The Battle of Long Tan is a 2006 ABC documentary made by Red Dune Films. Narrated by Sam Worthington of Avatar fame, and employing a mixture of veteran interviews, archival footage and dramatic reenactments, it tells the story of the events of 18 August 1966, when D Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment fought a fierce battle with local Vietcong forces at the Long Tan Rubber Plantation in the Phuoc Tuy province of the Republican of Vietnam. Despite being a documentary, it employs actors using uniforms and weapons correct for the period, making it eligible for inclusion.
The M16 also appears fairly regularly in the documentary, carried mostly by officers and scouts. Sergeant Bob Buick (11 Platoon) recalls using the Armalite AR-15 in both the film and his memoirs; the AR-15 was in fact the basis for the M16 rifle, but it was possibly referred to as the Armalite by Australian and New Zealand troops in-country.
The M16A1 appears amongst Australians in a couple of scenes. It can be identified by the forward reciever pins and the "birdcage" flash hider. This is anachronistic, since the M16A1 was introduced amongst U.S. troops in 1967, and would have hardly reached Australians by that time.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingM16A1 with 20 round magazine - 5.56x45mm. What distinguishes it from the original M16 was the addition of a raised rib around the magazine release button, changing of the forward Receiver pins, and the addition of the forward assist button on the upper receiver.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAn Australian soldier fires his M16A1. Note the A1-stype reciever pin and "birdcage" flash hider.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Digger crawls through the mud with his M16A1.
AK-47
The AK-47 is carried by Vietcong troops. In one scene, when 11 Platoon first makes contact with the enemy, 2Lt Gordon Sharp can be seen removing/pocketing the sole magazine and clearing the chamber of rounds to prevent immedtiate enemy re-usage.
Australian Radio Telephone Operators (RTO's) carry the Owen Submachine Gun, probably due to it's light weight and reliability in jungle combat. Indeed, the Owen was in service in Vietnam until 1966, when it was replaced by the similar F1 Submachine Gun.
