People's Revolutionary Army (Grenada)

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People's Revolutionary Army (Grenada)
Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council		Hudson Austin (last)
Vice Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff	Major Einstein Louison[2][3]
Insignia
Symbol[1]

The People’s Revolutionary Army (PRA) was the

History

Roots

The PRA traces its roots to the National Liberation Army (NLA), which was formed in 1973 as the military wing of the insurgent New Jewel Movement (NJM) Party.^[4] In late 1977, the party dispatched 12 NLA leaders for four weeks of clandestine military training by a unit of the Guyana Defence Force.^[5] The group of 11 Grenadian men and one woman were known as "The 12 Apostles." They received intensive training in guerrilla tactics, weapons and other warfare skills in preparation for the overthrow of the government of Eric Gairy.

The near-bloodless coup occurred on the morning of March 13, 1979, on the orders of the NJM's Security and Defense Committee and under the tactical military leadership of key "Apostles." The armed takeover was popularly supported and subsequently became known as the

Foundation and development

After the New Jewel Movement party

The Chief of Staff of the PRA, Major Einstein Louison, was educated at the Vystrel course in the Soviet Union. In March 1983, he met with Soviet General Nikolai Ogarkov, who promised Louison that the Soviet Union would contribute to raising the combat readiness of the PRA.^[8]

American invasion

On 13 October, the NJM's Central Committee placed Bishop under house arrest after he balked at a power-sharing agreement.

The PRA leadership called in reinforcements, including 3 BTR-60s and additional troops. Shooting broke out at the fort under disputed circumstances.^[9] Three soldiers and eight civilians were killed in the ensuing melee, and about 100 civilians wounded, a 2003 study found.^[9] The PRA quickly rearrested Bishop, Whiteman, two other government ministers, a trade union leader and three Bishop supporters. These eight prisoners were subsequently executed by a firing squad of soldiers, bringing the total killed at the fort to 19.

After Bishop's death, Hudson Austin established a Military Revolutionary Council composed entirely of 16 Army officers. Martial law was declared and 24-hour immediate curfew imposed. Violators were to be shot on sight, but none were. The curfew lasted four days and many prominent citizens were arrested. They included former Bishop officials, PRA officers and NJM members thought to be disloyal.^[10]

On 25 October 1983, the vanguard of 7,600 troops from the United States, and 350 from the Caribbean Peace Force, invaded Grenada, encountering resistance from the People's Revolutionary Army. On the morning before the invasion, the PRAF mustered a permanent force of 463 men, supplemented by 257 militia and 58 untrained NJM party members.^[11] The multinational intervention was also opposed by 636 armed Cuban construction workers under the leadership of 43 Cuban military advisers. The combat was occasionally intense for two days, but hostilities were declared ceased by U.S. forces on Nov. 2, 1983.

A Pentagon historical study of

In 1986, 18 Grenadians were tried by a Grenadian court for the 19 deaths that occurred at Ft. Rupert on Oct. 19, 1983. Seventeen defendants were convicted by a jury of murder or manslaughter, including eight PRA officers and three soldiers. All were imprisoned on the island while supporters waged a long-running campaign to free the so-called Grenada 17. The last of the 17 were released from Richmond Hill Prison in 2009 after serving up to 26 years in prison.^[9]

Equipment

The military was mostly equipped with a mix of Soviet, Chinese, and Czechoslovak weapons and vehicles. They also confiscated some weapons from the American military.

Small arms and light weapons

• Makarov PM
  semi-automatic pistol
• Tokarev TT-33 semi-automatic pistol
• CZ 52 semi-automatic pistol^[13]
• PPSh-41 sub-machine gun
• PPS sub-machine gun
• Uzi sub-machine gun
• Sa vz. 23 sub-machine gun^[14][15]
• Vz. 52 semi-automatic rifle
• Mosin–Nagant M44 carbine^[16]
• AKM assault rifle^[17]
• M16A1 assault rifle^[17]
• PKM machine gun^[18]
• Bren
  light machine gun
• Vz. 52 light machine gun^[18]
• DShK heavy machine gun^[18]
• Type 56 rocket propelled grenade launcher^[19]
• RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade launcher^[20]
• F1 hand grenade^[21]

• 8 BTR-60^[22][23]
• 2 BRDM-2^[22][23]
• T-55^{[24][dubious – discuss]}
• T-72^{[24][dubious – discuss]}
• 15 PT-76^{[24][dubious – discuss]}

Anti-aircraft guns

• 12 ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns.^[25]

Artillery

• ZiS-3
  76.2mm Field guns (not used during the invasion)
• M1937 82mm mortar^[26]
• SPG-9 recoilless rifle^[27]
• Type 56 recoilless rifle^[27]

References