THE YEAR of the TIGERS

The Second Tour of the 5th Battalion,
The Royal Australian Regiment
in
South Vietnam 1969 - 70

Edited By
Captain R. M. Battle and D. S. Wilkins (Third Edition)

The 5th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment was raised at Holsworthy, New South Wales, on the 1 March 1965. The Tiger Battalion, as it became known (and so acquired a Sumatran Tiger as its mascot), saw two tours of duty in the Vietnam War, the first in 1966-67 and the second in 1969-70

It was a highly decorated unit during its these two tours with soldiers and officers being awarded at total of 2 Distinguished Service Orders, 6 Military Crosses, 2 Distinguished Conduct Medals, 1 Medal for Gallantry, 5 Military Medals, and 30 Mentioned in Dispatches.

The Tigers lost 50 members killed-in-action and nearly 300 wounded, many very seriously, during these two twelve-month periods of service.

5RAR has subsequently seen service in East Timor/Timor Leste, The Solomon Islands, Rwanda, Malaysia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Its home base is currently Robertson Barracks near Darwin.

THE EDITORS
Captain Michael Battle is a graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon, served ion 5RAR initially as second-in-command of D Company and subsequently as the Battalion's Intelligence Officer in 1969-70. He compiled and edited then original edition of this book.

Captain David Wilkins, also a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, was 5RAR's Adjutant in 1968 until mid 1969. He then served as second-in-command of B and C Companies before becoming Officer Commanding C Company. He edited this edition of The Year of The Tigers.

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