Republic of Vietnam Airborne Division

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Republic of Vietnam Airborne Division
Binh chủng Nhảy Dù
160px
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active 1 January 1948 – 30 April 1975
Country  South Vietnam
Allegiance Republic of Vietnam
Branch Army of the Republic of South Vietnam
Type Airborne
Garrison/HQ Tan Son Nhut, near Saigon
Nickname(s) Bawouans (in French), Nhảy Dù (in Vietnamese)
Anniversaries 1 January
Engagements First Indochina War
Vietnam War
Cambodian Civil War
Laotian Civil War
Insignia
Division flag 100px

The Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the earliest components of the Republic of Vietnam’s Military Forces (Quân Đội Quốc Gia Việt Nam). The Vietnamese Airborne Division began as companies organised in 1948, prior to any agreement over armed forces in Vietnam. After the partition of Vietnam, it became a part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

History

Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the most elite fighting forces in the ARVN. It was placed as a reserve unit along with the South Vietnamese Marine Division. Headquarters of the Airborne Division was outside of Saigon. The Airborne Division would mobilize anywhere within the four corps at a moments notice. The main use of the Airborne was to engage and destroy People's Army of Vietnam ('NVA') and Viet Cong forces, not hold a specific region like the infantry units.

Airborne brigade and divisional commanders

Structure and organization

Airborne Advisory Detachment

Like all major ARVN units the Airborne were assigned a U.S. military advisory element, originally the Airborne Brigade Advisory Detachment and later redesignated the 162nd Airborne Advisory Detachment or U.S. Airborne Advisory Team 162. About 1,000 American airborne-qualified advisors served with the Brigade and Division, receiving on average two awards for valour per tour; over the years, they were able to built and maintain a good working relationship with their Vietnamese counterparts and airborne units, a situation unfortunately not always found in other ARVN formations. U.S. officers were paired with their Vietnamese counterparts, from the Brigade/Division commander down to company commanders, as well with principal staff officers at all levels. U.S. NCOs assisted the staff and company advisors.[1]

Units

  • Colonial units[2]
    • 1st Indochinese Parachute Company (1ére CIP)
    • 3rd Indochinese Parachute Company (3e CIP)
    • 5th Indochinese Parachute Company (5e CIP)
    • 7th Indochinese Parachute Company (7e CIP)
    • 1st Airborne Guard Company (1ére CPGVN)
    • 3rd Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (3e BPVN)
    • 5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (5e BPVN)
    • 6th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (6e BPVN)
    • 7th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (7e BPVN)
    • 3rd Vietnamese Parachute Engineers Company (3ére CPGVN)
  • Airborne Group units[3]
    • Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC)
    • 1st Airborne Battalion (1 TDND)
    • 3rd Airborne Battalion (3 TDND)
    • 5th Airborne Battalion (5 TDND)
    • 6th Airborne Battalion (6 TDND)
    • Airborne Combat Support Battalion
  • Airborne Brigade units[4]
    • Headquarters & Headquarters Company
  • 1st Task Force HQ
    • 1st Airborne Battalion (1 TDND)
    • 6th Airborne Battalion (6 TDND)
    • 7th Airborne Battalion (7 TDND)
  • 2nd Task Force HQ
    • 3rd Airborne Battalion (3 TDND)
    • 5th Airborne Battalion (5 TDND)
    • 8th Airborne Battalion (8 TDND)
  • Airborne Combat Support Battalion
  • Airborne Division units[5][6]
    • Headquarters Battalion
    • U.S. Airborne Advisory Team 162
  • 1st Task Force/Brigade HHC
    • 1st Airborne Battalion (1 TDND)
    • 8th Airborne Battalion (8 TDND)
    • 9th Airborne Battalion (9 TDND)
    • 1st Airborne Artillery Battalion
  • 2nd Task Force/Brigade HHC
    • 5th Airborne Battalion (5 TDND)
    • 7th Airborne Battalion (7 TDND)
    • 11th Airborne Battalion (11 TDND)
    • 2nd Airborne Artillery Battalion
  • 3rd Task Force/Brigade HHC
    • 2nd Airborne Battalion (2 TDND)
    • 3rd Airborne Battalion (3 TDND)
    • 6th Airborne Battalion (6 TDND)
    • 3rd Airborne Artillery Battalion
  • 4th Task Force/Brigade HHC
    • 4th Airborne Battalion (4 TDND)
    • 10th Airborne Battalion (10 TDND)
  • Division Troops
    • Airborne Signal Battalion
    • Airborne Support Battalion
    • Airborne Medical Battalion
    • Airborne Reconnaissance Company/Battalion
    • Airborne Engineer Company/Battalion

Weapons and equipment

The south vietnamese airborne forces used the standard weaponry and equipment of French and U.S. origin issued to ANV and ARVN units. Paratrooper companies also fielded crew-served heavy weapons, such as mortars and recoilless rifles, whilst divisional artillery batteries were provided with Howitzers.

See also

Notes

  1. Rottman and Volstad, Vietnam Airborne (1990), pp. 27-28.
  2. Rottman and Volstad, Vietnam Airborne (1990), pp. 23-24.
  3. Rottman and Volstad, Vietnam Airborne (1990), p. 24.
  4. Rottman and Volstad, Vietnam Airborne (1990), pp. 25-27.
  5. Rottman and Volstad, Vietnam Airborne (1990), p. 27.
  6. Rottman and Bujeiro, Army of the Republic of Vietnam 1955-75 (2010), p. 23.

References

  • Gordon Rottman and Ron Volstad, Vietnam Airborne, Elite series 29, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1990. ISBN 0-85045-941-9
  • Gordon Rottman and Ramiro Bujeiro, Army of the Republic of Vietnam 1955-1975, Men-at-arms series 458, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2010. ISBN 978-1-84908-181-8
  • Martin Windrow and Mike Chappell, The French Indochina War 1946-1954, Men-at-arms series 322, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 1998. ISBN 1 85532 789 9

Further reading

  • William E. Le Gro, Vietnam from Cease-Fire to Capitulation, Washington DC: US Army Centre of Military History, [unknown date].
  • Michael N. Martin, Angels in Red Hats: Paratroopers of the Second Indochina War, Goshen, KY: Harmony House Publishers, 1995. ISBN 1-56469-025-3 ISBN 978-1564690258

External links