Victor 3: Baptism By Fire
Men who were part of one of the Vietnam War’s most heroic Kiwi actions are reunited for the first time in more than 40 years in this documentary. Six of the nine men who were part of a pitched battle against 70 to 80 Viet Cong (VC) soldiers are brought together again at Waiouru Army Base, where they share vivid memories. Their story begins in Vietnam on June 22 1968, as the nine-strong New Zealand patrol Victor 3 One Platoon tracks and kills three VC soldiers in the open. Suddenly, they come under heavy fire from 70 to 80 VC concealed in the jungle fringe. Five of the Kiwis are wounded, Private Michael Wickman fatally. Patrol Commander Lt Maurice Dodson, partially blinded by shrapnel, calls on every ounce of instinct to call in mortar artillery fire and helicopter gunships. The Kiwis repel repeated VC assaults, including kicking away grenades before they explode. When relief arrives, the battle has been raging for nearly two hours and ammunition is low.
Primary Title
- Victor 3: Baptism By Fire
Date Broadcast
- Monday 25 April 2011
Start Time
- 20 : 25
Finish Time
- 21 : 00
Duration
- 35:00
Series
- 2011
Channel
- Maori Television
Broadcaster
- Maori Television Service
Programme Description
- Men who were part of one of the Vietnam War’s most heroic Kiwi actions are reunited for the first time in more than 40 years in this documentary. Six of the nine men who were part of a pitched battle against 70 to 80 Viet Cong (VC) soldiers are brought together again at Waiouru Army Base, where they share vivid memories. Their story begins in Vietnam on June 22 1968, as the nine-strong New Zealand patrol Victor 3 One Platoon tracks and kills three VC soldiers in the open. Suddenly, they come under heavy fire from 70 to 80 VC concealed in the jungle fringe. Five of the Kiwis are wounded, Private Michael Wickman fatally. Patrol Commander Lt Maurice Dodson, partially blinded by shrapnel, calls on every ounce of instinct to call in mortar artillery fire and helicopter gunships. The Kiwis repel repeated VC assaults, including kicking away grenades before they explode. When relief arrives, the battle has been raging for nearly two hours and ammunition is low.
Classification
- G
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
- Maori
Captioning Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- Yes
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Anzac Day
- New Zealand--History, Military
- Documentary films--New Zealand
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Participation, New Zealand
Genres
- Documentary
Hosts
- Judy Bailey (Presenter)
- Julian Wilcox (Presenter)
Contributors
- Maori Television (Production Unit)
- Te Rangitawaea Reedy (Producer)
- Maurice Dodson (Interviewee)
- Wiki Kahika (Interviewee)
- John Kingi (Interviewee)
- Bill Te Aotonga (Interviewee)
- Bruce Grant (Interviewee)
- Campbell Keelan (Interviewee)
Subjects
- Anzac Day
- New Zealand--History, Military
- Documentary films--New Zealand
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Participation, New Zealand