration was issued to almost all US soldiers in Vietnam?

The answer is: Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm

Interesting Information:

The Gallantry Cross Unit Citation was extensively awarded to foreign troops by the government of the RVN. By 1974 it was decided to award it retroactively to any American Army unit involved in the Vietnam Conflict between 1961 and 1974, and therefore the soldiers.

4.            Well, there’s just no place to start like the beginning. When did Viet Nam first break away from China to begin its tenuous venture as an independent country?

The answer is: 938

Interesting Information:

Vietnam had gained self-rule by A.D. 938, but it had not obtained independence at that time. Several dynasties and hundreds of years later, the French were destined to enter the region, as they looked for rubber plantations to support their country’s modernization.

By that time, Vietnamese “infighting” had become a notorious and integral part of that country’s self-identity, if not their national pastime.

5.         Who commanded the 9th Marine Forces that landed on the beaches of Vietnam in 1965?

The answer is: General Frederick Karch

Interesting Information:

**General Nathan Twining was in the airforce. From 1953 until 1957 he was the Chief of Staff for the US Airforce

**Harkins was the first commander of MAC-V, he was eventually replaced by General Westmoreland.

**General Frederick Karch stepped ashore with the Marines on 8 March 1965. Instead of being greeted by gunfire and explosions they were greeted with flowers, banners and smiling people. Karch was photographed looking very unhappy with a garland of flowers draped around his neck. He stated that the photograph was the source of a lot of trouble for him and people would ask why he was not smiling. In response he was quoted as saying “If I had to do it over, that picture would have been the same. When you have a son in Vietnam and he gets killed, you don’t want a smiling general with flowers around his neck as leader at that point.”

6.         Agent Orange was the herbicide used to defoliate areas within Vietnam to reduce the ability of guerrilla units to conduct ambushes and hide in base camps. How did Agent Orange get its name?

The answer is: It was the color of the band around the shipping drums

Interesting Information:

The defoliation program lasted from 1962 to 1969 in Vietnam and over 46 percent of the forests were sprayed with Agent Orange. There have been links to Agent Orange and illnesses suffered by Vietnam Veterans and their children

7.         What was Operation Lam Son 719/Dewey Canyon Two (II)?

The answer is: Invasion of Laos by South Vietnamese forces

Interesting Information:

Lam Son 719 was the invasion of Laos by ARVN troops in 1971. As a test of ‘Vietnamization”, the operation was conducted without American advisors. The Dewey Canyon part was conducted by American troops to keep supply lines open to the Lao border. The 719 came from the year of the operation, 1971, and the area were it took place, Highway 9.

8.         He was the last emperor/king of Vietnam?

The answer is: Bao Dai

Interesting Information:

Bao Dai became emperor in 1928, but the French wouldn’t let him return until 1932, but he was restricted in his power. During WW II he cooperated with the Japanese, who encouraged him to declare independence in 1945. After the 1964 Geneva Accords he appointed Diem to be premier. In a Diem controlled election, Diem was voted in as president. Bao Dai retuned to France and died in 1997.

Diem was president until he was assasinated in 1963. Ky was premier and Thieu was president in the late sixties and early seventies.

9.         In which direction from Vietnam is Laos?

The answer is: West

Interesting Information:

Laos is a landlocked country to the west of Vietnam. Together with Cambodia and Vietnam, it was part of French Indochina till 1949-54.

10.       In which valley would you find Ap Bia?

The answer is: A Shau

Interesting Information:

During 1968’s Tet Offensive the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) had staged an entire Division and also VC (Viet Cong) forces in the A Shau. In part, the valley was used as the springboard for the attacks on Hue and Da Nang. During the fierce fighting for Hue the NVA lost over 5,000 men.

To be continued…