Series number

AWM289

Series title

Records of Australian Army 161 (Independent) Reconnaissance Flight [161 (Indep) Recce Flt] - Vietnam

Series contents date range

1962 - 1972

Extent

16 metres

Access conditions

Subject to the Australian Archives Act (1983)

Agency controlling

Department of Defence

Custodial agency

Australian War Memorial

Function and provenance

161 Reconnaissance Flight was raised in 1965 at Amberley RAAF Base.  The unit was posted to Vietnam in September 1965 as part of an additional supplement of troops to reinforce the Australian Army Force Vietnam (AAFV), which had arrived in June of that year.  In April 1966 the unit’s name was changed to 161 (Independent) Reconnaissance Flight. They operated initially from Bien Hoa, and later Vung Tau, before being permanently stationed at Luscombe Airfield, Nui Dat, in March 1967.

The unit’s role was to provide an airborne reconnaissance capability for the Australian force, which included route clearances and target marking.  From August 1967, they were also involved in gathering electronic intelligence using Airborne Radio Direction Finding (ARDF).  The unit was withdrawn from Vietnam beginning in December 1971, with the final detachment departing in March 1972.  161 Recce Flight was commonly known by their call sign, ‘Possum’, and was equipped with Sioux and later Kiowa helicopters, as well as several varieties of light, fixed-wing aircraft.

Following their return, 161 Recce Flight’s records were eventually sent to Army Headquarters ‘Q’ Store in Canberra (July 1973), and then in December of that year to the Army’s (Directorate of Operations and Plans) archives. They remained there until 1982 when, along with a large consignment of other records, they were transferred to the Australian War Memorial. This consignment was accessioned as OW82/11. These records were described on the RecordSearch database in 1997 as part of series AWM100. In 2001 the Recce Flight’s records were redesignated as series AWM289 and work began on enhancing their description. 

Content

The series comprises the records that 161 Recce Flight kept during their period of service in South Vietnam.  They include:

·          Aircraft incident reports

·          Operations files

·          Orders and instructions

·          Reports

·          Movements

·          Personnel related files

·          Roll books

·          Correspondence

·          General unit administrative files

·          Float files (files raised monthly comprising that periods significant messages and memoranda.

Other interesting files include the unit’s standing operating procedures, maps, ‘Unit photographs’- item [247], and ‘Escape systems – Search and rescue’ - item [347]. 

System of arrangement and control

The system of arrangement and control is the original Department of the Army filing system, as used when the records were created.

Registered files

Registered items have a three-part item number conforming with the Department of the Army registry classification of correspondence catalogue.  The first number represents the primary topic of the item, the second and third numbers refine the topic further.  Item numbers are preceded by the letter ‘R’, although this was sometimes omitted or overlooked.

Non registered files

Non registered items (not having registered items numbers), were given imposed numbers by the Australian War Memorial (AWM), beginning at 1 and continuing serially.  They are single numbers, not two or three-part numbers like the registered items.  They retain their original titles.  Where no title was found, the AWM has imposed one that best describes the item’s contents.  All imposed information is enclosed in square brackets.

Using the series

Each item is recorded on the RecordSearch database which researchers can access via the internet. Further assistance in finding relevant information may be gained from related series of records (click on Series Links at the bottom of this page).

Sources

AWM administrative file, AWM289 series dossier.

161 Possums of Vietnam, Website of 161 Recce Flight Association, ‘Unit history’, [Online]  http://www.161recceflt.org.au/index.htm [accessed 9 Feb. 2004)

Fourays: Australian Army Aviation Association website, ‘History of Army Aviation’, [Online]  http://www.fourays.org/index2.htm [accessed 9 Feb. 2004]