Royal Lao Army
Encyclopedia
The Royal Lao Army was the armed forces of the Kingdom of Laos
. Its predecessor was the National Laotian Army - NLA (French
: Armée Nationale Laotienne - ANL) of the French Union
, created in 1947 from 'maquis', or guerrilla units gathered by French commandos. It was created in 1954 after the French
granted Laos
complete autonomy. By July, 1959, it was known as Forces Army Laotienne, and in
September, 1961, was renamed Royal Armed Forces (French
: Forces Armées du Royaume - FAR).
. The country was divided into five military regions.
To meet the threat represented by the Pathet Lao
, the Royal Lao Army depended on a small French military training mission, headed by a general officer, an exceptional arrangement permitted under the Geneva conventions
. Military organization and tactical training reflected French traditions. Most of the equipment was of United States
origin, however, because early in the First Indochina War
, the United States had been supplying the French with matériel
ranging from guns to aircraft.
In 1970 the combat elements of the Royal Lao Army were organized into fifty-eight infantry battalions and one artillery regiment of four battalions. The largest tactical unit was the battalion, which was composed of a headquarters, a headquarters company, and three rifle companies. Royal Lao Army units were devoted primarily to static defense and were stationed near population centers, lines of communication, depots, and airfields. These units were complemented by military police and armored, engineer, and communications units. Between 1962 and 1971, the United States provided Laos with an estimated US$500 million in military assistance, not including the cost of equipping and training irregular and paramilitary forces.
light-strike or training aircraft, about twenty C-47s in both transport and gunship configurations, fewer than ten H-34 helicopters, and some small U-1
and U-17
aircraft.
M16A1 Assault rifle M60 Machine Gun
M72 LAW
Rocket launcher M79 Grenade Launcher
Colt M1911 Automatic pistol Browning M1919 Medium machine gun Browning M2 Heavy machine gun M1 Garand
battle rifle M2 Carbine converted to fully automatic M203 grenade launcher
Attached on M16A1 rifle M1 Carbine
Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 Light machine gun M67
Grenade M3 Grease Gun Submachine Gun Springfield M1903 bolt action rifle CAR-15
Assault carbine
Kingdom of Laos
The Kingdom of Laos was a sovereign state from 1953 until December 1975, when Pathet Lao overthrew the government and created the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Given self-rule in 1949 as part of a federation with the rest of French Indochina, the 1953 Franco-Lao Treaty finally established a...
. Its predecessor was the National Laotian Army - NLA (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...
: Armée Nationale Laotienne - ANL) of the French Union
French Union
The French Union was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" and to abolish its "indigenous" status.-History:...
, created in 1947 from 'maquis', or guerrilla units gathered by French commandos. It was created in 1954 after the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
granted Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
complete autonomy. By July, 1959, it was known as Forces Army Laotienne, and in
September, 1961, was renamed Royal Armed Forces (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 du Royaume - FAR).
Structure
The chain of command of the Royal Lao Army was placed under the Ministry of Defense in VientianeVientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
. The country was divided into five military regions.
To meet the threat represented by the Pathet Lao
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
, the Royal Lao Army depended on a small French military training mission, headed by a general officer, an exceptional arrangement permitted under the Geneva conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
. Military organization and tactical training reflected French traditions. Most of the equipment was of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
origin, however, because early in the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
, the United States had been supplying the French with matériel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
ranging from guns to aircraft.
In 1970 the combat elements of the Royal Lao Army were organized into fifty-eight infantry battalions and one artillery regiment of four battalions. The largest tactical unit was the battalion, which was composed of a headquarters, a headquarters company, and three rifle companies. Royal Lao Army units were devoted primarily to static defense and were stationed near population centers, lines of communication, depots, and airfields. These units were complemented by military police and armored, engineer, and communications units. Between 1962 and 1971, the United States provided Laos with an estimated US$500 million in military assistance, not including the cost of equipping and training irregular and paramilitary forces.
Royal Laotian Air Force
During the 1971-1975 period, it added about seventy-five T-28 TrojanT-28 Trojan
The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...
light-strike or training aircraft, about twenty C-47s in both transport and gunship configurations, fewer than ten H-34 helicopters, and some small U-1
De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, but was overall a larger aircraft.-Design and...
and U-17
Cessna 180
The Cessna 180 is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircraft and in utility roles such as bush...
aircraft.
Weapons
L1A1 SLR battle rifle Sterling submachine gunSterling submachine gun
The Sterling submachine gun is a British submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1944 until 1994, when it was phased out with the introduction of the L85A1 assault rifle.-History:...
M16A1 Assault rifle M60 Machine Gun
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...
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...
Rocket launcher M79 Grenade Launcher
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...
Colt M1911 Automatic pistol Browning M1919 Medium machine gun Browning M2 Heavy machine gun M1 Garand
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...
battle rifle M2 Carbine converted to fully automatic M203 grenade launcher
M203 grenade launcher
The M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...
Attached on M16A1 rifle M1 Carbine
M1 Carbine
The M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S...
Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 Light machine gun M67
M67
M67, M-67, or M.67 may refer to:* M-67 , a state highway in Michigan in the United States* M67 grenade, a fragmentation hand grenade* M67 motorway, a motorway in Greater Manchester, England...
Grenade M3 Grease Gun Submachine Gun Springfield M1903 bolt action 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