Australian SASR - Bitesize, did you know?

Australian SASR - Battle of Long Tan Support, 1966

"108 Australians faced 2,000 Viet Cong. SASR scouts saw them coming. Nobody believed the numbers until it was too late."

STORY: August 1966. SASR reconnaissance patrols detected unusual Viet Cong movements near Long Tan, Vietnam. They reported regiment-sized forces massing, but headquarters dismissed it as exaggeration. Then 108 Australian soldiers walked into an ambush by 2,000 Viet Cong and NVA troops during a monsoon. The Australians formed a defensive perimeter in a rubber plantation. SASR patrols already in the jungle behind enemy lines began calling artillery strikes on Viet Cong positions, directing fire with deadly accuracy. For three hours, they guided supporting fires while Australian infantry held the line. When the battle ended, 18 Australians were dead but over 245 Viet Cong lay dead around their position. SASR patrols had prevented encirclement. Their reconnaissance and fire direction saved an entire company from annihilation. Australian commanders never doubted SASR reports again.