AWM273 consists of records detailing the operations of B Company First Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment in Vietnam 1965-1966.

The records were held in type three boxes annotated 'donated by Lieutenant Colonel McFarlane.' Lieutenant Colonel McFarlane had commanded B Company 1 RAR in Vietnam. 1 RAR was the first Australian combat force in Vietnam. The Battalion served with American troops in Vietnam from 25 May 1965 - 14 June 1966, and was subsequently replaced in 1966 by a Task Force. 

This collection of records was apparently used to compile a report on B Company's operations in Vietnam. It has also been used in the writing of Bob Breen's book, 'First to Fight', an account of operations conducted by 1 RAR in Vietnam. McFarlane's papers were also used as a reference by Ian McNeill in 'To Long Tan', a volume of the official history of Australian involvement in conflicts occurring in south-east Asia from 1948 until 1975.

Lieutenant Colonel McFarlane donated the records as three boxes containing a series of files in manilla folders. The files contain reports for operations 1-18/65 and for operations 1-8/66. Initial operations are not as detailed as later operations. Also included are records detailing administrative arrangements, RAR training programs, and separate files on operational matters and intelligence. McFarlane's final report on B Company's activities in Vietnam is also included. Many files originally contained aerial photographs and maps. The photographs have now been transferred to oversize storage for conservation purposes, but wherever size has permitted, the maps have been left with the files.

The operational reports consist of general information and instructions for the battalion, and then more specific matters relating to each company. Orders and objectives for B Company are generally directives from RAR headquarters. The after action operational reports, critiques, and lessons learned include general analyses of the whole operation, normally records from the US 173 Airborne Brigade, as well as critiques written by McFarlane himself. Many of McFarlane's critiques and notes are handwritten.

McFarlane's final analysis of B Company's operations is one of the most useful records in this collection, and was drawn on heavily by both Breen and McNeill. McFarlane's analysis is essentially a summary and report on each operation undertaken by B Company. An important inclusion is the section on 'hearts and minds activities', an activity on which McFarlane placed a great emphasis. These activities were carried out by his company in an effort to improve relations with the local population. Such activities included building a school and painting the children's ward at a hospital. There are also transcriptions of documents such as Christmas greetings from a group of Vietnamese villagers. McFarlane's notes also make evident the difference in operational procedures between the Americans and their Australian counterparts. McFarlane has also included a nominal roll.

The records are identified by a single number system of imposition. The operations are in chronological order and are followed by administrative reports, operations, intelligence, and McFarlane's final report. The records are housed in type one archives, and occupy 0.6 shelf metres.

References:

Breen, Bob, 'First to Fight', Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1988.

McNeill, Ian, 'To Long Tan', Sydney: Allen and Unwin in Association with the Australian War Memorial, 1993.