I had a vague knowledge of the Australian (and New Zealand) participation in Vietnam, and was of the general impression – drawn from fleeting mentions elsewhere – that the Australians had proved very effective, more so than their American counter-part, in combating the VC/NVA enemy.

But Paul Ham’s book is very much a tour de force regarding Australia’s reasons for being involved in the Vietnam War, how they conducted themselves when there, and the repercussions and long term consequences of their participation. I had expected a detailed operation account of unit minutiae, but what I got was a broad historical study of the military, political, historical and social aspects of this conflict.

There is plenty of grisly recounts of the military tactics and events, though – naturally in a book which ranges so far and wide in its investigation of the nature of this war – it is rather akin to a bus tour which takes in the most salient ‘attractions’ but leaves the tourist wanting to ‘see’ more.

However, Paul Ham does ensure that he marks the most important unit actions and points of interest with plenty of useful ‘additional reading’ notes and citations so you can look further into events and characters that particularly catch your attention (I made a little list of other books I fully intend to hunt out now I have finished Paul’s book).

Australian soldiers from 7 RAR waiting to be picked up by US Army helicopters following a cordon and search operation near Phuoc Hai in 1967. Source: Wikipedia

The greatest surprise – for me – was just how touching, sad, and gripping I found the final quarter of the book. This section is dedicated to the aftermath of the war and investigates such lesser recounted aspects such as the Vietnamese people and their lives post-war, the Australian service personnel returning home, the ecological and environmental consequences and the health and welfare of Aussie veterans.

Overall, Paul Ham’s book is undoubtedly one of the best considered and balanced accounts of the Vietnam War I have encountered. It completely unmasked my ignorance (what I thought I knew) and made me understand that my here-to-now revisionist ‘could have, would have, should have’ bias in my interpretation of the war was completely erroneous. I was of the opinion – with many others - that while America and its allies lost the war it had done so politically and not really militarily, upholding the simplistic mantra that the US never really lost a major military encounter in Vietnam. But as Paul recounts, as a North Vietnamese official grimly stated – that fact was ‘irrelevant’.

A ‘must read’ observation of the Vietnam Conflict in general, and a fascinating memorial to the legendary ANZAC fighting spirit. To coin a phrase ‘bloody bonzer’.

Related links:

> Audible.co.uk: Paul Ham 'Vietnam: The Australian War', 31 hours 16 minutes, £22.19
> Amazon.co.uk: Paul Ham 'Vietnam: The Australian War', hardback, £19.59

> Wikipedia: Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War
> Australia and the Vietnam War - Australian Government Commemoration web pages

> vvaa.org.a - Vietnam Veterans' Association of Australia

And finally, can I recommend that you look out a film called 'The Odd Angry Shout' (1979), it is a largly overlooked classic that shows conflict in Vietnam - from an Australian perspective - in a highly realistic, anti-'gung ho' manner. Link: 'Odd Angry Shout' entry at the IMDB.