Units and Other Countries involvement in the Vietnam War
Arrivals and Departures
1965
- Sep-65 Arrival, ROK Capital: HQ ROK Capital Div [on 29th]
- Sep-65 Arrival, ROK Marines: HQ ROK 2nd Marine Bde; ROK 1st, 2nd, 3rd Marine Bns
- Oct-65 Arrival, ROK Capital: Cav Regt [on 14th], 1st Inf Regt [on 29th]
- Oct-65 Arrival, ROK Capital: 10th, 60th and 61st FA Bns (105mmH), 628th FA Bn (155mmH), Engr Bn, Armor Coy, Recon Coy: arrival dates unknown
1966
- Apr-66 Arrival, ROK Capital: 26th Inf Regt [on 16th]; and possibly one of the 105mm FA Bns
- Aug 66 Arrival, ROK Field: HQ ROK Vietnam Field Command
- Sep-66 Arrival, ROK 9th: 28th Inf Regt [on 7th], HQ ROK 9th Inf Div and 29th Inf Regt [on 27th]
- Sep-66 Arrival, ROK 9th: 30th, 51st, 52nd FA Bns (105mm), 966th FA Bn (155mm), Engr Bn, Armor Coy, Recon Coy arrived ca 27 Sep-8Oct 1966
- Sep-66 Arrival, PHILCAG: 1st Phil Civic Action Group arrived from 14th [Inf Security Bn and 105mm FA Bn, with Constr Engr Bn]
- Oct-66 Arrival, ROK 9th: 30th Inf Regt [on 9th]
1967
- Jan-67 Arrival, ROK Marines: 5th ROK Marine Bn arrived sometime 1967
- Sep-67 Arrival, Thai QCobras: Queen's Cobras R Thai Regt arrived 19th
1968
- Jul-68 Arrival, Thai Exp Div: 1st R Thai Army Bde arrived late Jul 1968
- Aug-68 Departure, Thai QCobras: Queen's Cobras R Thai Regt departed 15th
1969
- Jan-69 Arrival, Thai Exp Div: 2nd R Thai Army Bde and two FA bns in Vietnam by 9 Jan 1969
- Feb-69 Arrival, Thai Exp Div: HQ R Thai Army Exped Div arrived on 25th
- Feb-69 Arrival, Thai Exp Div: 1st, 2nd, 3rd 105mm FA Bns, 1st 155mm FA Bn, 1st Armd Cav Sqn, Engr Bn exact arrival unknown
- Jul-69 Arrival, Thai Exp Div: 3rd R Thai Army Bde arrived 5 Jul -5 Aug 1969; probably one of the 105mm FA Bns as well
- Aug-69 Departure, Thai Exp Div: 1st R Thai Army Bde departed after arrival of 3rd
- Dec-69 Departure, PHILCAG: 1st PHILCAG began withdrawn December 1st; had prior personnel draw-downs
1970
- Aug-70 Status, Thai R Thai Expeditionary Div renamed R Thai Army Volunteer Force with 1st and 2nd Bdes
1971
- Aug-71 Departure, Thai: 1st Bde RTAVF departed by end of month
- Dec-71 Departure, ROK Marines: 1st and 2nd ROK Marine Bns
1972
- Jan-72 Departure, ROK Marines: 3rd ROK Marine Bn
- Jan-72 Departure, Thai: 3rd Bn 2nd Bde departed on 15th and 2nd Bn 2nd Bde departed on 25th
- Feb-72 Departure, ROK Marines: 5th ROK Marine Bn; HQ 2nd ROK Marine Bde if not already gone in Jan
- Feb-72 Departure, Thai: 1st Bn 2nd Bde departed on 4th
1973
- Mar-73 Departure, ROK Field: Vietnam Field Command left 17 Mar 1973
- Mar-73 Departure, ROK Capital: Entire division gone by 10th; start of withdrawal 31 Jan 1973
- Mar-73 Departure, ROK 9th: Entire division gone by 16th; start of withdrawal 31 Jan 1973
South Korean TOE’s
Infantry Battalion (Army) ca. 1965
- HQ and HQ Company (105 personnel), heavy weapons company (150 personnel, 8 MMG and 6 81mm mortars) and three rifle companies.
- Rifle company (188 personnel, in HQ, heavy weapons platoon, and 3 rifle platoons. Heavy weapons platoon had 3 60mm mortars and 2 57mm recoilless rifles; each rifle platoon 1 MMG and 1 3.5" rocket launcher).
- Battalion aggregate 809 personnel.
Infantry Battalion (Marines) ca. 1965
- HQ and HQ Company (286 personnel, with 6 106mm recoilless rifles and 6 81mm mortars) and three rifle companies.
- Rifle company (220 personnel, in HQ and 3 rifle platoons. Heavy weapons include 3 60mm mortars, 3 3.5" rocket launchers, and 8 MMG, all in the HQ; rifle platoons have only individual weapons.)
- Battalion aggregate 941 personnel.
Philippine TOE’s
A normal infantry company ca. 1965 had 172 personnel (HQ; heavy weapons platoon with 3 81mm mortars, 2 75mm recoilless rifles, and 2 3.5" rocket launcher s; and three rifle platoons (each including two MMG and one 3.5" rocket launcher). However, since the security battalion sent to Vietnam only had 528 personnel in a HQ and three companies, they would have been a little smaller.
Thailand TOE’s
Infantry Battalion ca. 1965
- HQ and HQ Company (247 personnel; included 3 81mm mortars, 6 MMG, 3 75mm recoilless rifles and 3 3.5" rocket launchers) and three rifle companies.
- Rifle company (211 personnel, in HQ, heavy weapons platoon, and three rifle platoons. The heavy weapons platoon had 3 60mm mortars and 3 57mm recoilless rifles; each rifle platoon had one 3.5" rocket launcher).
- Battalion aggregate 880 personnel
The Thai Volunteer Force had two brigades, each of three infantry battalions (903 personnel each). There was a cavalry squadron (HQ, long range reconnaissance patrol of 86 personnel, and 3 troops of 136 personnel each, with a total of 48 APCs in the troops). Artillery comprised two battalions of 105mm and one of 155mm howitzers (18 guns each). There was a small engineer battalion (two companies).
Sources:
Larsen, Lt Gen Stanley R., and Brig Gen James L. Collins, Jr. Allied Participation in Vietnam. Vietnam Studies. Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 1975.
Stanton, Shelby L. Vietnam Order of Battle. Washington, DC: U.S. News Books, 1981.
Weller, Jac. Fire and Movement: Bargain-Basement Warfare in the Far East. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1967.
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