1st Australian Support Compound was a complex of logistics and support bases operated by the

1st Australian Logistic Support Group The 1st Australian Logistic Support Group (1 ALSG) was a ground support unit of the Australian Army during the Vietnam War located at the 1st Australian Support Compound in Vũng Tàu. 1 ALSG commanded logistic support units to all Australian forc ...

Vũng Tàu Vũng Tàu (''Hanoi accent:'' , ''Saigon accent:'' ) is the largest city of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province in southern Vietnam. The city area is , consists of 13 urban wards and one commune of Long Sơn Islet. Vũng Tàu was the capital of the p ...

, Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

History

The base was located on the beach in

, southeast of Vung Tau Airport. In early 1966 with the expansion of the Australian military commitment in South Vietnam and the formation of the

1st Australian Task Force The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north of Bà Rịa ...

(1 ATF) it was decided that 1 ATF would be allocated its own Tactical Area of Responsibility (TAOR) in Phước Tuy Province, allowing them to pursue operations more independently using their own methods. The Australian Logistic Support Company originally formed to support the

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

, was redesignated as the 1st Australian Logistic Support Group (1 ALSG) in April 1966. In June 1966 1 ALSG moved by road from

Biên Hòa Biên Hòa (Northern accent: , Southern accent: ) is the capital city of Đồng Nai Province, Vietnam and part of the Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area and located about east of Ho Chi Minh City, to which Biên Hòa is linked by Vietnam Hig ...

to Vũng Tàu, 45 minutes drive southwest of the main 1 ATF base at

Nui Dat Nui Dat (Núi Đất) is a former 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) base now part of Ba Ria city in Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, Vietnam. It is not the name of an official ward, it just means "dirt hill" ( núi đất). History 1966–1972 In ...

. The separation of the operational and logistics bases was dictated by the need for 1 ATF to be located further forward in its TAOR, while the logistics base required port and airfield access. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

's 53rd General Support Group already had established operations at Vũng Tàu. With limited land available 1 ALSG occupied a stretch of sand dunes east of the town and airport, described by 1 ALSG commander Lieutenant Colonel David Rouse as an area "in which no sane person would ever stay on for more than a couple of hours in his right mind." The sand dunes were flattened and swamps filled to allow for the construction of logistics areas and accommodation, initially tents later replaced by more permanent huts, but the base remained a fairly desolate place. At its peak the base was occupied by approximately 1,500 Australian and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

troops and more than 500 South Vietnamese employees. 1 ALSG finally withdrew from the base on 12 March 1972.

Field Hospital

The 2nd Field Ambulance established a hospital within the base. In 1967 8th Field Ambulance replaced 2nd Field Ambulance. On 1 April 1968 the 1st Australian Field Hospital was established at the base and 8th Field Ambulance moved forward to Nui Dat. The 100 bed hospital was the main facility supporting 1 ATF, while the nearby U.S. 36th Evacuation Hospital was available to provide specialist services.

Peter Badcoe Club

Within the compound was the Peter Badcoe Club, the 1 ATF in-country rest and recreation centre, named for

Peter Badcoe Peter John Badcoe, (11 January 1934 – 7 April 1967) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in battle that could be awarded at that time to a member of the Australian armed forces. Badcoe, born P ...

, posthumous recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

. Facilities included the

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in ...

memorial swimming pool, a bar area and the Kevin Wheatley Stadium named for

Kevin Wheatley Kevin Arthur "Dasher" Wheatley, VC (13 March 1937 – 13 November 1965) was an Australian soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth fo ...

, another posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross. Beach recreation facilities included surfboards, speedboats and yachts.

Current use

The area has largely been turned over to housing, commercial buildings and a golf course.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu province Australian Army bases Vietnam War military installations