The
Battle of Coral–Balmoral (12 May – 6 June 1968) was a series of actions fought during the
Vietnam War between the
1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) and the
North Vietnamese 7th Division and
Viet Cong, north-east of
Saigon. Following the defeat of the communist
Tet offensive in January and February, in late April two Australian infantry
battalions—the
1st and
3rd Battalions of the
Royal Australian Regiment (RAR)—with supporting arms, were again deployed from their base at
Nui Dat in
Phuoc Tuy Province to positions astride infiltration routes leading to Saigon to interdict renewed movement against the capital. Part of the wider allied
Operation Toan Thang I, it was launched in response to intelligence reports of another impending communist offensive, yet the Australians experienced little fighting during this period. Meanwhile, the Viet Cong successfully penetrated the capital on 5 May, plunging Saigon into chaos during the
May Offensive in an attempt to influence the upcoming
Paris peace talks scheduled to begin on the 13th. During three days of intense fighting the attacks were repelled by US and
South Vietnamese forces, and although another attack was launched by the Viet Cong several days later, the offensive was again defeated with significant losses on both sides, causing extensive damage to Saigon and many civilian casualties. By 12 May the fighting was over, and the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were forced to withdraw having suffered heavy casualties. US casualties were also heavy and it proved to be their most costly week of the war.