Vietnam Veterans Museum
For once we got some warm weather, and as always happens on a warm weekend, the roads filled up with bikers. I was no exception, so I saddled up my little moped and rode off somewhere.
The road took me to Phillip Island, specifically to the National Vietnam Veterans Museum.
Before that though, I stopped at the beach famous for its rock formation called the Colonnades. Why are the rocks called that? Have a look for yourself:
Right, the Vietnam Veterans Museum. Australia was one of the main US allies in the Vietnam War. Over 60,000 Australians passed through the war between 1962 and 1972. 523 of them died and more than 2,400 were wounded.
Тhe most famous battle involving Australians was the Battle of Long Tan. The anniversary of that battle, 18 August, is marked as Vietnam Veterans’ Day in Australia. By the way, I highly recommend the Australian film Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan from 2019.
And of course, there’s the museum. The National Vietnam Veterans Museum is on Phillip Island, not far at all from the beach with the Colonnade rocks. This wasn’t my first visit to this museum. The exhibition is quite interesting, especially if you don’t just glance around but actually take the time for a proper look and read the plaques and information.
The highlight of the exhibition, naturally, is the military hardware. Take the American-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, for instance. The M113 was one of the most widely produced “battle taxis” in the world. These days they’ve been replaced by more modern vehicles, but plenty of countries still use them. They’re even fighting in Ukraine right now.
Here’s a British-made Centurion tank. The Brits spent the whole of WWII learning how to build decent tanks. They only really cracked it after the war ended, and the Centurion was the result — a proper standout. These tanks were in service with many countries around the world, including Australia.
Probably the most famous use of Centurion tanks was in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Israeli tank crews in Centurions and Pattons fought off the Syrian army’s attack on the Golan Heights.
The Australian Army used Centurions in Vietnam too, and came away very happy with them.
If you picture the Vietnam War, documentary footage of helicopters against a jungle backdrop probably comes to mind. And not just any helicopters — these ones, the UH-1 “Huey.” This helicopter became the symbol of the Vietnam War. Fair enough too, it was a genuine workhorse.
About 7,000 Hueys served in Vietnam, and around 2,500 of them were lost. The Australian Army also flew UH-1s and lost 7 of them.
Back in 2000, when I was learning some aviation wisdom with the US Air Force, one of my instructors was an old Huey pilot who’d flown them in Vietnam. According to him, the US Army didn’t even bother putting these helicopters on the books. They’d write them off straight at the American port, loading them onto ships bound for Vietnam. Hueys were treated as consumables, like ammunition. Even so, the UH-1 is a solid, reliable helicopter. I’ve had the chance to fly in myself.
One of the lessons of the Vietnam War was just how vulnerable helicopters were, and the need to build dedicated combat machines. Bell took its famous UH-1 as a starting point and built the AH-1 Cobra on top of it — the world’s first purpose-built attack helicopter. Variants of it are still in service with the US Marine Corps today.
Australia never had its own Cobras, and the one on display here served with the US Army.
Another helicopter in the exhibition is the little Bell H-13 Sioux, the military version of the Bell 47. It’s best known for its appearance in the TV series M.A.S.H.
The museum also has a Westland Wessex — a big British-made naval helicopter. Sadly, it’s been shoved into a corner and nobody’s getting around to restoring it.
Same story with the planes, unfortunately. They’re on display in a state that honestly looks fit for the scrapyard. Hopefully they’ll get restored one day.
Canberra bomber
de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
Grumman S-2 Tracker. A carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft from HMAS Melbourne. A reminder of those glory days when Australia actually had its own aircraft carriers.
Beyond the hardware, there’s plenty more of interest in the museum. Stories of people and units, personal belongings and souvenirs, and Vietnamese flags captured in battle.
A really interesting bit is the complete collection of official awards and decorations of the Republic of Vietnam.
By the way, quite a few former officers of the Republic of Vietnam ended up settling in Australia. They still keep up their military traditions, they’re a spirited bunch despite their advanced years, and they’re thoroughly imbued with a healthy anti-communist spirit. I got to attend one of their annual reunions a few years back:
All in all, a good museum. Unfortunately, it does leave you with a bit of a sense of neglect. It’d be great to see both the planes and the helicopters properly restored, and honestly, more exhibits in general.
Here is the flickr album with the hi-res photos:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/3k7881Z518
And here’s the album of the Colonnades:
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