ORDER OF BATTLE // November 21, 1965
Battle of Bau
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
1 sides catalogued · combined 100–120 estimated
Индонезия
100–120
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Bau was one of the small-scale cross-border engagements that characterized the Indonesian–Malaysian confrontation in Sarawak, Borneo. A company-sized Indonesian force of 100–120 men was attacked and virtually destroyed by a Gurkha company, representing a significant tactical success for British forces in the border region. The engagement's lasting consequence lay less in its operational effect than in the individual recognition it produced: Lance Corporal Rambahadur Limbu of the British Army Gurkhas was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the battle, making it one of the most noted single engagements of the confrontation from a regimental and Commonwealth military history standpoint.
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