 Australian casualties had been heavy with five killed , one died of wounds and 20 wounded . Meanwhile , the extent of Viet Cong casualties were difficult to assess , as most had been removed from the battlefield by the communists as they had during previous battles . A sweep of the area by the Australians subsequently resulted in the recovery of a further five dead Viet Cong , however drag marks and extensive blood trails indicated that they had suffered heavily , with perhaps another 33 killed or wounded in the contact . A further 200 casualties were estimated to have occurred from artillery and mortar fire , as well as a number of airstrikes . Terry <unk> , in his controversial book Vietnam – The Australian Dilemma , lists these casualties as " possibles " only , questioning the efficacy of the Australian reporting . However <unk> 's agenda and research methodology have been widely criticised , and official records make it clear that five bodies were indeed counted , while a further five bodies were observed but not recovered . Among the dead were one officer , believed to have been the platoon commander , and two non @-@ commissioned officers . Also recovered were a light machine @-@ gun , a 40 mm recoilless rifle and three AK @-@ 47 assault rifles , while other weapons , a quantity of rice and a battalion @-@ sized bunker system were subsequently also captured . 
