New Zealand S Vietnam War

This landmark publication provides a comprehensive and authoritative account of New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War, and will remain the standard reference work on the subject for decades. Its publication completes the programme of official war histories that began in 1945. Ian McGibbon's primary focus is what New Zealand did in South Vietnam. He traces in detail the operations carried out by New Zealand forces and seeks to illuminate the experience of New Zealand soldiers fighting in a guerrilla war. The command structure, logistic support and operational context of fighting within a primarily Australian framework are all covered. He addresses controversial aspects such as friendly fire incidents, atrocity allegations and veterans' grievances, including over Agent Orange. Maori participation in V Force was substantial and its impact is assessed. Although the book is inevitably weighted towards the military, the efforts of civilians in South Vietnam are also covered in depth. The surgical team operated from 1963 until their evacuation from Qui Nhon just days before North Vietnamese columns entered the city. Not forgotten are the efforts of courageous civilians like Sister Mary Laurence and of Red Cross volunteers to alleviate misery among refugees. The book also describes the dramatic end of New Zealand's involvement in South Vietnam – with the surgical team and the New Zealand Embassy evacuated by RNZAF Bristol Freighters just before the communist victory. Finally, McGibbon surveys the war's troubled aftermath, culminating in the Prime Minister's apology to veterans in 2008.

Starting with the first Indochina War in the 1950s, this historical analysis covers the story of New Zealand's relations with Vietnam up to the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Exploring the diplomatic history of the engagement, which is not well known or understood, and showing that New Zealand officials and politicians in fact entered the war with extreme reluctance, this describes how the dispatch of troops to Vietnam divided the country, enraged a generation, and forced the government to publicly defend its policy. Readers quickly discover that the fallout from the Vietnam conflict still affects New Zealand's position today—from its well-known antinuclear stance to its position over the recent Iraq conflict.

This landmark publication provides a comprehensive and authoritative account of New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War, and will remain the standard reference work on the subject for decades. Its publication completes the programme of official war histories that began in 1945.Ian McGibbon's primary focus is what New Zealand did in South Vietnam. He traces in detail the operations carried out by New Zealand forces and seeks to illuminate the experience of New Zealand soldiers fighting in a guerrilla war. The command structure, logistic support and operational context of fighting within a primarily Australian framework are all covered. He addresses controversial aspects such as friendly fire incidents, atrocity allegations and veterans' grievances, including over Agent Orange.Maori participation in V Force was substantial and its impact is assessed. Although the book is inevitably weighted towards the military, the efforts of civilians in South Vietnam are also covered in depth. The surgical team operated from 1963 until their evacuation from Qui Nhon just days before North Vietnamese columns entered the city. Not forgotten are the efforts of courageous civilians like Sister Mary Laurence and of Red Cross volunteers to alleviate misery among refugees.The book also describes the dramatic end of New Zealand's involvement in South Vietnam - with the surgical team and the New Zealand Embassy evacuated by RNZAF Bristol Freighters just before the communist victory. Finally, McGibbon surveys the war's troubled aftermath, culminating in the Prime Minister's apology to veterans in 2008.

New Zealand's Vietnam War provides a comprehensive and authoritative account of New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War, one that will remain the standard reference work on the subject for decades. Its publication will complete the programme of official war history production that began in 1945. This work focuses on what New Zealand did in South Vietnam, as the reasons for this country's involvement and opposition to it have already been covered in book form. It traces in detail the operations carried out by New Zealand forces in Vietnam and seeks to illuminate the experience of New Zealand soldiers fighting in a guerrilla war. The command structure, logistic support and operational context of fighting within a primarily Australian framework are all covered. The book addresses controversial aspects such as friendly fire incidents, atrocity allegations and veterans' grievances, including over Agent Orange.Maori participation in V Force was substantial and its impact is assessed. Although the book is inevitably weighted towards the military, because the troops were the largest element of New Zealand's effort in Vietnam, the efforts of civilians in South Vietnam are also covered in depth. The surgical team operated from 1963 until their evacuation from Qui Nhon just days before North Vietnamese columns entered the city. The efforts of courageous civilians like Sister Mary Laurence and of Red Cross volunteers to alleviate misery among refugees are described. The book also covers the dramatic end of the New Zealand involvement in South Vietnam âe with the surgical team and the New Zealand Embassy evacuated by RNZAF Bristol Freighters just before the communist victory. The war's troubled aftermath is traversed, culminating in the Prime Minister's apology to veterans in 2007.

The Vietnam War was New Zealand's longest and most controversial military engagement of the twentieth century. No Front Lineexplores this war like never before, from the perspective of New Zealanders who were there, in their own words- on operations, on a mission for good, on orders, or simply out for adventure. It relays military, civilian and domestic histories in a narrative that is at once sincere, direct and undeniable - sometimes shocking and always absorbing. These war stories take readers on operations with gunners, infantrymen, pilots and troopers who face fear and heartbreak, and who witness the devastation of a country at war. The book also includes important reflections from non-combatant engineers, medics, aid workers and administrators; it profiles civilian and service personnel treating Vietnamese casualties in provincial hospitals; it places on record the integral role of women in Vietnam- as nurses, doctors, aid workers, journalists and entertainers. Back home in New Zealand, veterans' families recall the war's reach into the suburbs - both then and now. Personal testimonies in No Front Line are drawn from a collectionof 150 oral history interviews recorded over five years. They present a fresh perspective on New Zealand's collective experience of the Vietnam War - an episode in history that cannot be ignored

Victor 3 Company, a new Zealand Infantry unit, fought in South Vietnam as part of a joint Australian/New Zaeland battalion, 4 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion. This unit saw active service in Vietnam from May 1968 until May 1969, which was a period when the US military were losing more than 500 men killed in action each week. Victor 3 Company's clashes with the enemy in the jungles of Vietnam were invariably fierce firefights fought at very close range. Nevetherless, these young New Zealand soldiers acquitted themselves particularly well, demonstrating high standars of courage and comradeship, earning Victor 3 Company the distinction of being one of the highest decorayed New Zealand units in the Vietnam War.

'We were known to the enemy as "grey ghosts". We could be here, and we could be there.' - 'Sniper' "We were known to the enemy as 'grey ghosts'. We could be here, and we could be there . . . " the Grey Ghosts were New Zealand's Vietnam veterans. their powerful story includes chilling accounts of death, injuries and emotional breakdown, along with the intense comradeship of soldiering, and a pervasive sense of humour that is uniquely our own. Acclaimed writer and historian Deborah Challinor interviewed 50 men who served in Vietnam, who speak out about 'fragging' (killing superior officers), the New Zealand Government's role in Agent Orange and chemical exposure, and their hostile reception when they returned. the result is compelling, reliving the Vietnam experience in vivid detail. First published in 1998, this updated edition includes new material on the subsequent handling of veterans' claims, and the reconciliation parade on Queen's Birthday weekend in 2008, when the men were finally welcomed home.