#vnmc

[vietnamwarera]

Vietnamese troops stand along the bank of a river, on the edge of a town. Date and location unknown.

[lioras]

Lovestruck MC’s chat 2/?

[vietnamwarera]

Vietnamese marine radio operator, 1962.

From the source:

Vietnam....Young radio operator, set strapped to his back, stands in hatch of submarine’s “doghouse” waiting for the order to embark. Doghouse is so named, Navy men say, because in olden days the structure, just behind the conning tower, resembled a doghouse in shape.

[vietnamwarera]

So i not info of the Vietnam war but how good was the South Vietnam as a military force? Most of the media just cover the Americans and not the other group like South Koreans.

The main units of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) were reportedly poor combat units. But recent work challenges this to some degree. They undoubtedly suffered many issues in structure and personnel, but there were many who did try and perform well. Special units tend to receive much more praise. For instance ARVN Rangers were known as fierce troops. The Vietnamese Marine Corps (VNMC) also performed well overall, from what I’ve read. I don’t know much about the navy (VNN) or air force (VNAF).

[vietnamwarera]

From the source:

Vietnamese Marines Fight Communist Infiltrators in Gia Dinh - A Vietnamese tanker fires his 50 Caliber machine gun into a Viet Cong position in Gia Dinh during heavy street fighting June 4. Viet Cong infiltrators had dug in along a wall in a yard and had to be blasted out.

[vietnamwarera]

Easter Offensive

Dates: 30 March 1972 - October 1972

Area of Operation: I Corps provinces; Binh Long Province; Central Highlands

Allied Units: South Vietnamese military (ARVN, VNN, VNMC, VNAF), USAF, USN

Allied Casualties: ARVN 10000 KIA, 33000 WIA, 3500 MIA

Enemy Units: 14 NVA divisions

Enemy Casualties: Estimated up to 100,000 killed

Objective: To deal a decisive blow against South Vietnam with a three pronged attack. To force the US to peace negotiations that would result in favorable terms for North Vietnam.

Significance/Notes:

North Vietnamese troops used conventional warfare tactics on a level not previously seen in their fight to conquer South Vietnam. This included the use of T-54 tanks and other advanced weaponry from the Soviet Union and China. Large quantities of these tanks and the large-caliber artillery would be destroyed or captured.

Leaders in North Vietnam believed that the anti-war sentiment in the US would prevent Pres. Nixon from sending more American troops back into Vietnam. Ultimately they hoped it would force Nixon to negotiate peace with terms favorable to the DRV.

Nixon did retaliate militarily through the commencement of Operation Linebacker I, bombing North Vietnam, and also ordered the mining of Haiphong Harbor.

Due to the withdrawal of American forces, most units the NVA faced were ARVN units. Though ARVN units in the northern provinces were overrun, they held elsewhere with the aid of American airpower and military advisers.

Held more territory in South Vietnam than at any previous point. Though the blow had not been as devastating as intended and ARVN units held in many areas, the North Vietnamese leadership still considered the offensive to be successful and believed they now had a stronger position at the bargaining table.

Sources:

Vietnam War Almanac by James H. Willbanks

The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History edited by Spencer C Tucker

Dictionary of the Vietnam War edited by James S. Olson

Images: [map], [1], [2], [3]

Further Reading:

Trial By Fire: The 1972 Easter Offensive, America’s Last Vietnam Battle by Dale Andrade

The Easter Offensive: The Last American Advisors, Vietnam, 1972 by Col. Gerald H. Turley

The Easter Offensive, Vietnam 1972. Volume 1: Invasion across the DMZ by Albert Grandolini

The Easter Offensive, Vietnam 1972. Volume 2: Tanks in the streets by Albert Grandolini

“The Easter Offensive of 1972: A Failure to Use Intelligence” by WR Baker

[vietnamwarera]

From the source:

Allied troop ops with S.Viet Marines near Citadel, Hue on Perfume River where the YFU-79 transferred them to a S.Viet Navy LCM seen in photo

[vietnamwarera]

Hello, can you recommend some articles, websites, texts or books talk about ARVN Marines and ARVN Airborne? Anything will do, like brief history, their operations during the war or their organizations.

Apologies for the delay, I wanted to dig up good sources for you. Hope these help. Please note, I have not read any of these myself, though Osprey books are great, and I’ve read another of Robert Tonsetic’s books and enjoyed it. Likely there are scholarly articles about, but difficult to access unless you’re a student or your local library has access to something like JSTOR.

Vietnam Marine Corps (VNMC):

Vietnam Marines 1965–73 by Charles Melson

“The Vietnamese Marine Corps” by Peter Brush, from Viet Nam Generation: A Journal of Recent History and Contemporary Issues. Vol. 7 :1-2. pp. 73–77.

Marine Advisors with the Vietnamese Marine Corps edited by Charles Melson and Wanda J. Renfrow

“Eight Years in a Communist Prison: The Story of a Vietnamese Marine,” recording of an oral history interview with Duat Q. Tran

History of the South Vietnamese Marine Corps edited by Tran Xuan Dung - Not sure if you’ll be able to actually find this one. Let me know if you do.

Warriors of the Sea: Marines of the Second Indochina War by CSM Michael Martin

ARVN Airborne:

Vietnam Airborne by Gordon L. Rottman

Angels In Red Hats: Paratroopers of the Second Indochina War by CSM Michael N. Martin - Again, good luck finding a copy and let me know if you find one.

Forsaken Warriors: The Story of an American Advisor who Fought with the South Vietnamese Rangers and Airborne by Robert Tonsetic

RVN Military in general:

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Viet Nam by The Vietnam Council on Foreign Relations

The ARVN