On 28 May 1968, the second North Vietnamese Army (NVA) attack on the Australian Forward Support Base (FSB) Balmoral in Vietnam took place.
The battles around FSB Coral and Balmoral between 12 May and 6 June 1968, cost 25 Australian and at least 300 North Vietnamese lives.
A second regimental-sized attack against 3 RAR at Balmoral was launched by the North Vietnamese at 02:30 on 28 May, with a two-battalion assault preceded by 60 mm and 80 mm mortar fire from the south. Meanwhile, FSB Coral was also attacked by indirect fire from 02:45.
Similar to the attack two nights before, it began with another feint from the south as the North Vietnamese sappers blew up the wire in front of A Company, but was successfully broken up before it reached the wire by the Australian defenders with claymore mines and small-arms fire from their M60 machine-guns, L1A1 Self Loading Rifles and M16 assault rifles. The main assault began at 03:10 from the north-east, with the brunt again being borne by Phillips' D Company. The Australian infantrymen were once again supported by tanks firing canister shot and machine-guns, while artillery and mortars provided continuous close indirect fires, with the combined effect of this firepower stopping the North Vietnamese on the wire before they could penetrate the position.
Although the assault was well co-ordinated, the North Vietnamese had lost the element of surprise, with the preparatory fire once more alerting the defenders. The assault was subsequently called off after 30 minutes, while at 03:40 a small probe developed from the east but quickly dissipated. Sporadic mortar and rocket fire continued to fall as helicopter light-fire teams and C-47 Spooky gunships engaged the North Vietnamese, directed by forward air control aircraft. From 05:00 until first light artillery from FSB Coral provided continuous battlefield illumination to stymie North Vietnamese attempts to clear their dead and wounded, and they finally withdrew by 05:30.
At first light a clearing patrol from D Company, 3 RAR swept the area with tanks and APCs in support, killing and capturing a number of attackers that had been pinned down in old B-52 bomb craters to the north of Balmoral. The daylight revealed that the North Vietnamese had once again been soundly defeated leaving 42 dead and seven prisoners, while Australian losses were one killed and eight wounded.
Quantities of weapons, clothing, ammunition and equipment were also recovered by the Australians. Phillips was subsequently awarded the Military Cross for his leadership during the battle. Many of the North Vietnamese dead were teenagers of 16 or 17 years, evidence that the PAVN had begun drafting 15-year-old boys into its combat units; as had happened after the earlier fighting, their bodies were collected by a bulldozer and buried in a mass grave.
Later, a large number of shell scrapes were discovered to the north-east of Balmoral during an aerial reconnaissance by a Sioux light observation helicopter, and they were thought likely to have been used by the North Vietnamese as an assembly area before being engaged by artillery firing defensive fire tasks early in the battle.
The successful defence of Balmoral and the high ratio of North Vietnamese killed had confirmed the judgement of MacDonald and Dunstan and validated the decision to adopt an aggressive defence with strong static positions and forceful patrolling.
The failed assault proved to be the final attempt to remove 1 ATF from AO Surfers, and there were no further attacks by the North Vietnamese against either Coral or Balmoral.
After 28 May there were no more major assaults on Coral or Balmoral. But Australian patrols from the bases continued. On 30 May, while 1 Troop’s tanks were being serviced at Coral, C Company from 1RAR headed out in armoured personnel carriers to patrol a nearby area of jungle.
Having left the armoured vehicles and proceeded on foot, C Company came under heavy fire from concealed North Vietnamese bunkers. They were pinned down and other enemy troops attempted to encircle the beleaguered Australians.
The two working tanks at Coral were sent into the fray, racing from the base to the jungle’s edge and arriving at the same time as the armoured personnel carriers that had dropped the infantry off shortly before. Using canister rounds they flattened the jungle to their front, exposed the enemy bunkers and destroyed eight. However, the situation was too dangerous for the Australians to remain in the area and they attempted to disengage. As they did so helicopter gunships and artillery attacked enemy positions and withdrawal routes.
The Australians had managed to extricate themselves from a perilous encounter which might have resulted in disaster if the tanks had not arrived in time. As it was, one Australian was killed and seven others were wounded. Enemy losses were higher, estimated at between 24 and 45, but no accurate figure could be attained.
Other patrols were launched from Coral and Balmoral over the following days but the worst of the fighting was over.
Warrant Officer (WO) Don Miller of Woodside, SA, his head bandaged with a she ll dressing, waits to be evacuated from Fire Support Base (FSB) Balmoral in north-west Bien Hoa Province following a heavy attack. WO Miller is the Company Sergeant Major of Support Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR).
