Battle of Gang Toi

Battle of Gang Toi
Part of the Vietnam War
Second Lieutenant Clive Williams during orders with his section commanders.
Date 8 November 1965 Location Gang Toi Hills, Biên Hòa Province, South Vietnam (now in Đồng Nai Province, Vietnam) 11°04′N 106°58′E / 11.06°N 106.97°E / 11.06; 106.97 Result See Aftermath
Belligerents
Australia  New Zealand  United States	Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
Lou Brumfield John Healy	Nguyễn Văn Bảo
Units involved
A Company 1 RAR 161 Battery, RNZA 1/503rd Infantry	Company 238
Strength
120 men	Unknown
Casualties and losses
2 MIA (presumed killed) 6 wounded	6 killed 5 captured 1 wounded

The Battle of Gang Toi (8 November 1965) was fought during the Vietnam War between Australian troops and the Viet Cong. The battle was one of the first engagements between the two forces during the war and occurred when A Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) struck a Viet Cong bunker system defended by Company 238 in the Gang Toi Hills, in northern Biên Hòa Province. It occurred during a major joint US-Australian operation codenamed Operation Hump, involving the US 173rd Airborne Brigade, to which 1 RAR was attached. During the latter part of the operation an Australian rifle company clashed with an entrenched company-sized Viet Cong force in well-prepared defensive positions. Meanwhile, an American paratroop battalion was also heavily engaged in fighting on the other side of the Đồng Nai River.

The Australians were unable to concentrate sufficient combat power to launch an assault on the position and consequently they were forced to withdraw after a fierce engagement during which both sides suffered casualties, reluctantly leaving behind two men who had been shot and could not be recovered due to heavy machine-gun and rifle fire. Although they were most likely dead, a battalion-attack to recover the missing soldiers was planned by the Australians for the next day, but this was cancelled by the American brigade commander due to rising casualties and the need to utilise all available helicopters for casualty evacuation. The bodies of the two missing Australian soldiers were subsequently recovered more than 40 years later, and were returned to Australia for burial.