Battle of Kindau The Battle of Kindau ( 15 June 1965 ) took place during the Indonesia – Malaysia confrontation . Involving Australian and Indonesian troops , the battle was the third in a series of successful ambushes between May and July 1965 launched by the 3rd Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 3 RAR ) , in Kalimantan ( Indonesian Borneo ) . The ambushes were part of the wider Operation Claret which involved cross - border operations by British - Commonwealth units from bases in Sarawak , penetrating up to into Indonesian territory with the aim of disrupting the movement and resupply of Indonesian forces and to keep them off balance . On 15 June 1965 — three days after C Company , 3 RAR had its successful ambush at Sungei Koemba — a platoon from A Company successfully ambushed another large Indonesian force before withdrawing under the cover of artillery fire . The ambush resulted in heavy Indonesian casualties , while two Australians were wounded in the engagement . Unlike previous encounters the battle did not remain unpublicised , after a journalist was able to interview one of the Australian wounded . Nonetheless the fiction that the incident had occurred in Malaysian territory was maintained . Prelude . As a consequence of the previous successful Australian ambushes along the Sungei Koemba river in May and June , the Indonesians planned to increase their activity with H BTP and J BTP moving against the Gumbang , Tringgus and Bukit Knuckle areas , while additional forces from BTP 2 were also subsequently redeployed against Serian . In response , Australian reconnaissance patrols were increased in order to detect movement into Sarawak , and these would later result in further fighting . One such patrol by 2 Platoon , A Company ascertained that the Indonesians had recently increased their use of an east - west track crossing the border south - west of the company base at Stass and consequently the Australians decided to conduct a further Claret operation in order to take advantage of the opportunity provided . Battle . On 12 June — just hours after C Company ' s successful ambush at Sungei Koemba — 2 Platoon , A Company with an Forward Observation Officer ( FOO ) party , under the command of Second Lieutenant Douglas Byers , departed Stass with the task of mounting an ambush in the area , under the codename " Operation Blockbuster " . Occupying an ambush position astride a track running west from the border , in thick swampy jungle inside Kalimantan , Byers was ordered to intercept an Indonesian force , believed to have already infiltrated into Sarawak , upon its return . Establishing a firm base with six men to the rear , the ambush was laid on the southern edge of the track , with the right flank secured by three men across a small creek , while the west flank away was protected by four men and Claymore mine s in cut - off . Located centrally , the killing group consisted of 14 men . Meanwhile , the forward observer and a mortar were placed in depth . That evening the Australians heard Indonesian mortar firing as they targeted the company base at Stass . Finally , at 13 : 26 on 15 June 1965 , after silently lying in ambush for three days , the Australians observed a large Indonesian force to the east , moving close together one behind the other with their weapons slung . Wearing mostly green uniforms and US steel helmets and webbing , and armed with AR - 15 Armalite rifles , they were believed to be regular soldiers from J BTP . Waiting until about 25 Indonesians had entered the engagement area , Byers initiated the ambush with a burst for his Owen submachine gun , with at least 12 killed in the initial fighting . The first three Indonesian soldiers had initially escaped unscathed , and they ran down the track to the west , only to be killed instantly by Claymores fired by the Australian cut - off party . However , with the Indonesian force numbering up to 100 men , only the lead elements had been caught in the Australian ambush and they responded with mortar and machine - gun fire , as well as a number of grenades that failed to explode . Outnumbered , a fierce battle ensued with the Australians quickly silencing the Indonesian machine gun with small - arms fire while suffering one man wounded in the knee . Meanwhile , effective Australian counter - battery fire soon silenced the Indonesian mortars . Seventeen bodies were counted by the Australians following the initial engagement , along with another seven wounded , although they believed that up to 25 had been killed in the ambush . The forward observer then called in further mortar and artillery fire , with and rounds slamming into the Indonesian positions . As a result the Indonesians suffered a number of further casualties , including some of those wounded in the initial ambush , while a larger party which had come to investigate the action was also caught in the barrage . By 13 : 45 the Australian platoon began withdrawing back to its firm base , carrying one of their wounded with them . A second Australian , although wounded in the thigh by shrapnel , was still able to walk . Total Indonesian losses were later estimated to have been as high as 50 killed due to the highly accurate artillery fire , which suppressed the forces attempting to follow up the Australians , as well as countering heavy Indonesian indirect fire . Subsequent intelligence reports indicated that the Indonesian force had only recently arrived in Kindau , and were engaged on their first operation . Meanwhile , the Australians had continued their withdrawal and successfully reached the border by 16 : 00 , with their casualties later evacuated by helicopter from a prearranged landing zone inside Sarawak . The platoon arrived back at Stass the next day . Unlike the previous incidents , the ambush at Kindau did not remain unpublicised however , after a journalist managed to interview one of the Australian wounded in the British Military Hospital in Singapore . Regardless the authorities were able to maintain the fiction that the incident had occurred in Malaysian territory , and it was reported that the incident had occurred in Sarawak and not in Indonesian territory as was really the case . The ambush had been planned and rehearsed in detail , and was later described as a " classic ambush " , and was considered an " example of a typical Borneo ambush . " Byers was subsequently awarded the Military Cross for his skilful conduct . Aftermath . In addition to inflicting significant casualties on Indonesian forces , the successful Australian ambushes on the Sungei Koemba and at Kindau in May and June allowed 3 RAR to dominate the border area , while also providing early warning of Indonesian incursions into Sarawak . Following these actions Major General George Lea , the British Director of Operations , ordered a short pause in offensive operations in order to observe the effects . Indonesian mortar attacks on company bases in the 3 RAR area of operation , which had been heavy throughout May and June , ceased soon afterwards . Following the resumption of Claret operations the Australian battalion later followed this up with another profitable mission at Babang on 12 July , contributing to the wider success of the British - Commonwealth forces in slowly asserting control on the war . Notes . Explanatory notes Citations