Viet Cong camp discovered DPR/TV/983

Troops of “C“ Company, 4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment - the ANZAC Battalion in Vietnam, this week found a Viet Cong base camp consisting of about 70 bunkers. The camp was capable of holding up to 400 enemy troops. It was located in thick rain forest in the far north-east of Phuoc Tuy Province, about 15 miles from Nui Dat. It is believed that a large enemy force was in the camp only two days before “C“ Company located it. A small delaying party of the enemy harrassed “C“ Company as it worked its way cautiously into the camp, thoroughly searching it bunker by bunker. A Viet Cong soldier who walked back into the camp after “C“ Company had arrived was killed by the Australian sentry guarding the approach track. In the camp the Australians found five caches containing drugs, medicines, typewriters, radios, cameras, clothing, food, rifles and documents. It is thought that the camp was a Viet Cong battalion transit area, and the site used for indoctrination and the training of guerillas. The camp contained eight field kitchens, four fresh water wells, a lecture hall and underground training rooms. After the infantry had moved through, combat engineers had the long task of searching the bunkers and destroying them with explosvie charges. “C“ Company was taking part in Operation Capital, which has just ended. (Also identified: sentry, Private Kevin Stone of Ascot Vale, Vic; Sapper Peter McGuigham of Woollahra, NSW; Private Ron McCoymont of Cooroy, Qld; Sapper Alan Foster of Kogarah, NSW; Private Ray Beyer of Goodwood, SA; Sergeant Gerald Villalba of Morphet Vale, SA; Captain Max Chambers of Morphettville, SA; Private Richard Grundy of Perth, WA; Private Geoff Sheedy of Kingsthorp, Qld; Warrant Officer Class Two Doug Burke of Fremantle, WA).