16 OCT 1967: Viet Nam and Royal Australian Navy Helicopters deploy to Viet Nam. An RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam (RANHFV ’67) joins the US Army’s 135th Aviation Company EMU at Vung Tau, supporting American troops in South Vietnam. The EMU (Experimental Military Unit) was formed around the US Army’s 135th Assault Helicopter Company. The 135th […]
2017
HMAS Adelaide Arrives
14 OCT 1927: HMAS Adelaide arrives at the British Solomon Islands Protectorate as part of the British punitive expedition to quell the Malaita Massacre. The Royal Australian Navy operated as part of a British empire force in one of the first instances in which Australian forces intervened in regional affairs. The Malaita massacre inflicted a […]
HMAS Brisbane Returns
13 OCT 1969: Viet Nam, and HMAS Brisbane returns to Sydney. This was the end of the Brisbane’s first deployment to Vietnam. Brisbane was the second vessel of that name to serve in the Royal Australian Navy. She was the third of the RAN’s American-built “Charles F. Adams” class guided-missiles destroyers. (The other two were […]
CAPT Clarence Jeffries, VC
12 OCT 1917: World War I and Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries, 34th Battalion, originally from Wallsend, New South Wales, earns the Victoria Cross at Passchendaele, Belgium It was a posthumous award. Jeffries was born in the Newcastle suburb of Wallsend, New South Wales, on 26 October 1894. He was the only child of Joshua Jeffries, […]
Aussies Land at Jacquinot Bay
11 OCT 1944: World War II and the Australians land at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain. The Australians’ arrival opened the successful New Britain campaign in which a small Militia force successfully contained the large Japanese garrison holding Rabaul. Jacquinot Bay is a wide harbor located on the southern coast of New Britain. Borders Mal Mal (Malmal) […]
Battle of Poelcappelle Today
10 OCT 1917: World War I and the Battle of Poelcappelle, on the Western Front takes place. Australian divisions continued to attack in the third battle of Ypres. The attack on Poelcappelle, launched amid heavy rain, was to cost 1250 casualties for no gain of ground. Also called the first battle of Passchendaele, the battle […]
Vendetta Decommissioned
9OCT 1979 Australia’s Daring class destroyer, HMAS Vendetta II was decommissioned on this day, having steamed 670,952 nautical miles. She was commissioned in Melbourne on 26 November 1958. Vendetta was a regular visitor to foreign ports and saw operational service during both the Indonesian Confrontation and the Vietnam War, and also participated in relief efforts in […]
Allied Advance into North Korea
9 OCT 1950: Korea, and United Nations Forces advance into North Korea. Following the surprise landing at Inchon, behind North Korean lines, United nations forces rapidly pushed back the North Koreans and advanced deep into North Korea. As UN forces neared the North Korean border, China warned them not to cross into North Korean territory, […]
Battle of Maryang-San
3-8 OCT 1951: Korea and the Battle of Maryang-San, rages over 5 days. The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, made a successful assault against Chinese positions on Hill 317 (Maryang-San) and held the important feature in the face of fierce counter-attacks. In early October 1951, 3RAR (3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment), in conjunction with […]
Tempelton’s Crossing Contact
8 OCT 1942: World War II and the 25th Brigade, 7th Division, contacts a Japanese rear-guard at Tempelton’s Crossing. The pursuit of the Japanese retreating along the Kokoda Track involved hard fights. Templeton’s Crossing was named after an officer of the 39th Battalion, lost without trace in the retreat from Kokoda. The battle at Ioribaiwa […]
