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Victor 3: Baptism By Fire
Season 2011
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.