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Hachette Military Collection
Ghost Platoon: 39 Australian Soldiers, Vietnam, 1969 The Army Denied They Existed What Were They Trying to Hide?
Thirty-nine years ago an Australian Army Platoon saw action in Vietnam. Years later, the army said they didn't exist. What secrets were they trying to hide?
For 39 years the Australian Defense Force strenuously denied a unit called the 2nd Defense and Employment Platoon existed during the Vietnam War.
The platoon was a makeshift rapid deployment force of 38 men, all regular troops, based at the Australian Task Force Headquarters at Nui Dat in 1969 from late April to June.
The ragtag unit was thrown together with diggers left behind in Vietnam when their regiment returned to Australia. It was so slapdash it didn't even have an officer or sergeant in charge.
But a rugged ex-Royal Marine, Jim Riddle, stepped forward to take the lead. When the platoon was thrown into one of the biggest firefights of the Vietnam War against hundreds of enemy, Riddle proved his leadership, bringing all his men through unscathed and leaving the battlefield littered with enemy bodies.
It was a highly successful operation, but immediately afterwards Riddle's platoon was mysteriously disbanded, the team broken up and scattered throughout the army. There were no official records. It was as though the platoon never existed. It was a Ghost Platoon. Something happened at that ambush that compelled the army to bury the platoon's existence, and the secrets that went with it.
Three decades later the men of the platoon set out to prove their unit had existed. They ran into bureaucratic brick walls and official denials from the top brass and official historians. What's more, the army strongly denied darker deeds done after the fighting, deeds which some of the men allege were war crime atrocities.
This is the story of the men of the Ghost Platoon.
For 39 years the Australian Defense Force strenuously denied a unit called the 2nd Defense and Employment Platoon existed during the Vietnam War.
The platoon was a makeshift rapid deployment force of 38 men, all regular troops, based at the Australian Task Force Headquarters at Nui Dat in 1969 from late April to June.
The ragtag unit was thrown together with diggers left behind in Vietnam when their regiment returned to Australia. It was so slapdash it didn't even have an officer or sergeant in charge.
But a rugged ex-Royal Marine, Jim Riddle, stepped forward to take the lead. When the platoon was thrown into one of the biggest firefights of the Vietnam War against hundreds of enemy, Riddle proved his leadership, bringing all his men through unscathed and leaving the battlefield littered with enemy bodies.
It was a highly successful operation, but immediately afterwards Riddle's platoon was mysteriously disbanded, the team broken up and scattered throughout the army. There were no official records. It was as though the platoon never existed. It was a Ghost Platoon. Something happened at that ambush that compelled the army to bury the platoon's existence, and the secrets that went with it.
Three decades later the men of the platoon set out to prove their unit had existed. They ran into bureaucratic brick walls and official denials from the top brass and official historians. What's more, the army strongly denied darker deeds done after the fighting, deeds which some of the men allege were war crime atrocities.
This is the story of the men of the Ghost Platoon.
338 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Frank Walker
67 books6 followersFrank Walker is a veteran journalist. His newspaper roles have included being chief reporter for the SUN-HERALD covering defence, veterans' affairs, national security and terrorism. He's also worked on the Sydney Morning Herald, the National Times, for News Limited in New York, and for Deutsche Welle international radio in Germany.
In 2009, Hachette published his first book, The Tiger Man of Vietnam - the remarkable true story of the secret war of Captain Barry Petersen in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It was a bestseller.
Frank followed this with his bestselling Ghost Platoon in 2012, Maralinga in 2014 and Commandos in 2015. He lives in Sydney with his family.
In 2009, Hachette published his first book, The Tiger Man of Vietnam - the remarkable true story of the secret war of Captain Barry Petersen in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It was a bestseller.
Frank followed this with his bestselling Ghost Platoon in 2012, Maralinga in 2014 and Commandos in 2015. He lives in Sydney with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 24, 2018
As is written on the back of the book, the Ghost Platoon was written out of Australian military history by incompetence and oversight. The diligent work by the members of the platoon had them acknowledged and honoured.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2018
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
August 23, 2012
This is a well written book that shows what really happens in the war, not what the government or news papers say. Glad that the people of the Ghost Platoonn were finally recognised.
July 23, 2013
Interesting look at the consequences of war on the men involved.
September 15, 2016
An extremely well written and detailed account, for any ex serviceman and especially Vietnam Vet, this book will ring true and touch on many points known all to well.
April 4, 2017
As well as being a great story, this is no holds bared yet sympathetic tale of the many issues that still plague the lives of many Australian veterans of the Vietnam war. In this short tightly written story of an attempted white wash by the Australian Army middle management, the author explores the toxic culture of the Vietnam era army and how it contributed to reducing the quality of life of many of the ordinary Australians who participated in this campaign.
As a young army cadet who had broken my collar bone in a training camp I first came into contact with Vietnam veterans. This meant I spend several days with the medics who were a group of national service man just returned from the war and still had a couple of months left to complete their conscription. What amazed me at the time was the prodigious amount of beer they consumed every night, night after night. This is but one of the issues covered by the author. Others include; the 'tethered goat' tactics which saw Australian troop placed in exposed situations to draw an enemy attack, the Colonel Blimp attitude of some members of the officer corp, the failure to deal with the psychological toll of almost continuous combat duty.
One hopes for the sake of the people returning from the Australian Army's recent adventures in Iran and Afghanistan that these issues are now much better handled.
As a young army cadet who had broken my collar bone in a training camp I first came into contact with Vietnam veterans. This meant I spend several days with the medics who were a group of national service man just returned from the war and still had a couple of months left to complete their conscription. What amazed me at the time was the prodigious amount of beer they consumed every night, night after night. This is but one of the issues covered by the author. Others include; the 'tethered goat' tactics which saw Australian troop placed in exposed situations to draw an enemy attack, the Colonel Blimp attitude of some members of the officer corp, the failure to deal with the psychological toll of almost continuous combat duty.
One hopes for the sake of the people returning from the Australian Army's recent adventures in Iran and Afghanistan that these issues are now much better handled.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews