Australian Military Vehicles Research

Armour of the West
A Visit to Tenth Light Horse Regiment
By: Mike Cecil, Senior Curator of Military Technology, Australian War Memorial

A visit last year to A Squadron, Tenth Light Horse Regiment (A/XLH) at their barracks at Karrakatta, Perth, yielded some interesting views of in-service M113A1 family of AFVs. The Squadron is equipped with the M113A1 APC/LRV with T50(Aust) turret, an M113A1 Repair Fitters vehicle, M577A1 ACV and an M806A1 ARVL. A number of these have been with the Squadron for many years, which is not unusual in Reserve Regiments that cover only a fraction of the track miles each year covered by Regular Units. Of the vehicles held on strength by A/XLH, some have interesting operational histories, while others have led a more mundane life as training vehicles.

Of those with operational service, Army Registration Number (ARN) 134175 is probably the most interesting, as it was one of the first carriers that were deployed to South Vietnam in 1965 with 1 APC Troop under the command of Capt Robert Hill. It was damaged under the front right corner by a mine in January 1969. Although repaired, the vehicle was close to its theatre target mileage. It was designated Beyond Local Repair (BLR) in March 1969 after having completed more than 10,000 miles.

Manpower is a matter that Reserve Units take an active interest in. A/XLH have come up with a novel way of recruiting: advertising boards fixed to the sides of a couple of the Unit’s M113A1 APC/LRVs. The recruiting slogans make for interesting reading: "Total Customer Focus" takes on a whole new meaning when teamed up with few bullet holes and a gun sight picture! For the religious, there is "Tank God for 10^th Light Horse". The black swan, symbol of Western Australia, features strongly in these recruiting advertisements.

ADVERT-1: The advertising brings a whole new meaning to Divine intervention with ‘Tank God for 10th Light Horse Regiment’ emblazoned on the side of ARN 15105. The black swan, State symbol of Western Australia, features prominently in the Unit advertising. This vehicle has been with the Squadron for over 10 years.	ADVERT-2: The right side of Carrier ARN 15105, with similar recruitment advertising.
134175: One Zero Foxtrot ‘Aphrodite’ in the standard olive drab-tan-black AUSCAM pattern. Items to note are the replacement headlamps still in olive drab in a tan painted area, the spot lamp above the .50cal barrel, flash hider on the .50cal, and spare road wheel on the glacis plate. ARN 134175 had nearly 4 years operational service in South Vietnam before its first rebuild during 1970. It has been with A/XLH for over 10 years. This was one of the first batch of 143 carriers to arrive in Australia between March 1965 and March 1966, and as such, has had nearly 38 years of service with the Australian Army.	ADVERT-3: Another recruiting carrier, this time ARN 134615. The mock bullet holes and sight picture bring a whole new meaning to ‘customer focus’! This is another vehicle that has seen extended service with A/XLH, having been with the Squadron for over 10 years.
50CAL T50: A detailed view of the .50cal and .30cal MGs mounted in the T50(Aust) turret. Note the flash hiders on both weapons	15089: A well-used carrier, c/s One Zero Bravo. Note the paint scrapped off the lower glacis plate, rusted track plates on both the spare links and the main track, and the two different indicator mountings. The one on the vehicle’s left is the older style with the grill mesh cover, while that on the right of the vehicle is the current standard sheet steel cover. The ARN is also painted on twice at the front: on the front right track guard and also on the upper edge of the trim vane. The 5-digit ARN indicates that this vehicle was a post-1972 purchase. It also has spent an extended period with A/XLH.
134388: The Squadron’s M806A1 ARVL. ARN 134388 is one of the first batch of ARVLs purchased by the Australian Army, arriving in Australia in 1971. It has had a varied career, serving at various times with 2 Cavalry Regiment and the School of Armour. It also has been with A/XLH for over 10 years.	ARVL INTERIOR: The interior of the M806A1 ARVL, showing the mid-mounted recovery winch. Note the large oil reservoir mounted on the right sponson, along with associated piping.
ARVL Plate: Detail of the winch operating instruction plate of the ARVL. This is mounted on the right side of the main winch housing.	ACV INTERIOR LEFT: General view of a typical M577A1 Armoured Command Vehicle, complete with the usual bits and pieces. Note the OA-3633/GRC amplifier-power supply on the shelf toward the left of frame. This is the base mount for an AN/PRC77 receiver/transmitter. When mated together, the whole unit is designated an AN/GRC160. There is also an AN/VRC49 set forward of that on the same shelf. The AN/VRC49 consists of two RT-524 receiver/transmitters on MT-1029/VRC mounting racks, interlinked by a radio set controller C-2299/VRC.
ACV INTERIOR RIGHT: The right side of the interior of an M577A1 ACV. Note the RAVEN radio mounted on the shelf at the front of the vehicle, and the 5-man Combat Ration box on the workbench. An Engel refrigerator in AUSCAM cover and olive green plastic wash-up dish are also carried. This vehicle, ARN 134476, is one of the second batch of ACVs purchased by the Australian Army. It has been with the Unit for about 5 years.	HELMET: Detail of the current driver’s uniform and equipment. Note the double epaulette and sloping pockets of the two-piece armoured vehicle crewman’s suit, and the RACAL helmet. The spotlight bracket above the .50cal MG is an interesting local modification.