Question: what happened at the battle of long tan

title: Battle of Long Tan
text: Meanwhile , after departing D Company 's position , the two sections from 12 Platoon moved south towards the sound of firing heard approximately 400 metres ( 440 yd ) away . Unaware of the exact position of 11 Platoon , Sabben instead located the rubber tapper 's hut ( previously assaulted by Sharp in the opening phases of the battle ) . As they advanced , they were forced to fight off an attack on their right flank , before eventually pushing forward another 100 metres ( 110 yd ) . By this time , the VC had succeeded in pushing behind 11 Platoon in an effort to outflank them , and a large force clashed with 12 Platoon as they attempted to come to their aid . Advancing from the north , two VC platoons then assaulted the Australians , who were now heavily engaged from three directions . Meeting a similar fate to 10 Platoon , Sabben 's men were forced to ground 150 metres ( 160 yd ) short of their objective , and were themselves in danger of being encircled . Sustaining increasing casualties , they clashed with several groups of VC trying to move around their western flank to get between 11 and 12 Platoon and form a cut - off force prior to mounting a frontal assault . In so doing , 12 Platoon succeeded in opening a path to 11 Platoon , yet after 45 minutes under fire Sabben was unable to advance any further , and with the rain reducing visibility to just 70 metres ( 77 yd ) he was unsure of Buick 's location .