Fate of Men of 6 pl. 3 RAR
The 16-man patrol suffered 3 KIA
and 7 WIA
- Man in the middle at rear of photo -
missing
- Man second from bunker entrance - WIA
Comment:
Three men were abandoned to their
fate, one still fighting until he was silenced.
This was an instance of a still-capable fighting
force leaving men to fight and die alone.
Incidents like this occur, even in
the best of fighting forces, and Australians like
to think they are among the best. Ultimately
it's a question of leadership and a question of
morality. What was the right thing to do?
A "digger" would say there
was only one answer. "Never abandon a
mate!"
Note the two Bren LMGs.
This excellent weapon was an
example of the problem of carrying heavy firepower
into the enemy while maintaining mobility. The
Aussies carried Owen Machine
Carbines, using pistol ammo, for final assault
and close work, and used the Brens for supporting
fire. The Bren was crew-served, requiring two men,
and capable of long sustained firing. This was fine
for fixed defensive positions, but its heavy weight
made it awkward to bring forward during patrol
assaults.
The US forces generally used our
.30 A4 LMGs for
semi-fixed defensive positions and in assault
carried the needed heavy firepower support to the
enemy directly, with the much less cumbersome and
deadly BAR.
With four BARs per squad, our
Marines in particular used this weapon with great
effect.