As the August 18 anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan approaches, a new Australian movie is about to be released based on the event.

A lieutenant with the artillery regiment during the engagement, Mr Heazlewood said he still felt pride at being permitted to lead soldiers working on the guns.

"The battle of Long Tan was a battle in which everyone had to play their part to the utmost," Mr Heazlewood said.

"The team I worked with put in a performance I have not seen in any group since.

"There were 108 (infantry soldiers) out in the rubber trading bullets with the enemy, back in the base there were 300 artillery soldiers slaving their guts out.

"It was raining heavily for a good part of it, and the weather conditions made the smoke and the fumes from the propellant hang around in the gun positions, you rely on the wind blowing this away.

"It became chokingly thick, people at the guns were breathing the propellant.

"We had to make people go and sit and breath some clean air but they wouldn't go.

"They said 'No f...... way am I taking a break sir', everyone knew there were Australian soldiers out there and we could help save them."

The artillery bombardment was a strategic advantage during the battle, and helped the infantry soldiers to survive, regroup and ultimately to prevail against the larger force.

Mr Heazlewood said there was a 'superhuman' effort from a wide range of soldiers to help maintain the rate of fire to protect the front-line soldiers.

"There were lots of cooks, drivers, bottle-washers, various duty men, clerks, who came down to the guns to man them, helping with unboxing the ammunition especially in the dark and the rain.

"These men have been largely left out of the Long Tan legend.

"Everybody who was on the guns gave equal effort and that means equal recognition.

"At the end of Long Tan we had fired over 3000 rounds and not one of the Australian casualties had been wounded by our own artillery. To fire all of those round without some error creeping in is really unusual."

With the release of a new Australian movie Danger Close recounting the Battle of Long Tan, Mr Heazlewood hopes the film accurately portrays the events.

The movie which stars Travis Fimmel and Richard Roxburgh tells the story of the Australian and New Zealand infantrymen during the three and a half hour battle.

Mr Heazlewood said the title of the film 'danger close' has been adopted because 'it sounds bloody good', but at no stage did the battery go to danger close procedures and begin firing in such a way Australian troops could be hit by their own artillery.

"The trailer shows things that are just done for dramatic effect but have bugger all to do with reality," Mr Heazlewood said.

"The barrels (of the artillery) did run hot but the shells would not have glowed red when fired, that is Hollywood.

"I would like (this film) to convey to a modern audience what it felt like to be unexpectedly engaged in a battle for which we were trained but in no way previously exposed or experienced.

"I hope this movie exposes the Australian public, 50 years later, to the reality of what Vietnam could be about and veterans are seen in a more positive light."

Danger Close opens at Warrnambool's Capitol Cinema on Thursday 8 August. The Warrnambool RSL will conduct the Battle of Long Tan anniversary and Vietnam Veterans Day service on Sunday 18 August, at the Vietnam Veterans memorial site on Merri Street from 5.30pm.

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