 A month after disappearing the Viet Cong 274th Regiment had emerged without warning and had caught 7 RAR by surprise , with the unexpected presence of a Viet Cong Main Force regiment in the Hat Dich forcing the Australians to change their tactics for the remainder of Operation Ballarat . The Australians became more cautious as a result and while 7 RAR continued its search and destroy mission , only two companies patrolled while the other two remained on standby in fire support bases nearby to provide support if required . Additional artillery support was also made available , with 161st Field Battery , Royal New Zealand Artillery airlifted into Fire Support Base Giraffe . Meanwhile , Graham placed 2 RAR on standby to fly into the area if needed and US forces were also positioned to the north . In this manner Ballarat continued until 16 August , however there was only minor contact which resulted in two more Viet Cong killed , two wounded and one captured for no further loss to the Australians . 
