“Leave It To The Psychos” — Why US Gave This Part Of Vietnam To Australians
In the dense jungles of Vietnam, a hidden conflict unfolded that would challenge conventional military wisdom and redefine the nature of warfare. August 1944 marked a pivotal moment when American forces found themselves outmatched in a way they could never have anticipated. As the United States military faced severe losses in the Longhai Mountains, it made a controversial decision: to hand over a critical part of the battlefield to Australian forces. What transpired in those treacherous jungles would change the course of the Vietnam War and leave an indelible mark on military strategy.
The Vanishing Act
The story begins with a harrowing operation involving 47 American paratroopers who ventured into the Longhai Mountains, only to see 28 of their number vanish without a trace. These soldiers were swallowed by the jungle, pulled into a network of tunnels so extensive that recovery teams could not find them. The Pentagon’s response was swift and shocking: they drew a red line on the map and declared the area off-limits to American forces, allowing only the Australians to operate there.
Why would the most powerful military in the world relinquish control to a force of just 150 men from a country that many Americans struggled to locate on a map? The answer lies in the unique and terrifying methods employed by the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), tactics that would leave American liaison officers requesting emergency transfers just to escape the chaos.
The Longhai Mountains
The Longhai Mountains rose from the coastal plains of Vietnam like the spine of an ancient beast. From the air, they appeared deceptively small, a mere 14 kilometers of jungle-covered limestone. However, American aerial reconnaissance had failed to reveal the complex network of caves and tunnels that the Viet Cong had fortified over decades. Despite extensive bombing campaigns and ground operations, the Viet Cong’s D445 provincial mobile battalion continued to operate with impunity, using the mountains as both shelter and stronghold.
In March 1967, a company from the 173rd Airborne Brigade attempted a sweep-and-clear operation through the Longhai’s eastern approaches. The results were devastating: 47 American paratroopers entered the jungle, but only 19 emerged. The rest vanished without a trace, leading to an investigation that would ultimately classify the operation at the highest levels of military command.
The Viet Cong had not simply fought the Americans; they had hunted them, systematically picking off soldiers one by one without firing a shot. This revelation led to a drastic decision: the Longhai Mountains were declared off-limits to American ground forces.
Enter the Australians
With American forces unable to operate effectively in the area, the Pentagon turned to the Australians. The first Australian task force had arrived in Phuoc Tuy province in 1966, tasked with pacifying the region using whatever methods they deemed necessary. This mandate differed fundamentally from the American approach, which focused on body counts and territory seized.
The SAS, operating with a small contingent of just 150 men at any given time, had a different philosophy. They were not merely soldiers conducting counterinsurgency operations; they were hunters. Their methods were rooted in a deep understanding of the land, honed through years of experience in conflicts across the globe.
Captain William “Billy” Dundas, who commanded the second squadron of the SAS, had never seen combat before his deployment in Vietnam. However, his time in Borneo during the Indonesian confrontation had taught him invaluable lessons about tracking and survival in dense jungles. The true strength of the Australian SAS lay not just in their training but in their unique ability to blend into the environment.
The Aboriginal Trackers
One of the most significant assets in the Australian SAS was the inclusion of Aboriginal trackers, whose skills in navigating the harsh terrain were unparalleled. Private Dorian Walker, a Pintubi man from the Western Desert, was recruited into the army through a program that the Australian government would later deny existed. Walker possessed an innate ability to read the land, tracking movements through the jungle with an expertise that defied explanation.
When Walker first arrived at Nui Dat in April 1968, American officers dismissed the tracker program as an outdated relic. However, their skepticism would soon be tested.
During a joint patrol, Captain James Morrison accompanied an Australian unit into the northern approaches of the Longhai Mountains. What he witnessed would change his perception of warfare forever. The Australians moved silently, communicating through subtle touches rather than words. They set an ambush without conventional preparations, relying on their instincts and the natural environment.
A New Kind of Warfare
The Australians did not simply engage the enemy; they communicated through their actions. After ambushing a Viet Cong courier team, they arranged the bodies in a way that sent a powerful psychological message. The dead were propped up against trees, their eyes wide open, weapons resting across their laps, and playing cards—the Ace of Spades—tucked into their collars. This was not merely a tactic; it was psychological warfare.
The impact of these methods was profound. The Viet Cong began to see the Australians not just as soldiers but as “Maung,” or jungle ghosts. They became gripped by fear and paranoia, leading to a breakdown in morale. The D445 battalion struggled to maintain cohesion as soldiers reported seeing ghosts and hearing sounds in the jungle that left them terrified.
The Shift in Tactics
The Australian SAS operated under a different philosophy than their American counterparts. While the U.S. military doctrine emphasized overwhelming firepower, the Australians focused on stealth and psychological manipulation. They relied on small patrols that could move undetected, gathering intelligence and executing strikes without drawing attention.
By December 1968, the D445 battalion had effectively ceased offensive operations, not due to a significant reduction in strength but because their will had been broken. The Australians had achieved psychological dominance over the Viet Cong, demonstrating that warfare could be fought on a mental level as much as a physical one.
The Aftermath
As the war progressed, the effectiveness of the Australian SAS became evident, but the cost of their methods was significant. The transformation that allowed them to hunt humans left lasting scars on their psyche. Post-traumatic stress rates among Australian Vietnam veterans eventually exceeded those of their American counterparts, despite their smaller numbers and fewer casualties.
The classified reports detailing Australian operations remained buried for decades, revealing uncomfortable truths about the effectiveness of their methods. The Pentagon had no interest in publicizing the fact that their most effective allies had succeeded partly by employing tactics that American forces were prohibited from using.
The Legacy of the Longhai Mountains
In the years following the Vietnam War, fragments of the Australian SAS story began to emerge, challenging the official narrative of Allied operations. The Longhai Mountains became a symbol of the limitations of American military doctrine and the existence of alternative approaches to warfare.
Today, special operations forces around the world study Australian SAS methods from Vietnam as examples of unconventional warfare at its most effective. However, replicating the psychological transformation that allowed these soldiers to become hunters remains elusive.
Private Dorian Walker returned to Australia after the war and never spoke about his experiences in Vietnam. Captain William Dundas continued to serve in the Australian Army until 1982, while Captain James Morrison returned to the United States and also chose not to discuss his time with the SAS.
The story of the Australian SAS in Vietnam is a testament to the power of unconventional warfare and the psychological aspects of combat. It serves as a reminder that victory is not solely determined by firepower but also by the ability to adapt, understand, and exploit the fears of the enemy.
As we reflect on this hidden chapter of history, we must honor the sacrifices of those who fought in the shadows, recognizing that their contributions shaped the course of the Vietnam War and left a lasting legacy on military strategy. The lessons learned from the Longhai Mountains continue to resonate in modern warfare, reminding us that the battle is often fought not just on the ground but within the minds of those who engage in it.
