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Kampuchea Revolutionary Army

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Not to be confused with Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Kampuchean Revolutionary Army
កងទ័ពបដិវត្តន៍កម្ពុជា
Flag of Democratic Kampuchea
Founded1977
Disbanded1979
Service branches
  • Kampuchean Army
  • Kampuchean Air Force
  • Kampuchean Navy
HeadquartersPhnom Penh
Leadership
Chief of DefencePol Pot
Personnel
ConscriptionYes
Reaching military
age annually		68,000 (1987)
Industry
Foreign suppliers China
 Vietnam (until 1976)

The Kampuchean Revolutionary Army was the Armed Forces of Democratic Kampuchea.

History

During the Democratic Kampuchea days, the 68,000-member Khmer Rouge-dominated CPNLAF (Cambodian People's National Liberation Armed Forces) force, which completed its conquest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia in April 1975, was renamed the RAK (Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea). This name dated back to the peasant uprising that broke out in the Samlot district of Battambang Province in 1967. Under its long-time commander and then Minister of Defense Son Sen, the RAK had 230 battalions in 35 to 40 regiments and in 12 to 14 brigades. The command structure in units was based on three-person committees in which the political commissar ranked higher than the military commander and his deputy.

Cambodia was divided into zones and special sectors by the RAK, the boundaries of which changed slightly over the years. Within these areas, the RAK's first task was the peremptory execution of former Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK) officers and of their families, without trial or fanfare to eliminate KR enemies. The RAK's next priority was to consolidate into a national army the separate forces that were operating more or less autonomously in the various zones. The Khmer Rouge units were commanded by zonal secretaries who were simultaneously party and military officers, some of whom were said to have manifested "warlord characteristics". Troops from one zone frequently were sent to another zone to enforce discipline. These efforts to discipline zonal secretaries and their dissident or ideologically impure cadres gave rise to the purges that were to decimate RAK ranks, to undermine the morale of the victorious army, and to generate the seeds of rebellion.[1] In this way, the KR used the RAK to sustain and fuel its violent campaign. The Air Force of the Kampuchean Revolutionary Army was formed in 1977 and disband in 1979.[2]

Organization

Army

The Kampuchean Revolutionary Army was the official name of the army of Democratic Kampuchea during the period of 1975 to 1979, mainly consisting of Khmer Rouge operatives. In 1979 during the Cambodian-Vietnamese war it was reformed into the National Army of Democratic Kampuchea to continue to fight against the People's Army of Vietnam and the new Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Air Force

The Kampuchean Revolutionary Air Force was mainly defunct for the time that Democratic Kampuchea existed. Many aircraft were captured from Khmer National Armed Forces including many western types. During the Mayagüez Incident 5 T-28 Trojan aircraft wear destroyed. All aircraft were destroyed in 1979 during the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.

The Kampuchean Navy under the new Khmer Rouge regime had a backbone force of 17 American-made Swift class patrol boats. Additionally the Navy also possessed submarine chaser E-311 (PC-461 class), 3 landing ships LCU and 1 landing ship LCM and a number of small river boats.

Equipment

Vehicles

Air force roundel
Tank Origin Number Variants Notes
Type 63 (tank) China Unknown Supplied by China during the Vietnam war and later.
T-54 USSR Unknown T-55/T-54 Supplied by the USSR during the Vietnam war.
Type 59 China Unknown T-55/T-54 Variant Supplied by China during the Vietnam war.
Type 62 China Unknown Supplied by China during the Vietnam war.
AMX-13 France Unknown Captured from FANK and ARVN forces during the Cambodian civil war.
M113 United States Unknown Captured from FANK and ARVN forces during the Cambodian civil war.
Type 63 APC China Unknown Supplied by China during the Vietnam war.
BTR-40 USSR Unknown Supplied by the USSR during the Vietnam war, some were captured from FANK forces.
BTR-152 USSR Unknown Supplied by the USSR during the Vietnam war, some were captured from FANK forces.
Cadillac Gage Commando United States Unknown Captured from FANK and ARVN forces during the Cambodian civil war.
Panhard AML France Unknown Captured from FANK forces during the Cambodian civil war.

Air Force

Aircraft Origin Number Variants Notes
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 USSR 4
Shenyang J-6 China 16 Supplied by China in 1977. Only 6 assembled.
T-28 Trojan USA 22 5 destroyed during the Mayagüez Incident
GY-80 Horizon USA 4 Captured from FANK.
T-37B USA 24 Captured from FANK.
Fairchild C-123 Provider USA 7 Captured from FANK.
Bell UH-1H/1G USA 20 Captured from FANK.
Mil Mi-8 USSR 3
Mil Mi-24 USSR 1
Douglas C-47 USA 14 Captured from FANK.
Douglas AC-47 Spooky USA 6 Captured from FANK.
Ship Origin Number Variants Notes
Patrol Craft Fast USA 17[3] Captured from the US Navy[4]
LCU-1466 Class USA 3[3] 1 destroyed during the Mayagüez Incident
LCM-8 Class USA 1[3] destroyed during the Mayagüez Incident
PC-461-class submarine chaser USA 1[3] destroyed during the Mayagüez Incident

References

  1. ^ Becker, Elizabeth (1986). When the War Was over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-41787-8.
  2. ^ The Vietnamese invasion of 1979 resulted in the forcible disbandment of the AFKLA; formation of a successor force did not begin until 1984.
  3. ^ a b c d "Kampuchean (Cambodian) Naval Battles - Soviet-Empire.com U.S.S.R." www.soviet-empire.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  4. ^ "Jane's Fighting Ships - Cambodia swift boats". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
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