<Li> 18 August 1971--Prime Minister William McMahon announces that 1 ATF would cease operations in South Vietnam in October, and would begin commencing a phased withdrawal after that . </Li> <Li> 21 September--the Battle of Nui Le takes place in Phuoc Tuy Province . A tactically inconclusive encounter between troops from the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and the NVA 33rd Regiment north of Nui Dat, it proved to be the last major battle fought by Australian forces in the war . Five Australians are killed and 30 wounded . </Li> <Li> 16 October--Australian forces hand over control of the Australian base at Nui Dat to South Vietnamese forces . </Li> <Li> 9 December--4 RAR, the last Australian infantry battalion in South Vietnam, sails for Australia on board HMAS Sydney . </Li>

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