Thompson Werk » Australia

Additional Dissertation Thoughts

Robert — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:59:37 +0000

Recently I discussed three possible dissertation topics. In the short time since that post, I have put more thought into exploring the North Vietnam’s 1968 Test Offensive from a multinational perspective. The legacy of Tet ’68 is a controversial topic in Vietnam War historiography, with orthodox scholars viewing the offensive as a significant defeat for US forces in Vietnam. Lately, I have been wondering if Australia saw Tet ’68 as a defeat, or a victory. More importantly, what role did Australian forces play in pushing back North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong troops? Ultimately I want to demonstrate the Vietnam War as conflict with global repercussions and not purely as an American war. Doing so might help place Tet ’68, and perhaps the entire Vietnam War, into a Pacific history perspective. Again, this is just the initial thought process and nothing concrete. I will write a post on Tet ’68 once I have a firmer grasp on the offensive and it’s legacy.

Dissertation Thoughts

Robert — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:38:55 +0000

At some point during this semester my dissertation topic must be narrowed down into an original research project. In the most basic sense, my dissertation will deal with the relationship between the United States and Australia during the Vietnam War. Wanting to better understand how the US Army and the Australian forces in Vietnam worked together is not groundbreaking. Ideally, I would like to demonstrate that the Vietnam War was not just a US issue, but rather a conflict that tested America’s relationship with the Commonwealth, particularly Australia. As a result, I need a new angle to examine the military relations between the two Allies.

Australian soldiers being airlifted by US helicopters

While the Vietnam War is the most pronounced topic of my dissertation, the research must examine more than just armies. One idea requires looking at the how the US Military Assistance Command (MACV) and the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) differed in how they advised and trained elements of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Moreover, did ARVN units trained by Americans perform better, or worse, than those trained by Australians? Following-up on that question, what possible controversies emerged from Australia’s training programs? A second idea involves studying the fallout from North Vietnam’s 1968 Tet Offensive. Did the Tet Offensive affect the two Allies differently? Also, did one nation respond better to the attack? A third research possibility involves comparing the legacies of the Vietnam War from American and Australian perspectives. How do the two nations look back at the war and how has the war affected current military-civilian relations? Perhaps there is a way to combine all three of these ideas into a wider examination of the Vietnam War? Additionally, these ideas may lack substantial originality. These are just the ideas that I have come-up with thus far, so a good deal of development remains to be done.

Acquisitions

Robert — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:09:58 +0000

Not wasting any time, I obtained two additional books on Australia’s Vietnam War experience. The books listed below should go along nicely with the other books I recently discussed.

Jeff Doyle and Jeffrey Grey, Australia R&R: Representations and Reinterpretations of Australia’s War in Vietnam (Chevy Chase: Vietnam Generation Inc., 1991) – a collection of essays aimed at helping Americans understand the impact and fallout from Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Apparently, it is popular to publish collections of Vietnam War essays.

Paul Ham, Vietnam: The Australian War (Sydney: HarperCollins, 2008) – a journalists interpretation of Australian government’s handling of the Vietnam War. The author blames politicians and military leadership for getting Australia into an unpopular war. Seems like the Australian version of Stanley Karnow’s Vietnam: A History.

Acquisitions

Robert — Sun, 30 May 2010 19:42:15 +0000

Normally I do not discuss the new books I acquire. However, considering my interest in the Vietnam War, and in particular Australian involvement, I am a little eager to list the works I have obtained in hopes of receiving suggestions for future purchases. The new acquisitions are an assortment of general histories and more focused works.

Michael K. Cecil, Mud and Dust: Australian Army Vehicles and Artillery in Vietnam (Sydney: New Holland Publishers, 2009) – despite being an overview of the vehicles used by the Australians in Vietnam, it does provide basic information necessary in differentiating and understanding the role of the Australian Army in Vietnam. Plus, I love pictures.

Jeff Doyle, Jeffrey Grey, and Peter Pierce, Australia’s Vietnam War (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2002) – a collection of essays covering many facets of Australia’s military in Vietnam as well as home front controversies. Of interest to me is how the war impacted Australia. Should be interesting to see any parallels to America’s memory of the war.

Jeffrey Grey, The Australian Army (Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 2001) – a history of the Australian Army from its conception until the year 2000. A solid foundational work that will serve to bring me up to speed.

John Prados, Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945-1975 (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2009) – purported as the response to Mark Moyer’s controversial Triumph Forsaken, this tome is also the most recent all encompassing history of the war in Vietnam. Having enjoyed Moyer’s work, I am anxious to see how Prados transforms current Vietnam War discourse.

Good Australian Great War Literature?

Robert — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:18:05 +0000

Throughout the semester I have been re-introduced to some intriguing topics in First World War history. While already familiar with the fundamentals of the war, including the histories of most of the participants, I have been drawn towards the experiences of the Dominion forces from Australia and Canada. Having lived in both Australia and Canada, I wrongly assumed that I had been exposed to all aspects of their Great War history. After attending lectures and reading various tomes, the realization that much remained to be learned has compelled me to take a closer look at those aforementioned participants. Because of Masters experience in Ontario a collection of Canadian works proved rather easy to gather. Australian literature, however, is proving to be illusive. Apparently living in Australia in the 1990′s, and being in middle school at the time, does not help me locate good synthetic works to being my studies on the Australia experience. Thus, if anyone is aware of any important books please leave me a message.