# Danger Close: The Battle of Lon Tan



## from darkness lite (8 May 2019)

Sure hope this Aussie movie (release this summer) makes its way over here.  I've read a few books that covered the battle (some more than others) and there was a decent documentary done on it.  Most Aussie films I've seen tend to be well done..

https://www.dangerclosemovie.com/videos/?fbclid=IwAR1gYKx8qSWDoOeZXlcrKhXgdpgwdoKzAtn4Yf_lZwFaWJszC25O_h6LHyc

FDL


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## mrmostlikely (8 May 2019)

Battle of Long Tan 2006 documentary narrated by Sam Worthington.  

https://youtu.be/8gUSq7pxux4


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## FJAG (8 May 2019)

mrmostlikely said:
			
		

> Battle of Long Tan 2006 documentary narrated by Sam Worthington.
> 
> https://youtu.be/8gUSq7pxux4



Thanks for that post. I've never heard of this battle before and the story is an absolutely amazing one. 

Kudo's to Sergeant Buick. I've never heard of a more effective call for fire to a forward observer. "Request target my location ... It's simple. If you don't, we will be dead in ten minutes."

Just a point on the L5's being fired by the New Zealanders who were cranking out 6 - 8 rounds per minute. That's quite a feat for a sustained period of time. Not just in keeping up the loading and relaying of the guns that rapidly in extreme weather during a "danger close" mission, but just unpacking the ammo needed takes quite an effort. 

Back in 1970/71 in 3 RCHA we were burning off a lot of ammo in Shilo and I remember our last fire mission of one of the exercises each troop had over 400 rds of WP left on the position (mostly still in boxes ready to go back to the TDM) when we got the call to "prepare all ammunition on the position" followed by a smoke mission to expend it all. Basically everyone in the troop (except one rad op in the CP) ran to the guns to start unpacking it all out of their boxes and tubes and hauling it to the guns and loading. We managed 9 rounds per minute at best and two of my L5s actually packed it in. One ran out of battery (ie the barrel ran to the end of its recoil) and didn't come back forward again, while the second had a brass bushing on its left trunnion deform so that every time it recoiled the barrel pulled to the left and bashed against the gun's shield. I never considered the L5 much of a gun for sustained combat after that. Obviously I was wrong. Good on ya, Kiwis.

Photo from earlier on in the exercise when all three were still all healthy:







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