Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of two key battles in the Vietnam War; Fire Support Bases (FSB) Coral and Balmoral. These were a series of actions between May and June 1968.
The Vietnam War was the longest military engagement involving Australian servicemen and was fought between May 1962 and April 1975.
During the "Mini-Tet" offensive mounted by North Vietnamese forces in May 1968, the Australian Force deployed two battalions to intercept and disrupt enemy forces.
The Australian bases provided defended positions for artillery and mortars which would, in turn, support infantry patrols of the area.
The Australian Regiments (1RAR and 3RAR) deployed into FSB Coral on 12 May 1968.They began preparing defensive positions, but these were incomplete when a North Vietnamese regiment attacked the base during the early hours of 13 May, 1968.
FSB Coral came under attack for a second time at 2.15am on 16 May when the North Vietnamese infantry assaulted the base, which had been reinforced by armoured personnel carriers. Fighting lasted several hours before the attackers were forced to withdraw.
A total of 26 Australians were killed during the fighting at FSB Coral and Balmoral. Estimates suggest that more than 300 North Vietnamese were killed in these actions, but exact figures will never be known.
The Battles at Coral and Balmoral resulted in more Australian casualties than any other series of engagements in Vietnam.
A national commemorative service to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battles at Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral will be held at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial in Canberra tomorrow.
It is estimated that approximately 30 veterans who were at either FBS Coral or Balmoral now reside in Tasmania, and on behalf of the Tasmanian Government, I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to those who served during this time.