" The Brief "
This article was written in early 1971 for the 1st Field Squadron (1 Fd Sqn) monthly newsletter by Lt Charlie Stone. Charlie was a sapper of the old school being ex Indian Army or Brit Army and a previous RSM in the Australian Army.

The article was written after an ambush conducted by Sgt Ed Levy, MM. Of 3 Cav in early 1971 in Phuoc Tuy.

" The Brief "

The Communique

"Last night, elements of 1 ATF ambushed and killed 21 of the enemy".

How this statement is communicated to the men of the task force is largely dependent on the arm or service concerned, and the personality of the officer, who gives the men their "nightly operational picture" brief.

Here are a few examples of such briefings, which are slightly apocryphal, and need to be taken with sodium chloride.

The Armoured Brief

"Last night, elements of A Sqn 3 Cav, in a brilliantly conceived, well planned and skillfully laid ambush, carried out with the boldness and panache traditionally associated with the cavalry, killed 21 of the enemy. Minimal assistance was rendered by other arms".

The Artillery Brief

"Last night, with typical generosity, we agreed not to fire our guns, and so made available a splendid ambush position. It is entirely due to our unselfishness that 21 of the enemy were killed".

The Engineer Brief

"Last night two sapper mini teams executed a brilliant ambush which resulted in the deaths of 21 hard core VC. After selecting and clearing the ambush site the team leaders allotted positions to the supporting cavalry and infantry. To ensure that the signal to open fire was audible, they arranged for the simultaneous firing of 45 claymores. Letters of thanks spiced with tactical hints have been sent to both the cavalry and infantry".

The Signal Brief

"Last night, after a thorough check of radios, and allocation of callsigns and nets, an ambush was laid. This resulted in 21 of the enemy being transmitted".

The Infantry Brief

"Last night in one of our ambushes, 21 of the enemy were killed. Claymore and machine gun support was received from other arms".

The Ordnance Brief

"Last night, the claymores and ammunition, demanded, obtained, checked, inspected and issued by us accounted for 21 enemy dead. Well done".

The S & T Brief

"In an operation made possible by the verve and alacrity with which rations, POL and ammunition were provided, 21 of the enemy were killed. It is with great pride that the investigation into the deficiency of 652 lbs 3 ozs of rice has been cancelled, as this was recaptured".

The EME Brief

"Last night, equipment repaired by us under G1045 Nos 789, 403, 2168 and 321, was directly responsible for the deaths of 21 of the enemy".

The Intelligence Brief

"Last night, using the skills peculiar to our corps, we were able to confirm the deaths of a number of the enemy. Identification was not easy, but seizing upon such fine points of detail as the cut, colour and texture of the victims clothing, by examining their bone structure and skin pigmentation, and by using all the fingers of two of our operatives we were able to estimate the enemy's total casualties to be approximately 21".

The Medical Brief

"Stethoscopes, in the hands of skilled operators, established beyond doubt that 21 of the enemy were dead"

The Provost Brief

"We take great pride that a party of men, checked at the Pearly Gates by our men for correct dress, haircuts, clean boots, and carriage of weapons, succeeded in killing 21 of the enemy".

The Psychological Brief

"Brilliant propaganda disseminated by our media, persuaded 21 of the enemy into an ambush position in which they were killed".

The Enemy Brief

"Last night three battalions of the enemy, aided by tanks and artillery engaged a platoon of our men and killed 21 brave soldiers. After action, during the investigation and self-criticism period, it became apparent that the Commander Lt Col Fuk Yiew Tew had blundered. As he was killed, it has been decided to posthumously demote him to hygiene assistant grade 4".

Supplied to me by John Trick

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