Members of the 12th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), working inside the ...

Members of the 12th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), working inside the artillery tactical (Arty Tac) command post tent, which has been set up on top of Courtenay Hill in support of Operation Overlord (conducted between 5 June 1971 - 14 June 1971). Identified, left to right: unidentified; 2794884 Gnr Gregory Laurence Slade; 5714852 2nd Lieutenant Ross Dunn; Bombardier Bruce Ping Kee; Major Brian MacFarlane and unidentified (back to camera). Overlord was a combined arms, task force sized search and clear operation, designed to destroy the remaining North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) units in the Suoi Nhac area near the intersection of Route 2 and the Long Khanh - Phouc Tuy provincial border (approx 24 kilometres north, north east of Nui Dat). Major Australian units involved in the operation included: 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR); 4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment - New Zealand (ANZAC); C Squadron, 1st Australian Armoured Regiment; A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment; 12th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery; 1st Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers; No 9 Squadron, RAAF; 161st Reconnaissance Flight. The United States Army provided additional artillery and helicopter support. Major enemy units in the area included: the Viet Cong D445 Battalion; 3 Battalion, 33rd North Vietnamese Army Regiment; Group 13, Chau Duc District Unit. The results of the operation located several enemy bunker systems, killed six VC/NVA soldiers and captured three. Two firearms and a quantity of supplies were also captured. The Australian losses were much higher, with 35 casualties including 12 killed in action, the loss of a helicopter (A2-723) and several vehicles.