[extropy-chat] FWD (PvT/TLC-Mission) Re: Arming the Vietnamese communists [new subj]

[Terry W. Colvin]

Terry, 

According to the Vietnamese in a translation by Merle L. Pribbenow of several
volumes from the Military History Institute of Vietnam, Victory in Vietnam - The
Official History of the People’s Army of Vietnam, 1954-1975 (Part I - "Building
The People’s Army", pages 9-10), the majority of the weaponry held by the
Vietnamese army in mid-1954 was captured from the enemy. The following is an
excerpt from the translation: 

"The majority of our weaponry and equipment were infantry weapons, which were
not uniform in quantity or type and were of poor quality. Many of these weapons
were unserviceable, and they were technically obsolete when compared to
equipment used by other armies around the world. 

NOTE: At the time our army possessed: 

105,526 rifles (57 percent of which were serviceable) of four different types:
Remington rifles and carbines produced during the Second World War, French MAS
rifles produced during the period 1949-1950, and 7.9mm rifles produced by the
Chinese Nationalists. In addition we had a number of Russian Modin rifles,
Japanese Arinaka rifles, and French "Mut-co-tong" [sic} rifles produced during
the First World War. 

44,836 submachine guns (95 percent of which were serviceable) of five types:
Thompson, Sten, "Tuyn" [sic], and MAS produced by the United States, England,
and France and K-50 submachine guns produced in China based on a Russian design. 

Light machine guns totaled 6,509 weapons (72 percent of which were serviceable)
of the following types: Bren, Bren-no [sic], Hotchkiss, etc
. 

Heavy machine guns totaled 1,175 weapons (67 percent of which were serviceable)
including Maxim machine guns produced at the time of the Russian Czars. 

Ammunition for the types of weapons we had captured from the enemy totaled only
200 rounds per weapon for rifles, 1,500 rounds per weapon for light machine
guns, and 4,500 rounds per weapon form heavy machine guns. 

Artillery directly subordinate to the High Command consisted of two battalions
of 105mm howitzers, three battalions of 75mm mountain guns, and seven batteries
of 82mm and 120mm mortars. 

Transportation trucks totaled over 1,000. 

Signal equipment included telephones, 2-watt voice radios, and 15-watt radios. 

Engineering equipment was primarily hoes and shovels. 

Almost 70 percent of our weapons and equipment had been captured from the enemy,
10 percent had been produced by our forces domestically, and 20 percent had been
provided as aid by friendly countries between 1950 and mid-1954." 

While the above does not specifically address weaponry used prior to and during
the battle of Dien Bien Phu, it is a pretty safe bet that much of the weaponry
used by the "Viet Minh" at Dien Bien Phu  are included in the above inventory
(i.e., those weapons not destroyed during the battle). 

The period before, during and just after Dien Bien Phu is covered in separate
volumes of The History of The People’s Army of Vietnam.  I do not have copies of
the earlier volumes in English or Vietnamese but, if you are interested, I may
be able to contact Merle to inquire if there is mention of the specific weaponry
used during siege and battle of Dien Bien Phu. 

Once able to get through the obvious Communist rhetoric, it seems fairly clear
to me that the Vietnamese have told their Army’s history in fairly factual and
objective manner. It is interesting to peruse:
http://www.dienbienphu.org/english/index.htm which tells the story from the
French or Western perspective.  It would certainly seem that "we" should
question or research further some of the "facts" or accounts in some of the
histories authored in the West.  There is a great deal of truth in Lies My
Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong by James
Loewen. 

I hope this has been helpful.  Take care, be saf, be happy and enjoy. 

In Brotherhood, 

Tom Penn. 



"Terry W. Colvin" <fortean1 at mindspring.com> wrote: 

Anyone have sources citing the origin of weapons used by the Viet Minh during
the Dien Bien Phu period? 

Terry


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Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1 at mindspring.com >
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