of underground tunnels collapsed. Some of our men were caught in them and have not been able to get out yet. It is not known what has become of sisters BA, BAY, HONGHAN and TAN HO in these tunnels. In their attempt to provide security for the agency TAM and UT were killed. Their bodies left unattended, deteriorated, have not been buried yet. In the afternoon one of our village unit members trying to stay close to the enemy for reconnaissance was killed and his body has not been recovered.
Fifteen minutes ago, enemy jets dropped bombs; houses collapsed and trees fell. I was talking when a rocket exploded two meters away and bombs poured down like a torrent.
We should fight them, we should annihilate them, you [U.S. soldiers] will have no way out. It is always dark before sunrise. After cold days, warm days will come. The most tiresome moment is when one moves up a hill. One must rise up, disregarding death and hardships, determined to defeat the American aggressors.
Oh, what hard days, one has to stay in [the] tunnel, eat cold rice with salt, drink unboiled water. However, one is free and feels at ease.
The entry is dated 1445 hours, 11 January 1966. The following day, the diary became one of nearly 8,000 items captured by the Americans.
On the same day that Tran Bang wrote down his bittersweet thoughts, the tunnels claimed one of their first victims, Corporal Bob Bowtell of the 3rd Field Troop of the Royal Australian Engineers. The troop was part of the 1st Battalion Group of the Royal Australian Regiment, brought in to act as a blocking force on the northern perimeter of the Crimp operation, an area covered with light scrub, rubber plantations, and secondary growth. The Aussies, with their traditional bush hats and British military background, made a distinct and colorful contrast to the GIs. They were all volunteers, and most were keen to find the action. Third Field Troop was led by a large, beefy, popular officer, Captain Alex MacGregor. He was known in the Australian military jargon as a hands-on type, an officer who truly led his men, and would ask from them nothing that he had not done or would not do himself. He was a front row rugby forward, built like an ox, and had already spent two years with an engineer construction squadron in Papua New Guinea, aplace not generally regarded as being particularly homely or comfortable for a white man. In Vietnam he was one soldier who dealt with the prevalent foot-rot problem in a robust way: He discarded his socks and suffered the agonies of blisters for several days, but then, as calluses formed, his feet slowly developed a covering that was actually tougher than the jungle boots he wore. With him the captain had a small and enthusiastic team, including Sapper Denis Ayoub, his radio man, and Sappers Les Colmer and Barry Harford. Colmer was MacGregorâs batman, but unlike the âbutlerâ batmen of the British system, he followed his boss, often into fire. Sapper Harford was Colmerâs friend; both had joined the army from Broken Hill, the large mining town in New South Wales. Although neither had been a miner, the mining background in their lives was to prove invaluable. Corporal Bowtell had been a friend of theirs.
On the first day of Crimp the troop found action without difficulty. Homemade grenades were spotted rigged as antipersonnel mines, with tripwires strung from the trees from ankle height to head height. On the second day they even ran across two mortar bombs activated by a grenade connected to an ankle-high tripwire. Later that day they found an area laced with punji stakes (razor-sharp bamboo spikes) set in concrete in the ground. A sapper of B Company demolition team stepped on one and it went straight through his foot.
By day three, the Australian infantrymen were beginning to take serious casualties. Captain MacGregor recalled that not only were the scouts of one leading infantry company killed, but when the stretcher-bearers were called for
Fifteen minutes ago, enemy jets dropped bombs; houses collapsed and trees fell. I was talking when a rocket exploded two meters away and bombs poured down like a torrent.
We should fight them, we should annihilate them, you [U.S. soldiers] will have no way out. It is always dark before sunrise. After cold days, warm days will come. The most tiresome moment is when one moves up a hill. One must rise up, disregarding death and hardships, determined to defeat the American aggressors.
Oh, what hard days, one has to stay in [the] tunnel, eat cold rice with salt, drink unboiled water. However, one is free and feels at ease.
The entry is dated 1445 hours, 11 January 1966. The following day, the diary became one of nearly 8,000 items captured by the Americans.
On the same day that Tran Bang wrote down his bittersweet thoughts, the tunnels claimed one of their first victims, Corporal Bob Bowtell of the 3rd Field Troop of the Royal Australian Engineers. The troop was part of the 1st Battalion Group of the Royal Australian Regiment, brought in to act as a blocking force on the northern perimeter of the Crimp operation, an area covered with light scrub, rubber plantations, and secondary growth. The Aussies, with their traditional bush hats and British military background, made a distinct and colorful contrast to the GIs. They were all volunteers, and most were keen to find the action. Third Field Troop was led by a large, beefy, popular officer, Captain Alex MacGregor. He was known in the Australian military jargon as a hands-on type, an officer who truly led his men, and would ask from them nothing that he had not done or would not do himself. He was a front row rugby forward, built like an ox, and had already spent two years with an engineer construction squadron in Papua New Guinea, aplace not generally regarded as being particularly homely or comfortable for a white man. In Vietnam he was one soldier who dealt with the prevalent foot-rot problem in a robust way: He discarded his socks and suffered the agonies of blisters for several days, but then, as calluses formed, his feet slowly developed a covering that was actually tougher than the jungle boots he wore. With him the captain had a small and enthusiastic team, including Sapper Denis Ayoub, his radio man, and Sappers Les Colmer and Barry Harford. Colmer was MacGregorâs batman, but unlike the âbutlerâ batmen of the British system, he followed his boss, often into fire. Sapper Harford was Colmerâs friend; both had joined the army from Broken Hill, the large mining town in New South Wales. Although neither had been a miner, the mining background in their lives was to prove invaluable. Corporal Bowtell had been a friend of theirs.
On the first day of Crimp the troop found action without difficulty. Homemade grenades were spotted rigged as antipersonnel mines, with tripwires strung from the trees from ankle height to head height. On the second day they even ran across two mortar bombs activated by a grenade connected to an ankle-high tripwire. Later that day they found an area laced with punji stakes (razor-sharp bamboo spikes) set in concrete in the ground. A sapper of B Company demolition team stepped on one and it went straight through his foot.
By day three, the Australian infantrymen were beginning to take serious casualties. Captain MacGregor recalled that not only were the scouts of one leading infantry company killed, but when the stretcher-bearers were called for
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