South Viet Nam: One for the Diggers

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Until last week, Australia's contingent in Viet Nam had accounted for only 187 enemy dead. Countless forays had produced countless failures to kill the Viet Cong, and there were those who suggested that the "diggers" were too cautious to close with the enemy. It was hardly that way last week.

Sweeping through a French-run rubber plantation called Binh Ba, 42 miles southeast of Saigon, looking for an ene my force that had mortared the Aussies' main headquarters, a 150-man company of the Royal Australian Regiment's 6th Battalion stumbled onto an estimated two Viet Cong battalions. In the first withering exchange of gunfire, all twelve men of the Australian leading group were killed or wounded. As a torrential rain began to fall, the Communists sought to tighten a noose around the Aussie company, charged in human-wave attacks that were repeatedly beaten back. The fighting was so intense that the Aussies almost ran out of ammunition, and their helicopters braved heavy ground fire and blinding rain to airlift more into the front line.

Muffled by the deafening downpour, a company of Australian reinforcements in armored personnel carriers crept over surrounding hills undetected by the V.C., opened up with .50-cal. machine guns, cutting down 25 Reds with the first volley. Then Australian, New Zealand and U.S. artillery found the range. When the smoke cleared, the Communists were in full flight, and 220 Viet Cong dead littered the ground. Under a rubber tree, guarding the body of his slain platoon leader, was Private B. C. Miller of Brisbane. Wounded in the face, shoulder and leg, Miller had lapsed into unconsciousness only to be awakened by a Viet Cong trying to tug off his boots. "Bug off!" Miller shouted at the startled Red, who promptly complied.

In four hours the Aussies had killed more of the enemy than they had in their entire preceding 14 months.