Crisis and Commitments is the first volume of the Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts from 1948-1975. This book covers the domestic and international politics of Australia's involvement in Southeast Asia through the period of the Malayan emergency (1948-60) and the critical period of the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation (1963-66), up to the crucial commitment of the first battalion of Australian combat troops to the Vietnam War.

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Medicine at War is the third volume of the Official History of Australia's involvement in Southeast Asian conflicts from 1948-1975. It deals with medical aspects of Australia's military involvement in the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation and the Vietnam War. Spanning the period from the initial despatch of Australian service personnel to Malaya in 1950 to the aftermath of Vietnam, the book details the medical experiences of the Australian Army in all three conflicts, as well as those of the Royal Australian Air Force in Malaya and Vietnam, and the Royal Australian Navy in its operations in Vietnamese waters. The volume presents for the first time a comprehensive account of the range of injuries and diseases to which Australian servicemen and servicewomen were exposed in Southeast Asia, and documents the measures that were taken to provide them with medical services. A special section of the book, written by F. B. Smith, a distinguished historian of medical issues, analyses the Agent Orange controversy that followed the Vietnam War. Medicine at War draws upon an immense range of published and unpublished material, including archival sources and specialist medical literature, much of it hitherto unknown and inaccessible to the general public. Eschewing technical language wherever possible, the book transforms this highly complex material into a clear and readable narrative. Sensitive and controversial medical issues, such as the control of sexually transmitted diseases, the prevention and treatment of multi-drug-resistant malaria and the effects of exposure to chemical agents in Vietnam, are explained with clarity and precision.

The RAAF in Vietnam is the fourth volume of the Official History of Australia's involvement in Southeast Asian conflicts from 1948-75. Beginning with the earliest moves to attain a Royal Australian Air Force presence in South Vietnam in 1962, it deals with the steady commitment of squadrons and specialist personnel from 1964 until the commencement of the general withdrawal of Australian forces in 1971-72, before describing the RAAF's brief return during the republic's final days in 1975. By focusing on the different roles fulfilled by the air force throughout the conflict, this volume gives a fuller understanding of the nature and scale of this service's contribution than has been hitherto available. It also points to some of the after-effects of the Vietnam War on the development of air power in Australia. In compiling this book, Chris Coulthard-Clark has drawn on a range of published and unpublished accounts, and numerous interviews with participants, as well as enjoying the privilege of access to government archives traditional with such histories. American and New Zealand records have also been consulted, recognising that much of the Australian air involvement was integrated into the wider allied effort and must be considered in that context.

This is an account of Australia's military involvement in the Malayan Emergency waged against the armed forces of the Malayan Communist Party between 1948 and 1960, and in confrontation, an undeclared war initiated by Indonesia to destabilise the emergency Federation of Malaysia and fought largely along the common border in the northern part of Borneo between 1962 and 1966. As part of the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve, Australian soldiers engaged in protracted operations in northern Malaya and along the Thai border, while Australian airmen flew bombing sorties against suspected enemy concentrations, usually in deep jungle. While the Emergency concluded, Australian forces saw service again in the 1960s as part of a Commonwealth force in Borneo. Operations in both campaigns were gruelling and drawn out. Their success helped to protect emergency democracy of post-colonial Malaysia, while they also provided valuable experience for Australian soldiers in the skills of jungle warfare, counter-insurgency and small unit action.

This volume records the major developments in Australian society which shaped, and were shaped by Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. The book traces the development of the debate in Australia over Australia's involvement in the War.

The period from 1955 to 1972 saw the Royal Australian Navy play a vital role in conflicts in the Southeast Asian region, alongside the better known contributions made by the army and the air force. It was also an important time for the RAN internallythe expansion of its roles and missions leading to a move away from the habits and doctrines of the Royal Navy and towards an ever-growing closeness to the United States. Up Top is the first detailed account of the experiences of the RAN during this time, particularly its involvement in the Far East Strategic Reserve, the Malayan Emergency, Confrontation with Indonesia, and the Vietnam War.

Fighting to the Finish tells the story of the Australian Army in Vietnam during the peak years of the Australian military commitment to Vietnam War. As the ninth and final volume of The Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948-1975, this is the successor to the acclaimed To Long Tan by Ian McNeill and On the Offensive by Ian McNeill and Ashley Ekins. This volume describes the activities of the Australian Task Force in Vietnam during its peak years, from the middle of 1968 to the end of 1971. For most of this period, the army maintained a force of over 6000 troops in Vietnam. Eleven infantry battalions and their supporting arms undertook tours of duty and carried out almost 100 major operations. Australian soldiers fought a difficult war on several fronts simultaneously, conducting reconnaissance-in-force operations in remote enemy-dominated areas of Phuoc Tuy province, pacification operations to provide security in the populous regions, and civic action and reconstruction tasks to improve the lives of the local people and to help restore government control. The pace of operations was unrelenting and intense, and the cost was high - 250 soldiers were killed in action or died of wounds and other causes during this period. This book provides a comprehensive account of operations, actions and their context, including a fresh interpretation of the fierce clash between Australian infantry and armour and North Vietnamese Army forces in the village of Binh Ba. It also includes the most authoritative account of the clearing of the controversial barrier minefield that caused high numbers of Australian casualties. It covers the phased withdrawal of the task force as enemy pressure increased the burden and dangers for the remaining soldiers; and, for the first time, an account of the aftermath of the war in Phuoc Tuy province leading up to the defeat of South Vietnam in 1975. Authors Ashley Ekins and Ian McNeill have had unrestricted access to official government records, including highly classified defence files and operational records. They have supplemented this material with extensive interviews with participants, personal papers and correspondence, communist Vietnamese histories and discussions with former Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army soldiers. Their work is marked by unflinching critical analysis and candour about the successes and failures of the Australian Army experience in Vietnam and covers the Australian involvement at virtually every level, from the senior commanders and planners to the experiences of infantrymen on patrol and in contact with the enemy. The product of years of intensive work, Fighting to the Finish throws light on the experience of Australian soldiers in Vietnam in a way that has not been possible before.