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Where was the 48th Viet Cong Battalion actually located on March 16, 1968?

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A group of frightened Vietnamese women and children stand close together outdoors during the My Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War. — My Lai Massacre Vietnamese citizens photographed during the My Lai Massacre, March 16, 1968.

Contrary to the intelligence reports provided to Charlie Company, which suggested the 48th Viet Cong Battalion was hiding in the My Lai area, the unit was actually located in the western Quang Ngai highlands, more than 40 miles (65 km) away from the site of the massacre on March 16, 1968.1