6 RAR -The Sixth Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment(RAR)

To paraphrase T. S. Elliot. Operation SMITHFIELD began "not with a whimper but a bang". On the night of the 16th/I7th of August 1966, the Task Force Area was subjected to a heavy mortar and recoilless rifle attack. B Company was sent out early on the morning of the 17th to locate the enemy mortar base plate and recoilless rifle positions and destroy the Viet Cong attacking force. It accomplished this by midday on the 18th when D Company relieved it of its task. D Company had previously been warned for a three-day patrol as part of the Battalion patrol programme. Because of the enemy attack D Company's task was to take over the pursuit from B Company.

At 1540 hours, 1 1 Platoon contacted 6 Viet Cong, who fled to the east. No sooner had the platoon moved forward again and searched a hut in the plantation than they came under heavy small arms fire from their front and left and right flanks. Artillery was called down, 10 Platoon moved towards 11 Platoon hooking in from the north, only to come under fire themselves. During this engagement, both the radios of 10 and 11 Platoons went out.

12 Platoon moved in from the south-east to try and extricate 11 Platoon, as 10 Platoon had to withdraw in the face of a superior assaulting force. Under the constant firing of heavy machine guns and automatic fire 12 Platoon fought a rearguard action to cover the withdrawal of the survivors from 11 Platoon. By now the Company was at close grips with the enemy who had surrounded them on three sides. The beleagured Company received an ammunition resupply from a helicopter.

This ordeal was pitched in its entirety under a blanket of mist and heavy monsoonal rain.

The carriers moved with A Company and the Commanding Officer on board eastwards to the battle area, in teeming rain, fording the Suoi Da Bang river en route. The armour and the mounted infantry contacted at least three companies of the enemy forming up to assault the rear of D Company.

Having routed the enemy, A Company arrived in D Company's area at about the same time as B Company. It was now 1910 hours. In the fading light D Company redeployed behind the screen provided by A, to attend to and extract the dead and the wounded by helicopter. 3 Troop assisted, using their lights to guide the "Choppers" in and marshall the aerial evacuation which was not completed until after midnight.

The battlefield was strewn with bodies of the enemy and their equipment. <Three Viet Cong were captured including two North Vietnamese. While D Company secured the area of the action, the Battalion with Carriers in support swept the general terrain finding trails and more enemy material.

By the evening of the 21st August. 1966, the Battalion returned to base camp without any further contact with the Viet Cong, whom by this time had withdrawn well to the north-east.