People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam

The Liberation Army of South Vietnam (LASV, ), also known shortly as the Liberation Army () was the military arm of National Liberation Front of South Vietnam established by the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1961 in South Vietnam. In 1962, the People's Revolutionary Party of South Vietnam separated from the Vietnamese Labor Party/Communist Party in terms of external appearance, openly directing the Liberation Army's military forces. Politically, the South Vietnamese Liberation Army was under the direction of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam. The military forces from the North to the South of Vietnam, although collectively known as the Liberation Army of South Vietnam, still use the unit names, military badges and War flag of the Vietnam People's Army.

After the 1973 Paris Agreement, the forces of the South Vietnamese Liberation Army were merged into the Vietnam People's Army one by one. This merger was completed in 1975 and 1976. Although administratively the Liberation Army of South Vietnam and the People's Army of Vietnam are two different armies, they share the same leadership and can completely merge, split, and supplement forces according to their needs a unified principle. After 1975, the Vietnam Labor Party acknowledged leading both the South Liberation Army and the Vietnam People's Army during the war. The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam also received the secret direction of the Labor Party of Vietnam.

The South Vietnamese Liberation Army is under the open direction of the High Command of the Armed Forces for the Liberation of South Vietnam, and secretly under the direction of the Politburo of Vietnam Labor Party and the Central Military Commission of the Vietnamese People's Army, Central Department for South Vietnam, the High Command of the Armed Forces for the Liberation of South Vietnam. Regarding secrecy, the Central Department for South Vietnam and the High Command of the Armed Forces for the Liberation of South Vietnam directed in the area B2 (Ninh Thuan to Ca Mau).

Organization

According to 1954 Geneva agreements, the Viet Cong were not compulsorily removed to the North because it was a political entity, not a military force. North Vietnamese support for the Viet Cong to establish the NLF forces was allowed on the basis that it remained a militia in the South. The LASV was recognized as the official force on February 15, 1961, by North Vietnam. The LASV originally carried out operations ostensibly to protect South Vietnamese citizens from offensives by the Republic of Vietnam and the United States. Most early soldiers in the LASV were South Vietnamese. However, casualties of war forced North Vietnam to provide volunteers for the LASV. As a result, many people mistakenly believed that the LASV was a part of the People's Army of Vietnam. North Vietnam and other communist nations recognised the LASV as the primary militarily force in South Vietnam and considered the People's Army of Vietnam to be its parent organization.

Command structure:

Public:

* The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government politically led the Liberation Army .
* The People's Revolutionary Party of South Vietnam and the Regional Command command military affairs throughout the South.

Secret:

* The Politburo and Central Military Commission of the Labor Party of Vietnam, the General Command of the Vietnam People's Army direct the entire South, directly on the battlefields B1, B3, B4, B5.
* The Central Department of the South, the Military Commission of the South, the Command of the Region on the battlefield B2, under the general direction of the Labor Party of Vietnam.
* The Politburo, the Secretariat of the Labor Party and directly the Central Department of the South of the Labor Party secretly directed the National Front for Liberation and the Provisional Revolutionary Government.

Main army - infantry - in South Vietnam in 1975:

*308th Division (founded in 1949 in North Vietnam, participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign and the Vietnam War, in 1975 as a reserve force)
*Division 312 (founded in 1951 in North Vietnam, participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign and the Vietnam war, in 1975 in the 1st Corps formation to participate in the Ho Chi Minh campaign, north wing)
*Division 320B, established in 1951 in North Vietnam as the 320th Division, in 1965, the 320th division was split into 2 divisions with the designations F320A and F320B, of which the F320B belonged to Corps 1 (rebranded) became the 390th Division in 1973.
*The 304th Division was established in 1950 in North Vietnam, participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, in 1974 was part of the 2nd Army Corps
*Division 325 was established in 1951 with 3 regiments in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien, in 1974 in the 2nd Army Corps
*The 324th Division was established in Thanh Hoa province in 1955 based on the armed forces of the 5th Inter-Region which were withdrawn to the North. In 1975, the division was in the 2nd corps but later moved to the 4th military zone.
*The 316th Division was established in 1951 in North Vietnam, participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, in 1975 was in the 3rd corps but later moved to the 2nd military zone.
*Division 320A, established in 1951 in North Vietnam, split in 1965, division 320A in the 3rd Corps in 1975.
*The 10th Division was established in 1972 by the General Command of the Vietnam People's Army based on the main regiments of the Central Highlands Front, in 1975 was part of the 3rd corps, participated in the Ho Chi Minh campaign, northwest wing.
*The 7th Division was established in 1966 in South Vietnam, on the basis of the 2 Regiments 141 and 165 of the old 312th Division in the North. After that, the formation had many other regiments marching southwards, subordinated to the division. Regiment: 16th Regiment (101st Regiment, 325th Division), 14th Regiment (18th Regiment, 325th Division), 209th Regiment (312th Division), 95C Regiment (9th Division)... In 1974, The group was in the 4th Army Corps (B2).
*The 9th Division was established in 1965 in South Vietnam, on the basis of two regiments Q761 and Q762. Soldiers in the formation of the division consisted of all three regions, the largest number of which were Southerners who had participated in Dong Khoi. In 1974, the division was in the 4th Army Corps (B2). In 1975 the division was in Division 232 for some time.
*The 6th Division was established in 1974 under Military Region 7, participated in the Ho Chi Minh campaign in the 4th Army Corps, then disbanded.
*The 5th Division was established in 1965 in South Vietnam from 2 regiments Q.764 (E4) and Q.765 (E55), in 1975 was part of Division 232 for a period of time, participating in the Ho Chi Minh campaign, wing west-south, then to Military Region 7.
*The 3rd Division was established in 1965 under the 5th Military Region, consisting of the 2nd Regiment (an "original Viet Cong" regiment completely recruited from the local), the 12th Regiment (former the 18th Regiment of the 325th Division with the traditional tradition from the Indochina War.February 1965, regiment departed for the battlefield), 22nd Regiment, 21st Regiment
*The 2nd Division was established in 1965 in the 5th Military Region, on the basis of the 1st regiment in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, the 21st regiment of the North and the addition of the 70th infantry battalion...In 1975, it belonged to the 3rd Army Corps. When the 3rd Army Corps marched to the South, the 2nd Division stayed in the 5th Military Region.
*The 3rd Division belongs to the Regional Command (B2) (also called Phuoc Long division or 303 division, in Legion 232)
*The 4th Division belongs to the 9th Military Region
*the 8th Division belongs to the 8th Military Region, established 22 October 1974...
*The 812th Infantry Regiment was established in 1950, formerly known as 120 Company, local army zone 6, developed into the main 840 battalion of Military Region 6, operating mainly on the southernmost battlefield of Central Vietnam. After the Geneva agreement was signed, the 840th battalion was ordered to assemble to the North. In 1974, the 6th Military Region Command decided to establish the 812th Infantry Regiment.
*Gia Dinh Regiment was established in 1959 in South Vietnam. On April 1, 1975, the unit was officially named Gia Dinh Regiment.
*The 341st Division was established in 1972, belongs to Military Region 4
*The 88th Infantry Regiment was established in 1949 in North Vietnam and split in 1965 into Regiment 88B and Regiment 88A. Regiment 88A was assigned to the South. In March 1975, the Regiment separated from the 8th Military Region to consolidate its forces, participating in the Ho Chi Minh campaign as the 5th wing of the 232nd division. After that, the 88th Regiment belonged to the 302nd Division, the 7th Military Region.
*The 6th Infantry Regiment belongs to the Tri - Thien Military Region, established 1965
*The 31st Division was formed on 11 July 1974 in the Plain of Jars (Laos)

After the reunification of Vietnam in 1975, the Liberation Army of South Vietnam was merged into the People's Army of Vietnam in 1976. In fact, all the Viet Cong army forces had been incorporated into the North Vietnamese army since early 1975.

Developments

In January 1961, the militia in South Vietnam became the official force there. On February 15, 1961, North Vietnam recognized it as the main battle force in South Vietnam. At the end of 1961, there were 24,500 soldiers and 100,000 militants in the LASV. The LASV had 11 battalions, with commanding generals Trần Văn Trà, Hoàng Văn Thái, Lê Trọng Tấn, Lê Đức Anh, Nguyễn Thị Định, and others.

The LASV initially confined its operations to rural areas due to Ngô Đình Diệm's tough crackdown on Communist sympathizers. However, the number of soldiers still went up to 64,000 in 1963. As the result, regiments were established. Since 1964, North Vietnam started providing soldiers for the LASV by voluntary mans. The number of the LASV soldiers reached over 290,000 in December 1974, including 90,000 from the South.

The South Vietnamese and United States forces outnumbered the PAVN by at least 7 to 1 until 1965; even after 1965 the coalition forces still outnumbered the PAVN by 3 to 1.

The LASV also included urban fighting forces, especially in Saigon. These forces had mission of carrying out cover attacks against South Vietnam and American forces and its allies in urban areas, especially in Saigon. The urban special force in Saigon is famous in the 1968 Tet offensive.

The Liberation Army of South Vietnam merged into the People's Army of Vietnam after the reunification of Vietnam by the 1976 general election.

Equipment

The Viet Cong established the NLF in order to help create a Communist state in South Vietnam. PAVN forces that went to the South were sent with the express mission to aid the NLF. The NLF army had different uniforms, flags and badges to those of the PAVN.

Small arms

Handguns

* Tokarev TT-33 – Soviet-designed single-action 7.62×25mm semi-automatic pistol. More commonly used were the Chinese variants of the T33, known as the Type-51 and Type-54. Carried by PAVN and Viet-Cong officers, it accepted an 8-round single stack box magazine.
* Makarov PM – Soviet-designed double/single-action 9×18mm Makarov (9.5×18mm) semi-automatic pistol. Reproduced in China as the Type-59, this small and reliable pistol became the standard sidearm of communist forces in Europe and Asia. Utilizing a simple blow-back action, this self-loading pistol fed from an 8-round single stack box magazine.
* P-64 CZAK handgun
* Nagant M1895 revolver
* Mauser C96 (from the Soviet Union)
* Walther P38 (from the Soviet Union)

Automatic and semi-automatic rifles

* AK-47 and AKM assault rifles (from the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries)
* Type 56 assault rifle (from the People's Republic of China)
* Vz. 58 assault rifle (from the Czechoslovakia)
* Type 63 assault rifle
* Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle (captured by the Soviets during World War II and provided to the PAVN and the LASV as military aid)
* SVD-63 Very limited use semi-automatic marksman rifle, also known as the "Dragunov" sniper rifle
*MAS-49 rifle Captured French rifle from first Indochina War, used by PAVN throughout the 1950s and up to the mid-1960s
*M16A1, M14 American assault rifle captured from U.S and ARVN forces.
* SKS semi-automatic carbine, also known as Simonov

Bolt-action rifles

* MAS-36 rifle Captured French rifle from first Indochina War, used by PAVN in earlier stages of the Vietnam War
* Mosin–Nagant bolt-action rifles and carbines (from the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact countries, and the People's Republic of China)
* Mauser Kar98k bolt-action rifle (many of the Mausers used by the PAVN and the LASV were from rifles captured from the French during the First Indochina War and rifles provided to them by the Soviets as military aid)
* Type 99 Rifle captured from the Japanese during World War II

Submachine guns

* K-50M submachine gun (Vietnamese edition, based on Chinese version of Russian PPSh-41, produced under license)
* Škorpion vz. 61 sumbmachine gun from Czechoslovakia
* PPSh-41 submachine gun (both Soviet and Chinese versions)
* MP-40 German sub machine captured during World War II by the Soviet Army, supplied to the Viet Cong in limited amounts
* MAT-49 submachine gun – Captured from the French by the North Vietnamese, many were converted to 7.62×25mm.
* PM-63 Polish submachine gun
* MP-38 submachine gun (captured by the Soviets during World War II; provided to the PAVN and the NLF as military aid)
* PPS-43 Russian submachine gun
* Type 100 (use from Indochina war)

Machine guns

* Type 99 LMG
* RPD light machine gun
* Degtyarev DP light machine gun
* SG-43/ SGM medium machine guns (including Chinese copies)
* RPK light machine gun
* PK machine gun Very limited use.
* MG-34 light machine gun (captured by the Soviets during World War II; provided to the PAVN and the NLF as military aid)
* MG-42 medium machine gun (captured by the Soviets during World War II; provided to the PAVN and the NLF as military aid)
* Uk vz. 59 general-purpose machine gun
* DShK heavy machine gun
* PM M1910 heavy machine gun

Grenades and other explosives

* F1 grenade
* Type 67 stick grenade
* RG-42 grenade
* RGD-5 grenade
* 9K32 Strela-2 anti-aircraft weapon
* RPG-2 anti-tank weapon (both Soviet and locally produced B-40 and B-50 variants used)
* RPG-7 anti-tank weapon
* Type 69 RPG anti-tank weapon

Flamethrowers

* LPO-50 flamethrower (limited use)

Artillery

* ZPU-4 quad 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun
* ZU-23 twin 23 mm anti-aircraft cannon
* M1939 37 mm anti-aircraft gun
* S-60 57 mm anti-aircraft gun
* 85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K)
* 100 mm air defense gun KS-19

* 82-PM-41 82mm mortar
* 107 mm M1938 mortar
* M1938 120mm mortar
* M1943 160mm mortar
* Type 63 107mm rocket launcher
* BM-21 Grad 122mm rocket launcher
*122 mm Katyusha rockets
* BM-25 (MRL) limited numbers
* 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19)
* 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30)
* D-74 122 mm Field Gun
* 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)
* 152 mm howitzer M1943 (D-1)
* 152 mm towed gun-howitzer M1955 (D-20)

Aircraft weapons

* Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23
* Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30
* Nudelman N-37
* Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23

Activities

The Viet Cong established the NLF army in order to create the status of independence with North Vietnam and People's Army of Vietnam. PAVN forces that were sent south had the express mission of supporting NLF operations in the south. The NLF forces had different uniforms, flags and badges to those of the PAVN. The People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam was recognized as the main battle force of the communist coalition in the Vietnam war by North Vietnam and other communist nations.

In Vietnam war, members of the NLF army had differing and irregular uniforms, depending on circumstances.

There are few traits to distinguish between Liberation Army of South Vietnam (LASV) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces. Over half of LASV and PAVN soldiers were members of the Labor Party of Vietnam, the old name of the Communist Party of Vietnam. However, LASV and PAVN forces used different flags. PAVN troops carried the North Vietnamese flag, while LASV troops carried the National Liberation Front flag. The PAVN was under the leadership of the Northern government, while LASV was under the leadership of the NLF. After the collapse of South Vietnam, the Liberation Army of South Vietnam merged into the People's Army of Vietnam. The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period, followed by the formal reunification of Vietnam under the Socialist Republic through government-controlled elections in 1976.

For propaganda purposes of dividing forces of enemies, the ARVN and the US army always said that the LASV was comprehensively independent to the People's Army of Vietnam.

In South Vietnam, members of the Communist Party of Vietnam held membership of the People's Revolutionary Party.

According to American documents, the main battle force in South Vietnam was the NLF, not the People's Army of Vietnam.

List of military victories

*Battle of Ap Bac - January 2, 1963
* Battle of Hiep Hoa - November 22, 1963
* Attack on USNS Card - May 2, 1964
* Battle of An Lão - December 7–9, 1964
* Battle of Binh Gia - December 28, 1964 - January 1, 1965
* Attack on Camp Holloway
*Battle of Ba Gia
*Battle of Dong Xoai
* Operation Starlite (both sides claimed victory)
* Battle of Gang Toi
* Battle of Xa Cam My
* Attack on the SS Baton Rouge Victory
* Battle of Ong Thanh
* Attack on Cu Chi Base Camp
* Battle of Snuol
*Battle of FSB Mary Ann
* Battle of Loc Ninh
* Battle of Phước Long
*Ho Chi Minh campaign
* Battle of Ban Me Thuot
* Hue–Da Nang Campaign
*Fall of Saigon

Significant leaders

Commanders

Political Commissars

Chiefs of Staff

Other leaders

Battle forces

If a LASV unit has the same name with a PAVN unit, the LASV name will have the letter "B" added after the unit number.

* Tây Nguyên Corps (Main battle force in Central Highlands area)
* Cửu Long Corps (Main battle force in Mekong Delta area)
* Division 1 (Main battle force in Central Highlands area)
* Division 2 (Main battle force in South Central Coast area)
* Division 3 Sao Vàng (Golden Star) (Main battle force in South Central Coast area)
* Division 4 (Main battle force in the South)
* Division 5 (Main battle force in Mekong Delta area)
* Division 6 (Main battle force in Southeastern area)
* Division 7 (Main battle force in the South)
* Division 8 (Main battle force in Mekong Delta area)
* Division 9 (Main battle force in the South)
* Division 10 (Main battle force in Central Highlands area)
* Division 31
* Division 303 (Main battle force in the South)
* Division 304B (Viet Cong)
* Division 308B (Viet Cong)
* Division 324B (Viet Cong)
* Division 325 (Main battle force in Central Highlands area)
* Special forces Division 100 (Viet Cong)
* Special forces Division 305

References

{{Reflist

History of South Vietnam
National liberation armies
Rebellions in Vietnam
Guerrilla organizations
Viet Cong
1961 establishments in South Vietnam