I know that several other countries fought on the US side during the Vietnam War, including South Korea, Turkey, Thailand, and I think Australia.
I’ve tried googling, but I can’t seem to find a comprehensive list of those countries, and, more importantly, how many troops those countries contributed.
Any help?
Australia definitely had troops involved, and it was a very big political issue in Australia in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
This site says:
It also lists other countries that participated.
According to this:
http://www.awm.gov.au/events/travelling/impressions/overview.htm
59,000 Australian troops served, with 508 dead.
I’m still looking for figures on other nation’s data.
There is a very good movie about Auusie involvement in Vietnam called The Odd Angry Shot. Well worth searching out.
That’s the first I’ve heard about Turkish involvement. Maybe you’re thinking of the Korean War?
Erp. I stand corrected.
Maybe I should have said “South Korea, Australia, Thailand, and I think Turkey” in the OP. I’d have looked smarter.
Two sites that I’ve found so far (there are some discrepancies):
http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Vietnam/Allied.htm
http://www.geocities.com/commande1/vietnam.html
(second site is apparently a not-kept-up-too-well site, lotsa broken links)
Bew Zealand was another country that sent troops. I don’t recall any British units being sent.
According to this site which is filled with broken links the Philippines, Rhodesia and Thailand also sent troops.
It would surprise me if Rhodesian forces served in Vietnam. Wasn’t Rhodesia something of an international pariah state from 1965 onwards (and prior to that a
British crown colony with no independent foreign policy)? More likely, I think, that individual Rhodesians served in the forces of other countries.
Canada was not involved in the war. But while many young men from America were working their way north to avoid the war, qutie a few Canadians went south and enlisted in the US Army.
Considering the far right wing ‘anti-communist’ rhetoric of Rhodesia at the time (the revolution was Marxist), I’d be surprised if they didn’t send troops, even as independent contractors of sorts. Although with their own war lasted by some counts 1957-1980, thus kinda limiting the available expats.
Ah, and here’s a link supporting the opposite, red-blooded American boys post-Vietnam fighting for the racist Rhodesian army:
http://www.geocities.com/commande1/rhodesiaafvs.html
:smack:
Excellent film!
Very funny in places, but also with gravitas at the right moments.
It seems Netflix doesn’t have it. I’ll keep looking, though, thanks.
Bonus points will be awarded to those who can remember the names used by the guys who shot up the rifle range. Also an additional 10 bonus points for anyone who remembers the name of the spider. Hint the spiders initials were GM.