Cambodian Para-Commando Battalion
Encyclopedia
The Cambodian Para-Commando Battalion (French
: Battaillon de Commandos Parachutistes – BCP) was one of the main elite military units of the Khmer National Armed Forces
(French
: Forces Armées Nationales Khmères – FANK), which fought in the final phase of the Cambodian Civil War of 1970-75
.
to Indonesia
to attend the Para-Commando course at the Batujajar Airborne Commando School, near Bandung
in West Java
.
Interestingly, a significant number of the contingent was made of recruits drawn from the Muslim
Cham ethnic minority of Cambodia
.
After a nine-month course conducted by Indonesian Kopassus
instructors, the contingent returned to Phnom Penh in November 1972
. Upon their return, however, two dozen of its members were posted to the FANK 5th Infantry Brigade, a predominantly Muslim formation; the remaining 36 Cham graduates were assigned to a ceremonial unit allocated in the Cambodian Capital until 1974.
FN GP35
Pistols Colt.45 M1911
Pistols Smith & Wesson Model 39 Revolvers M16A1
Assault rifle CAR-15
Assault carbine M60
General purpose machine gun M72 LAW
Anti-tank rocket launcher M79
Grenade launcher M29 mortar
M18 Claymore anti-personnel mines
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Battaillon de Commandos Parachutistes – BCP) was one of the main elite military units of the Khmer National Armed Forces
Khmer National Armed Forces
The Khmer National Armed Forces , often abbreviated to FANK, were the official armed defense forces of the Khmer Republic, a short-lived state that existed from 1970 to 1975, known today as Cambodia...
(French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Forces Armées Nationales Khmères – FANK), which fought in the final phase of the Cambodian Civil War of 1970-75
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the government forces of Cambodia , which were supported by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam The Cambodian...
.
Origins
The BCP had its origins in a 60-man contingent sent in March 1972March 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November-DecemberThe following events occurred in March, 1972.-March 1, 1972 :...
to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
to attend the Para-Commando course at the Batujajar Airborne Commando School, near Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
in West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
.
Interestingly, a significant number of the contingent was made of recruits drawn from the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Cham ethnic minority of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
After a nine-month course conducted by Indonesian Kopassus
Kopassus
Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
instructors, the contingent returned to Phnom Penh in November 1972
November 1972
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in November 1972.-November 1, 1972 :...
. Upon their return, however, two dozen of its members were posted to the FANK 5th Infantry Brigade, a predominantly Muslim formation; the remaining 36 Cham graduates were assigned to a ceremonial unit allocated in the Cambodian Capital until 1974.
Operations
They were then used as the cadre for the BCP and in March 1975, loosely under assignment to the Khmer SF, the Para-Commandos were sent to man the defensive perimeter north-west of Phnom Penh.Weapons and equipment
The BCP employed the standard weaponry and equipment of US origin issued to all FANK formations, though it remains unclear if they ever used captured Soviet or Chinese small-arms like other Cambodian elite units.FN GP35
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
Pistols Colt.45 M1911
M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
Pistols Smith & Wesson Model 39 Revolvers M16A1
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
Assault rifle CAR-15
CAR-15
The Colt Automatic Rifle-15 Military Weapons System or CAR-15 was a family of AR-15 and M16 rifle–based firearms marketed by Colt in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Due to their compact size, the short-barreled Colt Commando and XM177 versions of this family continued to be issued to the U.S...
Assault carbine M60
M60 machine gun
The M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...
General purpose machine gun M72 LAW
M72 LAW
The M72 LAW is a portable one-shot 66 mm unguided anti-tank weapon, designed in the United States by Paul V. Choate, Charles B. Weeks, and Frank A. Spinale et al...
Anti-tank rocket launcher M79
M79 grenade launcher
The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40x46mm grenade which used what the US Army called the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War...
Grenade launcher M29 mortar
M29 Mortar
The M29 is a United States produced 81 millimeter calibre mortar. It began replacing the M1 Mortar in U.S. service in 1952 being lighter and with greater range. It was replaced by the M252 Mortar in 1984...
M18 Claymore anti-personnel mines
See also
- Cambodian Civil WarCambodian Civil WarThe Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the government forces of Cambodia , which were supported by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam The Cambodian...
- Cambodian Navy SEALsCambodian Navy SEALsThe Cambodian Navy SEALs were the main elite Maritime Special Operations Force of the National Khmer Navy during the 1970-75 Cambodian Civil War.-Origins:...
- Khmer National Armed ForcesKhmer National Armed ForcesThe Khmer National Armed Forces , often abbreviated to FANK, were the official armed defense forces of the Khmer Republic, a short-lived state that existed from 1970 to 1975, known today as Cambodia...
- Khmer Special ForcesKhmer Special ForcesThe Khmer Special Forces, also designated Khmer SF for short or Forces Speciales Khmères in French, were the elite Special Operations unit of the Khmer National Armed Forces during the 1970-75 Cambodian Civil War.-Origins:The history of the Khmer Special Forces began in October 1971, when the 1st...
- 911 Special Forces911 Special ForcesThe 911 Para-Commando Battalion is a Royal Cambodian Army special forces unit based west of Phnom Penh. Most of the battalion graduated from the Indonesian army's special force's Commando Training, Kopassus, so the 911 is very similar to the Kopassus; even they also wear the same red beret,...