Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces
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ARVN Special Forces | |
---|---|
Unconventional Warfare | |
Size | 2,873 personnel (1965)[1]
|
Garrison/HQ | Nha Trang |
Nickname(s) | LLDB |
Engagements | Vietnam War |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Lê Quang Tung Ngô Đình Nhu |
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces (
Early years
The Special Forces came into being at Nha Trang in February 1956 under the designation of the First Observation Battalion/Group (FOG). By 1960, most Special Forces units were involved in the FOG program. At Long Thành, they were trained in intelligence gathering, sabotage and psychological operations (PSYOP). The main duties of the Special Forces entailed the recruitment and training of one-to-four man teams in intelligence, sabotage, and psychological warfare missions in North Vietnam. The success of these missions was poor.
Although minor sabotage and unrest was fomented,
Diệm era
During the rule of President
Buddhist crisis
In 1963, South Vietnam faced civil unrest in the face of
Another infamous religious assault on the Buddhist community was carried out by Tung's men in 1963. In a small pond near Đà Nẵng, a hugely oversized carp was found swimming. Local Buddhists began to believe the fish was a reincarnation of one of Gautama Buddha's disciples. As pilgrimages to the pond grew larger and more frequent, so did disquiet among the district chief and his officials, who answered to Ngô Đình Cẩn, another younger brother of Diệm. The pond was mined, but the fish swam on unhindered. After raking the pond with machine gun fire, the fish still lived. To deal with the problem, Tung's forces were called in. The pond was grenaded, killing the carp. The incident generated more publicity as newspapers across the world ran stories about the miraculous fish. ARVN helicopters began landing at the site, with ARVN paratroopers filling their bottles with water which they believed had magical powers. Tung was reported to have been planning an operation at the request of Nhu to stage a government organised student demonstration outside the US Embassy, Saigon. In this plan, Tung and his operatives would assassinate U.S. ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., other key officials and Buddhist leader Thích Trí Quang, who was given asylum after being targeted in the pagoda raids. On 1 November 1963, a coup was launched by the ARVN against Diệm. Knowing Tung was a loyalist who would order his Special Forces to defend Diệm, the generals invited him to Joint General Staff (JGS) headquarters on the pretext of a routine meeting. He was arrested and later executed along with his deputy and younger brother, Lê Quang Triệu. Diệm and Nhu were also executed after being captured at the end of the successful coup and the ARVN's leadership consequently changed.[citation needed]
In 1964, the U.S. Army's 5th Special Forces Group was officially assigned to Vietnam. The LLDB worked closely with the U.S. command and although the Americans funded the CIDG camps, the LLDB assumed ultimate responsibility. These camps were commanded by the ARVN Special Forces, supplemented by U.S. Special Forces advisors. From 24 June to 1 July 1964 under Project DELTA, LLDB teams performed five parachute drops into Laos to gather intelligence. By 1965, LLDB personnel were working with the ARVN in recruiting and training as well as sending groups into communist areas in South Vietnam to gather information.[citation needed] US Special Forces referred to the LLDB as "LL" or "LIMA-LIMA" using the phonetic alphabet. Over the radio they were called "XRAY" so it would not reveal the unit as CIDG.
1970s
In March 1970, aware of the impending withdrawal of U.S. Special Forces from Vietnam as part of a general withdrawal, the U.S.
- the Coastal Defense Office to deal and manage with all maritime-related reconnaissance activities.
- the Liaison Office to manage the reconnaissance and military intelligence in the northern part of South Vietnam and the adjoining tri-border area (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia).
- the Topography Office to manage the field reconnaissance activities within South Vietnam.
The ARVN also fielded an airborne-qualified special strike unit,
Effectiveness
The LLDB's largest operation occurred with the CIDGs, an immense network of ethnic minorities and
The degree to which the tribal minorities influenced the war cannot be underestimated. They provided intelligence, acted as scouts, and in many cases became effective guerrilla soldiers. Thus, the South Vietnamese, despite their racist attitudes, needed the assistance they received from the Montagnards, and U.S. Special Forces and
See also
- List of defunct special forces units
- Civilian Irregular Defense Group program
- Vietnamese Rangers
- United States Army Special Forces
- SPECOM
- Republic of Vietnam National Police Field Force
- Khmer Special Forces
References
- ^ "South Vietnam - Special Forces - Luc Luong Dac Biet (LLDB)".
- ^ Tarrius, La Police de Campagne du Sud-Vietnam 1967–1975 (2005), p. 39.
- ^ Kelly, Francis J. U.S. Army Special Forces, 1961–1971. 1973.
- ^ Reske, Charles F. MACV-SOG Command History, Annex B. Vols. 1 and 2. 1990.
- ^ Simpson, Charles M., III. Inside the Green Berets. 1983.
- ^ Stanton, Shelby. Green Berets at War. 1985.
- Gordon L. Rottman and Ron Volstad, Vietnam Airborne, Elite series 29, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1990. ISBN 0-85045-941-9.
- Gordon L. Rottman and Ramiro Bujeiro, Army of the Republic of Vietnam 1955–75, Men-at-arms series 458, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2010. ISBN 978-1-84908-182-5
- Kenneth Conboy and Simon McCouaig, South-East Asian Special Forces, Elite series 33, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1991. ISBN 978-1855321069
- Lee E. Russell and Mike Chappell, Armies of the Vietnam War 2, Men-at-arms series 143, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1983. ISBN 0-85045-514-6.
- Phillip Katcher and Mike Chappell, Armies of the Vietnam War 1962–1975, Men-at-arms series 104, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1980. ISBN 978-0-85045-360-7
- Spencer Tucker, Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War, ISBN 1-57607-040-9
- Valéry Tarrius, La Police de Campagne du Sud-Vietnam 1967–1975, in Armes Militaria Magazine, March 2005 issue, Histoire & Collections, Paris, pp. 37–43. )