VENETIC

Suoi Tra Voi Valley Encounter

13 November 1965

Quảng Ngãi Province, in the south central coastal region of South Vietnam, 13 November 1965.

A South Vietnamese CIDG Company accompanied by several members of the Australian Army Training Team (AATT) are patrolling eastwards along the Suối Trà Vói Valley.

Platoons 1 and 2 peel off to search a ville over the hills, while the 3rd Platoon, led by Warrant Officers Wheatley and Swanton continue along the valley, in the vicinity of another ville across the stream.

Two squads are sent ahead to scout the paddy fields while the remainder of the platoon covers them.

A VC Local Force machine gun across the stream opens up on the nearest CIDG squad.

One fire team is killed by the the machine gun fire and the squad halts and goes to ground.

Unbeknownst to the CIDG platoon, Main Force VC are approaching towards them.

They move silently from one paddy field to the next, closing in on the South Vietnamese platoon.

Meanwhile, the CIDG squad by the stream is still pinned down under erratic but persistent Local Force machine gun fire. Three more men are killed and the remaining men are lightly wounded.

Suddenly, the VC machine gunners start receiving return machine gun fire from near the bridge.

The Australian Warrant Officers have moved up their platoon’s heavy machine gun to provide suppressing fire.

They kill the VC machine gunners. Then a VC sniper opens up on the machine gun team from across the Suối Trà Vói stream

While more Main Force VC move up to the stream, the advance unit begins attacking the lead CIDG squads, which are still stalled, being exposed to fire from the ville across the stream.

Meanwhile, attracted by the sound of ongoing gunfire, the 2nd CIDG platoon has crossed back over the hill, and is advancing on a collision course on the attacking VCs’ right.

Surprising the VC, the 2nd CIDG platoon open fire, causing casualties.

Ignoring the crossfire, the Main Force VC squad’s light machine gunner opens up on the CIDG to their front.

The machine gun fire hits the 2 Australian Warrant Officers, lightly wounding them.

Spotting the VC machine gun team, the CIDG on their flank open fire and kill them.

By now too, there is sustained fire coming from the CIDG 3rd Platoon.

Having sustained too many losses, the VC commander decides to withdraw his Main Force platoon. The Local Force VC across the Suối Trà Vói stream also bug out.

So it was a tabletop victory for the South Vietnamese CIDG and their Australian advisors. In real life, Warrant Officers Wheatley and Swanton were overrun and killed by the Main Force VC who advanced up the valley, with reinforcements from over the hill arriving too late to save them.