Based at Nui Dat in the III Corps Tactical Zone as part of US II Field Force, Vietnam, 1 ATF included two infantry battalions plus armour, aviation, engineers and artillery support, with total Australian troop strength in Vietnam reaching 6,300 men [REF].
Two hours later, a Viet Cong company was reported to have formed a tight perimeter in the jungle 2km north of Lang Phuoc Hai, near the abandoned hamlet of Ap My An.