Weapons of the Laotian Civil War

The Laotian Civil War was a military conflict that pitted the guerrilla forces of the Marxist-oriented Pathet Lao against the armed and security forces of the Kingdom of Laos ( French: ''Royaume du Laos''), led by the conservative Royal Lao Government, between 1960 and 1975. Main combatants comprised:

*The Royal Lao Armed Forces ( French: ''Forces Armées du Royaume''), best known by its French acronym FAR, were the official armed defense forces of the Kingdom of Laos from 1959 to 1975. Subordinated to the Ministry of Defense of the Royal Lao Government at the capital Vientiane, the FAR branches were organized as follows:
** Royal Lao Army ( French: ''Armée Royale du Laos'' – ARL)
** Royal Lao Air Force ( French: ''Aviation Royale Laotiènne'' – AVRL)
** Royal Lao Navy ( French: ''Marine Royale Laotiènne'' – MRL)
*Paramilitary security forces:
** Royal Lao Police ( French: ''Police Royale Laotiènne'' – PRL)
** Directorate of National Coordination (DNC) Security Agency; a.k.a. Border Police ( French: ''Police de Frontiers''), active from 1960 to 1965.

To meet the threat represented by the Pathet Lao insurgency, the Laotian Armed Forces depended on a small French military training mission ( French: ''Mission Militaire Française près du Gouvernment Royale du Laos'' – MMFI-GRL), headed by a general officer, an exceptional arrangement permitted under the 1955 Geneva Accords, as well as covert assistance from the United States in the form of the Programs Evaluation Office (PEO), established on 15 December 1955, replaced in 1961 by the Military Assistance Advisory Group (Laos), which was later changed in September 1962 into the Requirements Office. Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. provided Laos with direct military assistance, but not including the cost of equipping and training irregular and paramilitary forces by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In addition to U.S. covert support, the FAR received further military assistance from the United Kingdom, Thailand, Burma, the Philippines, the Republic of China (Taiwan), South Vietnam, Indonesia, and Australia;

*The Neutralist Armed Forces ( French: ''Forces Armées Neutralistes'' – FAN), a dissident splinter faction of the FAR led by Captain (later, Major general) Kong Le, active from 1961 to 1966, which received support from North Vietnam, the Soviet Union, and Indonesia;
*The irregular Anti-communist Special Guerrilla Units (SGU), also collectively referred to as the "Clandestine Army" or "Secret Army" ( French: ''Armée Clandestine'' or ''Armée Secréte''), recruited from Laos' ethnic minorities such as the Hmong (Meo), Yao (Iu-Mien), Mien, Lao Theung (Hune) and Lao Sung hill tribes, was led by Royal Lao Government Minister Touby Lyfoung, Major general Vang Pao and Brigadier general Thao Ty. Created from irregular ethnic auxiliary units ( French: ''Suppletifs'') raised earlier by the French during the First Indochina War, the SGUs were in reality secretly organized, trained and armed by the CIA since the late 1950s and early 1960s;

*The Pathet Lao, also known as the "Lao People's Party" (1955–1972) and later the "Lao People's Revolutionary Party" (1972–present) led by Prince Souphanouvong, and its military wing the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF), which was trained and armed by North Vietnam, the Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China;

*The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), also designated the "North Vietnamese Army" (NVA), which received support from the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, North Korea, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria.

An eclectic variety of weapons was used by all sides in the Laotian Civil War. Laotian regular FAR and FAN and irregular SGUs weaponry in the early days of the war was a hodgepodge, with most of their combat units equipped in a haphazard way with an array of French, American, Australian, British, and German weapon systems, mostly of WWII-vintage, either drawn from First Indochina War stocks handed down by the French or secretly provided by the Americans.
After 1955 however, the FAR began the process of standardisation on U.S. equipment, with its airborne and infantry units first taking delivery of semi-automatic and automatic small-arms of WWII/Korean War-vintage in late 1959, followed by the delivery between 1963 and 1971 of more modern military equipments, which included aircraft, armored and transport vehicles, and long-range artillery pieces. In 1969 secret deliveries of modern U.S. small-arms arrived in Laos, and were initially only given to the Laotian Royal Guard and airborne units; standardisation in U.S. fully-automatic infantry weapons in the RLA and the irregular SGUs was completed by 1971, replacing much of the older weaponry.Conboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), pp. 15-21.Conboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 59. Captured infantry weapons of Soviet and Chinese origin were also employed by elite commando or airborne units and the irregular SGUs while on special operations in the enemy-held areas of north-eastern and south-eastern Laos.Conboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), pp. 41-42.

During the early phase of the war, the Pathet Lao likewise was largely equipped with WWII-vintage French, Japanese, American, British, German, Chinese, and Czechoslovakian weapons either pilfered from French colonial forces during the First Indochina War, seized from Laotian FAR units or provided by the Vietminh and subsequently by North Vietnam. As the war progressed, these obsolete weapons began to be partially superseded by more modern Eastern Bloc military hardware, including semiautomatic and fully automatic small-arms, artillery pieces, armored and transport vehicles, and aircraft of Soviet, Chinese and Hungarian origin, mostly being channelled via the North Vietnamese. Although the Pathet Lao standardized on Soviet and Chinese weapons and equipment by the early 1970s, its guerrilla forces continued to make use of captured enemy stocks until the end of the war.

Royal Lao Armed Forces, FAN and SGUs Equipment

Revolvers

Received from the US Government, used by government officials and military officers.Conboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), p. 15.

*M1917 revolver
*Smith & Wesson Model 10
* Colt Cobra .38 Special snub-nose revolver

Pistols

* MAS-35-S pistol (7.65mm Longue): Received from France during the First Indochina War.
*Luger P08 pistol: Received from France during the First Indochina War.Conboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), p. 38.
*Walther P38: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
* Colt.45 M1911A1
*Smith & Wesson Model 39

Submachine guns

* MAS-38: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
*MAT-49: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
*Sterling submachine gun: Limited quantities handed down by Britain.
*Owen submachine gun
* Sten submachine gun: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
*Carl Gustaf m/45: used by Green Berets' advisors and CIA operatives.
* M1A1 ThompsonConboy and McCouaig, ''South-East Asian Special Forces'' (1991), p. 8.Conboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 3.
* M3/M3A1 Grease Gun: Used by the Royal Lao Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit.
*PPSh-41: Captured.Conboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), pp. 10; 18.

Bolt-action rifles

* MAS-36: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
*M1903 Springfield: Limited quantities, received from France during the First Indochina War and the United States.
*Lee–Enfield: Limited quantities, received from France during the First Indochina War.

Carbines

*M1 Carbine: M1 & M2 models were standard issue concurrent with the M1 Garand rifle before receiving the M16.
* M1A1 Carbine
*M2 Carbine: Full automatic variant.Conboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), p. 20.Conboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 9.
*CAR-15 Assault carbine

Battle rifles

*M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle
*SKS semi-automatic rifle: Captured.
*L1A1 SLR Assault rifle: Limited quantities handed down by Britain.
* M16A1 Assault rifle
*AK-47: Captured.
*Type 56 assault rifle: Captured.
*AKM: Captured.

Light machine guns

* FM 24/29: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
*Bren: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
* M1918A2 BAR
* M1919A6 light machine gun

General-purpose machine guns

* M60
* RPD: Captured.

Heavy machine guns

* Browning M1919A4 .30 CalConboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 18.
* Browning M2HB .50 Cal
* SG-43/SGM Goryunov: Captured.
* DShKM: Captured.Conboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 34.

Grenade systems

* Alsetex grenade
* Mark 2 fragmentation hand/rifle grenade
* M26 grenade
* M59 "Baseball" hand grenade
* M61 fragmentation hand grenade
* M67 grenade
* M18 colored smoke hand grenade
* C4 plastic explosive

Land mine systems

* M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel mine
* M14 anti-personnel blast mine
* M16 bounding anti-personnel fragmentation mine
* M15 anti-tank mine
* M19 anti-tank mine
* M24 off-route anti-tank mine: limited use by MACV–SOG teams.

Rocket systems

* 2.75 inch rocket launcher

Anti-tank rockets

* M20A1 3.5 inch Super Bazooka
*M72 LAW
*RPG-2: Captured.
*RPG-7: Captured.

Grenade launchers

* M79
* XM-148
*M203

Recoilless rifles

* M18A1
* M20
* M67
* M40A1

Mortars

* M19 60mm mortar
* Brandt mle 27/31 81mm mortar: Received from France during the First Indochina War.
* M29 81mm mortar
* M2 4.2 inch (107mm) mortar
* M30 4.2 inch (106.7mm) mortar

Howitzers

* M101A1 105mm towed field howitzerSIPRI Arms Transfers Database
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* M114A1 155mm towed field howitzer
* M116 75mm towed field howitzer

Air defense guns

* M1939 (61-K) 37mm: Captured.

Vehicles

*M24 Chaffee Light tank
*PT-76 amphibious light tank: provided to the FAN by the Soviet Union or captured.Grandolini, ''Armor of the Vietnam War (2): Asian Forces'' (1998), p. 13.
* M8 HMC 75mm self-propelled howitzer
*M8 Greyhound armoured carGrandolini, ''Armor of the Vietnam War (2): Asian Forces'' (1998), p. 20.
* M3A1 Scout Car
*M3 Half-track
* M-706 armoured car
* M113 armored personnel carrier
* Willys MB ¼-ton (4x4) jeep
* Willys M38 MC ¼-ton (4x4) jeep
* Willys M38A1 MD ¼-ton (4x4) jeep
* Jeepster Commando (4x4) hardtop Sport utility vehicle (SUV)
* M151 ¼-ton (4x4) utility truck
* Dodge WC-51/52 ¾-ton (4x4) utility truck
* Dodge M37 ¾-ton (4x4) 1953 utility truck
* Chevrolet G506 1½-ton (4x4) cargo truck
* GMC CCKW 2½-ton (6x6) cargo truck
* M35A1 2½-ton (6x6) cargo truck
* M809 5-ton (6x6) cargo truck

Helicopters

* UH-1C Huey gunship
* UH-1D/H transport
*Mil Mi-4 transport: provided to the FAN by the Soviet Union.Conboy and Morrison, ''Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos'' (1995), p. 102 (Notes 2, 9).
*Sikorsky H-19 transport
* Sikorsky H-34D transportConboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), p. 16.Conboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 32.
* Sud Aviation SA 3130 Alouette II light helicopterGunston, ''An Illustrated Guide to Military Helicopters'' (1981), p. 82.
* Sud Aviation SA 316B Alouette III light helicopter

Aircraft

* Cessna T-41B/D Mescalero trainer
* North American T-6G Texan trainer/fighter-bomber
* North American RT-28B Trojan trainer
* North American T-28D Trojan fighter-bomber
* AC-47D Spooky gunship
* U-6 (L-20) STOL utility transport
*De Havilland DH.104 Dove short-haul airliner
* Aero Commander 560 utility transport
*Antonov An-2 utility aircraft: provided to the FAN by the Soviet Union.
* Douglas C-47D Skytrain transport
*Lisunov Li-2 utility transport: provided to the FAN by the Soviet Union.
*Curtiss C-46F Commando transport
*Fairchild C-123K Provider transportConboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 37.
* Morane-Saulnier MS 500 Criquet liaison aircraft
* U-17A/B light utility aircraft
* Cessna L-19A/O-1F Bird Dog reconnaissance/observation light aircraft
* EC-47D SIGINT aircraft

River craft

* Cabin-type patrol boat
* Chris-Craft patrol boat
* 11m patrol boat
* PBR, Patrol Boat River (all fiberglass boats, propelled by twin water jets)
* LCM-8 Landing Craft Utility (LCU)

Pathet Lao forces Equipment

Pistols

*Tokarev TT-33Conboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), p. 41.
*Type 54 pistol: Chinese copy of TT-33.
* Colt.45 M1911A1: Captured.

Submachine guns

* MAS-38: Captured.
*MAT-49: Captured.
*PPSh-41
*PPS-43
*K-50M

Carbines

*M1 Carbine: all variants captured.
* M1A1 Carbine
*M2 Carbine

Bolt-action rifles

*Mosin–Nagant: Received from the Soviet Union and North Vietnam.
* Type 53 Carbine: Received from China and North Vietnam.
* MAS-36: Captured.
*Arisaka: Limited quantities handed down from North Vietnam.
* US M1917: Captured from the French during the First Indochina War or received from the Viet Minh.
* Mauser Kar98k: Mauser rifles received from China and the Soviet Union handed down by North Vietnam.

Sniper rifles

* M/52

Battle rifles

*SKS semi-automatic rifle
* Type 56 Carbine Chinese copy of the SKS.
*vz. 52 rifle
*AK-47
*AKM
*Type 56 assault rifle Chinese variant of the AK-47.
* Type 56-1
*M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle: Captured.
* M16A1 Assault rifle: Captured.

Light machine guns

* Degtyaryov DP/DPM
* Type 53 Chinese copy of the Degtyaryov DP/DPM.
*RPK
* Type 26 Chinese copy of the ZB vz. 26.
*Bren: Captured.
* FM 24/29: Captured.
* M1918A2 BAR: Captured.

General-purpose machine guns

* Degtyaryov RP-46
* RPD
* Type 56 machine gun Chinese copy of the RPD.
* PK/PKM

Heavy machine guns

* SG-43/SGM GoryunovConboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 45.
* Type 53/57 Chinese variant of SG-43 and SGM.
* DShKM
*Type 54 Chinese variant of DShKM.
* KPV
* Browning M1919A4: Captured.

Grenade systems

* F1/M33 hand grenade
* RG-4 anti-personnel grenade
*RG-42 hand grenade
*RGD-5 hand grenade
*RPG-43 anti-tank grenade
* Type 1/M33 hand grenade
* Type 42 hand grenade
* Type 59 hand grenade
* Type 67 stick granade

Land mine systems

* POMZ-2 anti-personnel mine
* Type 2M anti-personnel mine
* PMD-6/7 anti-personnel mine
* PP-Mi-Sr anti-personnel mine
* TMD-B anti-personnel mine
* TM-41 anti-tank mine
* TMB-2 anti-tank mine
* TM-46/TMN-46 anti-tank mine

Anti-tank rocket launchers

*RPG-2: B40 Rocket
*RPG-7: B41 Rocket
* Type 56 RPG
*Type 69 RPG

Grenade launchers

* M79: Captured.

Recoilless rifles

* B-10
* B-11
*Type 56
* Type 65

Mortars

* Brandt mle 27/31 81mm mortar: Captured.
* Type 53 82mm mortar
* PM-41 82mm mortar
* M1938 107mm mortar
* Type 55 120mm mortar

Howitzers

* M-30 122mm howitzer (M1938)

Air defense guns

*ZU-23-2 23mm autocannon.
* ZPU-4 14.5mm Quadruple AA autocannon.
* M1939 (61-K) 37mm
* AZP S-60 57mm

Vehicles

*PT-76 amphibious light tank
*T-34/85 medium tank
*Type 62 light tank
*T-54/55 main battle tank
*BRDM-2 Amphibious Armoured Scout Car
*BTR-40 armored personnel carrier
*BTR-152 armored personnel carrier
* BJ-212 (4x4) light Utility VehicleConboy and McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'' (1989), p. 21.
* GAZ-69A (4x4) light truck
* GAZ-63 (4x4) 2-ton truck
* ZIL-130 medium-weight general-purpose truck
* ZIS-151 2½-ton (6x6) general-purpose truck
* ZIL-157 2½-ton (6x6) general-purpose truck
* M35A1 2½-ton (6x6) cargo truck: Captured.Conboy and Greer, ''War in Laos 1954–1975'' (1994), p. 64.

Helicopters

*Mil Mi-4 transport

Aircraft

*Polikarpov Po-2 utility biplane/trainer
*Antonov An-2 utility aircraft
*Lisunov Li-2 utility transport
*Ilyushin Il-12 transport

River craft

* River Sampan

See also

* Cambodian Civil War
* First Indochina War
* Laotian Civil War
* Vietnam War
* Weapons of the Vietnam War
* Weapons of the Cambodian Civil War
* Weapons of the First Indochina War

Notes

References

*Albert Grandolini, ''Armor of the Vietnam War (2): Asian Forces'', Concord Publications, Hong Kong 1998.
*Bernard C. Nalty, Jacob Neufeld and George M. Watson, ''An Illustrated Guide to the Air War over Vietnam'', Salamander Books Ltd, London 1982.
*Bernie Fitzsimons, ''The Defenders: A Comprehensive Guide to Warplanes of the USA'', Aerospace Publishing, London 1988.
*Bill Gunston, ''An Illustrated Guide to Military Helicopters'', Salamander Books Ltd, London 1981.
*Christopher F. Foss, ''Jane's Tank & Combat Vehicle recognition guide'', HarperCollins Publishers, London 2002.
*Gordon L. Rottman and Hugh Johnson, ''Vietnam Riverine Craft 1962-75'', New Vanguard series 128, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2006.
*Gordon L. Rottman, ''The Bazooka'', Weapon series 18, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2012.
*Ian Hogg, ''Jane's Guns recognition guide'', HarperCollins Publishers, London 2002.
*James Kinnear, Stephen Sewell & Andrey Aksenov, ''Soviet T-54 Main Battle Tank'', General Military series, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2018.
*James Kinnear, Stephen Sewell & Andrey Aksenov, ''Soviet T-55 Main Battle Tank'', General Military series, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2019.
*Jan Churchill, ''Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia'', Sunflower University Press, Manhattan KS, 1997.
*John Andrade, ''Militair 1982'', Aviation Press Limited, London 1982.
*John J.H. Taylor and Kenneth Munson, ''Jane's Pocket Book of Major Combat Aircraft'', Collier Books, New York 1973.
*John Walter, ''Walther Pistols – PP, PPK and P 38'', Weapon series 82, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2022.
*Joseph D. Celeski, ''Special Air Warfare and the Secret War in Laos: Air Commandos 1964–1975'', Air University Press, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 2019. �


*Kenneth Conboy and Simon McCouaig, ''The War in Laos 1960-75'', Men-at-arms series 217, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1989.
*Kenneth Conboy and Don Greer, ''War in Laos, 1954-1975'', Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1994.
*Kenneth Conboy, Kenneth Bowra, and Simon McCouaig, ''The NVA and Viet Cong'', Elite series 38, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 1992.
*Kenneth Conboy with James Morrison, ''Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos'', Boulder CO: Paladin Press, 1995.
*Maj. Gen. Oudone Sananikone, ''The Royal Lao Army and U.S. Army advice and support'', Indochina monographs series, United States Army Center of Military History, Washington D.C. 1981. �

*Nikolaus Krivinyi, ''World Military Aviation'', Arco Publishing Company, New York 1977.
*Peter E. Davies, ''UH-1 Huey Gunship vs NVA/VC Forces: Vietnam 1962–75'', Duel series 112, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2021.
*Larry Davis and Don Greer, ''Gunships, A Pictorial History of Spooky'' – Specials series (6032), Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1982.
*Leroy Thompson, ''The M1 Carbine'', Weapon series 13, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2011.
*Michael Green & Peter Sarson, ''Armor of the Vietnam War (1): Allied Forces'', Concord Publications, Hong Kong 1996.
*Richard Lathrop, John McDonald and Jim Laurier, ''Cadillac Cage V-100 Commando 1960-71'', New Vanguard series 52, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2002.
*Steven J. Zaloga and Jim Laurier, ''M24 Chaffee Light Tank 1943–85'', New Vanguard series 77, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2003.
* Thomas Ahern, ''Undercover Armies: CIA and Surrogate Warfare in Laos'', Center for the Study of Intelligence, Washington D.C. 2006. Classified control no. C05303949.
* Timothy Castle, ''At War in the Shadow of Vietnam: United States Military Aid to the Royal Lao Government, 1955–1975'', Columbia University Press, 1993.

External links

Country Study - Kingdom of Laos
*http://www.warboats.org/vietnamboats.htm
{{Weapons

Laotian Civil War
Vietnam War-related lists
Laotian military-related lists
Laotian Civil War