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Supplied by Jimmy
(Sorry no names, no pack drill)
Monthly Signals Operating Instructions (SOI) were issued to give
the information necessary to operate the various Signals facilities in the
Task Force. The SOI (and backups) were produced and controlled
by the Task Force Signal Squadron (103 Sig Sqn and then 104 Sig Sqn) and
issued to the Task Force Units and others (as required). All
information in the SOI was classified and any known compromise had to be
immediately reported to HQ 1 ATF.
If compromised, it was a real pain because backup SOI's had to be
immediately issued and then new SOI backups had to be produced. The
production of SOI was by calculation/design, typing on gestetner stencil
skins, running off on the gestetner machine and preparing for controlled
issues. Remember - we had no computers in those days!
Examples of compromises involving the reissue of SOI during 1971
are: 1. 31 March 1971, SOI was captured by the enemy in a
'contact' with 3RAR. 2. 18 April 1971, SOI was lost when a
RAAF 9 Sqn Helicopter was shot down in the Long Hai Hills, whilst
supporting a Vietnamese 'Regional Force' Battalion.
1 ATF SOI - JANUARY
1969
Sample of
each item from that SOI
(Click on the ICON) |