1st Australian Task Force

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An Australian soldier in South Vietnam

The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) commanded the Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1971. 1 ATF was based at Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province. While the Task Force was primarily responsible for securing Phuoc Tuy Province, Task Force units, and the Task Force Headquarters itself, occasionally deployed outside the Province.

[edit] Organisation

1 ATF's organisation varied as Australian and New Zealand units rotated through South Vietnam and the total size of the Australian and New Zealand force in South Vietnam changed.

1 ATF typically consisted of:

Headquarters Company, 1 ATF
Two or three infantry battalions
One field artillery regiment (with an attached US medium artillery battery)
One field squadron (engineers)
One APC Squadron (M-113)
One Armoured Squadron (Centurion tanks)
One Special Air Service Squadron (Australian and New Zealand SAS)
One Signals Squadron
1st Australian Task Force Logistics Company
161 Reconnaissance Flight
No. 9 Squadron RAAF (UH-1 Iroquois)

The Australian Army Training Team Vietnam was separate from 1 ATF and reported directly to the Australian Force Vietnam headquarters located in Saigon which provided administrative support to all Australian forces in South Vietnam.