THE AUSTRALIANS became so adept at patrolling, which occurred primarily at night, that they dominated no-man's-land. To counter the night intruders, the besiegers posted more sentries, laid more mines and booby-traps and used mobile searchlights.

As a result of the aggressive patrolling, the Axis troops were kept back from the Allied lines. Those in the Axis front line suffered from reduced sleep. Axis morale suffered. The Allied patrols were sometimes able to capture additional weapons and obtain missing parts - such as missing gun sights for the Bush Artillery.

Silence was at the heart of successful patrolling. Before leaving on a patrol, members would jump up and down to detect any noisy equipment.

Desert crepe boots were issued which made less noise. Failing this, socks were worn over boots.

Challenge passwords were chosen which were difficult to pronounce properly by Germans; usually containing W. Examples include:  Welsh Washerwoman.