

© David
Wilkins
Adjutant & OC C Company
2nd Tour |
 |
The Viet Cong
and North Vietnamese Army units tended to
locate their sanctuaries in dense jungle
forests and mountainous cave systems. Whilst
5RAR confronted both kinds in most parts of
Phuoc Tuy and the surrounding provinces,
probably the greatest concentration of
bunker systems encountered was in Bien Hoa
Province (where we fought HQ MR7) and into
the Hat Dich Secret Zone which stretched
across the border into north-west Phuoc Tuy
Province. Of the mountain defensive
positions we confronted, some of the most
formidable opposition was found in the May
Tao Mountains and the Nui Thi Vai complex.

Enemy defensive positions were always
well-camouflaged, sited in all-round
defence, mutually-supporting and with
bunkers and weapon pits in depth. Quite
often a system formed a star shape whilst
others utilised the shape of the terrain. A
system could vary from just a few to 200
bunkers, but the average was between 20 and
40, covering an area of about 150 x 200
yards. Some or all bunkers in a system were
connected by crawl trenches and, in some
cases, tunnels.

The average bunker dimensions were 10 x 6
feet, about 5 feet deep and with 3 to 5 feet of
overhead protection of logs, dirt and foliage.
This provided camouflage from both aerial and
ground observation and protection to withstand
aerial and artillery bombardment other than a
direct hit from a B52 strike.
The average silhouette above ground was about 2
feet. There was an entrance and exit hole (from
which most fighting was done or from the reverse
side of the roof which acted as a parapet).
There were frequently weapon pits outside the
bunkers, sited to provide depth and mutual
support.
The camouflage was such that
usually bunkers could not be seen at greater
than 10 yards. The average distance for an
initial contact, often when the enemy fired on
our searching troops, was at this 10 yard point
but some contacts were initiated at 25 yards or
as close as 6 feet. The enemy used
well-concealed fire lanes where the undergrowth
was slightly trimmed from the ground to about a
foot high. From the standing position this could
not be observed.
To avoid casualties from
that initial contact it became imperative to
recognise the signs of a bunker complex nearby.
The usual "sign" was the thickness of the forest
or bamboo, some timber cutting (with the stumps
usually camouflaged with mud and twigs), a track
pattern, markings on the tracks (such as wooden
arrows and crossed sticks), leaves stripped off
twigs, cooking smells, the ethnic body smell,
latrine smells, camouflaged panji pits and the
close proximity of a stream or actual water
points.

The next main problem was to ascertain the
size and layout of a system. Reconnaissance
patrols were used for this. Methods of attacking
a bunker system included:
-
the immediate assault. This was the shock
action of following up an initial contact
with a quick aggressive attack on a wide
front. This method was usually confined to
platoon level and was risky against a
determined enemy. There was no preparatory
bombardment.
-
withdrawal and subsequent deliberate
assault. This was preceded by artillery and
aerial strikes, ideally with blocking
ambushes in depth. The assaulting troops
were then usually supported by helicopter
gunships firing into the bunker system. The
leading sections would move in bounds using
fire and movement. It was of major
assistance to have the support of tanks
and/or APCs but these were rarely available
because of the remoteness of the areas.
These tracked vehicles were particularly
effective in destroying the bunkers by
driving over them and swivelling their
tracks so as to collapse the structure.
-
surrounding the
bunker system with blocking forces and
waiting for the enemy to leave his defences
and walk into our ambushes. Sometimes it
would be completely silent, while at other
times the enemy might be forced out by
artillery or aerial strikes.
There were many variations of the above.



The sappers of the engineer splinter teams were
attached to rifle companies and had the
unenviable task searching, de-mining and
destroying captured enemy bunkers. These "Tunnel
Rats" from 1st Field Squadron did a magnificent,
courageous job and saved the lives of many
members of 5RAR.
Bibliography
M. R. Battle
and D. S. Wilkins The Year of the
Tigers. 3rd Ed. Trojan Press Pty Ltd
Thomastown Victoria Australia
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