 Smith attempted to place his depleted platoons into a defensible position, but D Company's location had been dictated by the actions of the VC and the need to care for the wounded, and as a result they had little choice of where to make their stand.However, with the Australians occupying a shallow fold in the ground on a reverse slope the terrain proved decisive.The VC found it difficult to use their heavy calibre weapons effectively and could only engage at close range.