The Royal Artillery (RA) gun position for an L5 Pack Howitzer at the A Company, 3rd Battalion, ...

The Royal Artillery (RA) gun position for an L5 Pack Howitzer at the A Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), forward base at Stass. The British manned L5 gun has been placed into position using a Belvedere heavy lift helicopter from 66 Squadron RAF and it has been placed on Marston steel matting sheets to stop it from bogging down in heavy weather. The site is surrounded by sandbags and more fortified and camouflaged positions in the base can be seen in the background including an observation tower. The unidentified soldier in shorts and thongs (left) is walking along a pathway that has been made from short lengths of chord wood or bamboo which have been lashed together with wire. The gun has been positioned so it can be traversed through 360 degrees by the crew, and it can fire a 15 kg projectile at any point on the compass out to a maximum range of 10,000 metres. It can fire a variety of ammunition, including illumination and high explosive and is generally used for providing fire support to the patrolling Australian soldiers.