Whats the best site for South Vietnamese and Cambodian army stuff

[zvezdah1]

Alex,
without a doubt the best books out there on French Indochina are sadly only available in French, Bigeard's autobiography comes to mind. And one of my favorite French illustrated books "LaGuerre d'Indochine" wonderful books. I will look to see if the Bodar books are in English.

The RC4 debacle - assume this refers to the destruction of GM100? Another little thought of part of the war was the Riverine force - the Dinassauts, I collected these for a time too, an interesting book in English covering Indochina and VN periods "the Brown Water Navy" is quite good.

I'd love to go to VN someday, have looked at renting motorbike and riding up hwy 1. My dad was stationed around Hiep Hoa in 64 -65 which was about 30 miles from cambodia and very early days of the war.

Chris

Hy Chris and Patrick



Chris
yes Bernard Fall books are great, but the best books on Indochina, are from the French Journalist Lucien Bodar, its a triologie, every book about a different Period of the war, absolutly great,it s not only about the militray aspect but also the life and the political view of indochina at that time, he is talking in one book about General de lattre Tassigny who could reverse the situation after the fall of the Cao Bang and colonial route 4
, those books are top notch

By the way the RC4 debacle was one major defeat of the french war, i think equal to Dien Bien Phu

Im not sure if it s available in english maybe you should google him and see!!!!

Cheers


Alex

[zvezdah1]

A few pics of dad's first tour 64-65, my dad's only on the periphery of one pic. He was a senior district security advisor with one of the mata teams.

First pic is one of the half dozen american Non Coms that worked with dad at entranc to Don Ton My.

[zvezdah1]

The gentlemen on left is RVN district chief and the unit MSGT with the advisory team, the interpreter for the team is on the right.

[zvezdah1]

Home sweet home, my dad's the bald headed tall skinny guy in the far right corner.

[zvezdah1]

think this is in front of govt office

[zvezdah1]

out in the field

[hochiminhtrail]

wow great pictures Chris,

on the last picture i think the young Vnese guy kneeling is a poilce field force right Patrick????

Chris it s raely worth going to Vnam for a month, you can buy russian motorbikes for 400 $ and cruise all over Vnam, but as i know the americans most of you dont get that much vacations right?

two weeks is a minimum, it s almost to short, a month is about right to get into the country and travel arround.

yes the RC4 catstrophe was almost as bad news as the french defeat of 1940, the Large city of Lang Son on the chinese border was in french history books, it was like a real part of France for the French, and having lost Lang Son without a fight just abondoning it to the Vietminh was real bad, on top of that they left all the army supplys behind without detroying them.
The city of Cao Bang would have to be evacuated by road down the RC4 to Lang Son, the group leaving Cao Bang was supposed to meet in the middle of the way with a column that left from lang Son, what a silly plan it was. they were all destroyes in the middle.

I think the groupe mobile 100 was the Korea returnee battalion, that was lost in the Anh Khe region in 1953.

The Dinassault are great troops,

i realy like the GCMA troops, those sort of French special forces who stayed behind the Vietminh forces and were serving with native troops of Hmong and black thais in north and montagnards in the south.
mostly only one french Officer or Nco alone with hundreds of natives, some of those guys went totaly native, some even never came back and fought with their local trroops until 1955 or 56.


To be honest, i think that the french had a much harder time in indochina then the US army, the lack of med evac was a major problem, to carry wounded comarades all over the place for days, was a nightmare and this for both the wounded and the soldiers carrying.

Cheers

Alex

[hochiminhtrail]

Hy Patrick

what do you know about this site???

www.indochinamilitaria.com


cheers

Alex

[Patrick Dempsey]

Chris,

many thanks for posting the superb photos!

Just wonderful to see. I could look at these all day!

is the camo pattern Duck hunter style, or any official Khmer camo?? it does not look like a french camo pattern that i know.

Hello Alex,

the pattern is "Beo Gam"or "Leopard" a version of duckhunter camo. Distinguished from the more common versions by the purple/pink and dark blue colouration you will find in the pattern.

The pattern was produced in the US and all over Asia.

on the last picture i think the young Vnese guy kneeling is a poilce field force right Patrick????

That looks to be the interpreter who is wearing "Beo Gam" in post #63 and #66, the black and white photo is a great shot of the shapes to the pattern!

Regarding the site you have linked, John is one of the finest people i have had the pleasure to meet.

Highly, highly recommended.


Patrick.

[zvezdah1]

Hi Patrick and Alex,
Alex thanks for the tips on VN travel I actually get 6 weeks vacation a year, so I could swing a long trip, not sure the wife would like it!

The duckhunter camo guy is the interpreter, tho not clear in these photos, his name tape says "interpreter"

Patrick I've got literally hundreds of slides and some photos from both his tours, the first tour stuff is the most interesting to me. I plan to get them all converted over and saved to cd, whenever that happens I'll be sure to post here to let you know and can send you the cds,

Chris

[hochiminhtrail]

Hy Chris

if you need any infos on your trip to VN just send me e mail, i worked there as a tour guide, so i think i might help you in some areas.

Cheers

Alex

[Patrick Dempsey]

Patrick I've got literally hundreds of slides and some photos from both his tours, the first tour stuff is the most interesting to me. I plan to get them all converted over and saved to cd, whenever that happens I'll be sure to post here to let you know and can send you the cds

Hello Chris,

that would be an incredible kindness.
Such primary evidence would be a wonderful addition to my understanding of the subject.

Suffice to say, i have enjoyed this thread hugely!

All the best,

Patrick.

[hochiminhtrail]

Chris,

it would be great if we can see some more pictures

Cheers
Alex

[zvezdah1]

Alex and Patrick
A few more pics, next weekend I'll go and get the slides converted, placed on cds so I can get copies to you. two or three hundred slides.

Looking at the pics makes me wish I'd pinned my father down for info on these before he died. He did tell me that his first rotation as an advisor in 64-65 was before the best of his tours there, only a half dozen americans and they actually lived in the hamlet with the locals. He liked the intimate contact with the vietnamese people, by the time his second tour in 69 that had all ended.

Chris

[zvezdah1]

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