Battle of Suoi Chau Pha

Battle of Suối Châu Pha
Part of the Vietnam War

Operations east of Saigon, June to October 1967
Date6 August 1967
Location
Eastern Hát Dịch area, Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
 Australia
 United States
 New Zealand
Việt Cộng
 North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
Australia Eric Smith
Australia Ewart O'Donnell
Ut Thoi
Units involved
Australia 7 RAR 274th Regiment
Strength
~120 men
artillery
~300 men
Casualties and losses
6 killed
20 wounded
7 bodies recovered
33 more believed killed or wounded
200 further estimated casualties

The Battle of Suối Châu Pha (6 August 1967) was fought during the Vietnam War between Australian troops and the Việt Cộng. The battle took place during Operation Ballarat, an Australian search and destroy operation in the eastern Hát Dịch area, north-west of Núi Đất in Phước Tuy province. Following a covert insertion the day before which had caught a number of Việt Cộng sentries by surprise, A Company, 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (7 RAR) had patrolled forward unaware of the presence of a large Việt Cộng main force unit nearby. Clashing with a reinforced company from the Việt Cộng 3rd Battalion, 274th Regiment, a classic encounter battle ensued between two forces of roughly equal size. Fought at close quarters in dense jungle amid a heavy monsoon rain, both sides suffered heavy casualties as neither was able to gain an advantage. Finally, after a battle lasting several hours, the Australian artillery proved decisive and the Việt Cộng were forced to withdraw, dragging many of their dead from the battlefield after having suffered crippling losses.