Members of 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron (1APC Sqn) and 161 Battery, Royal New Zealand ...

Members of 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron (1APC Sqn) and 161 Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA), on a fire mission during Operation Ingham. Identified from left, 213099 Ronald Edward (Ron) Richards vehicle commander, 1APC Sqn; Lieutenant Barry D Dreyer (back to camera) and his signaller, Gunner William (Bill) Skedgwell (holding radio hand set), both of 161 Battery, RNZA. The New Zealand L5 Pack Howitzers were deployed to forward areas in Phuoc Tuy Province in order to protect 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), infantry patrols which were patrolling beyond the range of the guns based at Nui Dat. Instead of being towed, the New Zealand guns were often transported inside the APCs. The two APCs (background) have been fitted with M74C turrets equipped with twin mounted .30 calibre L3A3 Browning medium machine guns while the APC (foreground) is armed with a .50 calibre M2 HB Browning heavy machine gun protected with a steel shield. These steel shields with the rounded corners were informally known as elephant ears and were fabricated from 12.7 mm (half inch) armour plate, usually by Australian Army Engineering Workshop Units at Nui Dat. There is a 105 mm L5 Pack Howitzer partially visible (right).