Battle of Coral–Balmoral

Australian soldiers defending FSB Coral, May 1968.

Date	12 May – 6 June 1968
Location	East of Lai Khe, Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam
Result	Australian victory

Belligerents

Australia

New Zealand

United States

North Vietnam

Viet Cong

Commanders and leaders

Ron Hughes
Donald Dunstan
Jim Shelton
Phillip Bennett

Nguyen The Bon
Phan Viet Dong

Units involved

1st Aust Task Force

7th Division

141st Regt
165th Regt

Strength

~2,500 to 3,000 men
Armour
Artillery

~3,000 to 4,000 men

Casualties and losses

Australia:
25 killed, 99 wounded
New Zealand:
5 wounded
US:
5 wounded

267 killed, 7 wounded
11 captured

1st Aust Task Force

7th Division

The Battle of Coral–Balmoral (12 May – 6 June 1968) was a series of actions fought during the Vietnam War between the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) and the North Vietnamese 7th Division and Viet Cong Main Force units, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-east of Saigon. Following the defeat of the communist Tet offensive in January and February, in late April two Australian infantry battalions—the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR)—with supporting arms, were again deployed from their base at Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province to positions astride infiltration routes leading to Saigon to interdict renewed movement against the capital. Part of the wider allied Operation Toan Thang I, it was launched in response to intelligence reports of another impending communist offensive, yet the Australians experienced little fighting during this period. Meanwhile, the Viet Cong successfully penetrated the capital on 5 May, plunging Saigon into chaos during the May Offensive in an attempt to influence the upcoming Paris peace talks scheduled to begin on the 13th. During three days of intense fighting the attacks were repelled by US and South Vietnamese forces, and although another attack was launched by the Viet Cong several days later, the offensive was again defeated with significant losses on both sides, causing extensive damage to Saigon and many civilian casualties. By 12 May the fighting was over, and the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were forced to withdraw having suffered heavy casualties. US casualties were also heavy and it proved to be their most costly week of the war.

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