Kampuchea Revolutionary Army Explained

Country:Democratic Kampuchea
Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea
Native Name:កងទ័ពរំដោះកម្ពុជា
Founded:1977
Disbanded:1979
Branches:
  • Army
  • Navy
  • Air Force
Headquarters:Phnom Penh
Commander-In-Chief:Pol Pot
Chief Minister:Son Sen
Chief Minister Title:Minister of National Defense
Conscription:Yes
Active:140,000
Reserve:80,000
Foreign Suppliers: China
(until 1976)

The Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea (Central Khmer: កងទ័ពរំដោះកម្ពុជា, RAK) was the military of Democratic Kampuchea.

History

During the Democratic Kampuchea days, the 68,000-member Khmer Rouge-dominated KPNLAF (Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces) force, which completed its conquest of Phnom Penh, capital of 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 Samlout 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 Khmer Rouge 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 Khmer Rouge used the LAK to sustain and fuel its violent campaign. The Air Force of the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea was formed in 1977 and disband in 1979.[2]

Organization

Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea

The Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea was the official name of the army of Democratic Kampuchea[3] [4] 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.

Revolutionary Navy of Kampuchea

The Revolutionary Navy of Kampuchea (Central Khmer: កងទ័ពជើងទឹករំដោះកម្ពុជា, LNK) under the new Khmer Rouge regime had a backbone force of 17 American-made Swift class patrol boats (seven of which were sunk in May 1975 by U.S. air attack during the Mayaguez incident). Additionally the Navy also possessed 2 submarine chasers E311 and E312 (PC-461-class), 3 LCUs and 1 LCM and a number of small river boats.

Air Force of the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea

The Air Force of the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea (Central Khmer: កងទ័ពអាកាសនៃកងទ័ពរំដោះកម្ពុជា, AFLAK) was mainly defunct for the time that Democratic Kampuchea existed. Many aircraft were captured from Khmer Air Force including many western types. During the Mayaguez incident 5 T-28 Trojan aircraft were destroyed. All aircraft were destroyed or captured in 1979 during the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.

Equipment

Infantry weapons

NameOriginNotes
Semi-automatic pistols
TT pistol[5] Supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Makarov pistol
Type 54 pistolSupplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Semi-automatic rifles
SKSCaptured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 56Captured from FANK and supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Assault Rifles
AK-47Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 56 assault rifleSupplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
M-16 rifleCaptured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Light machine guns
RPDCaptured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 56 LMGSupplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Heavy machine guns
DShKSupplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 54Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
M1919 BrowningCaptured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
M2 Browning
General-purpose machine guns
PKMSupplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
M60 machine gunCaptured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Rocket-propelled grenades
RPG-2Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
RPG-7

Armored Fighting Vehicles

NameOriginQuantityNotes
Light tanks
Type 6220Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 63~10
Armored personnel carriers
M113~200Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.

Artillery

NameOriginCaliberQuantityNotes
Mortars
M2981mmUnknownCaptured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Recoilless rifles
M2075mmUnknownCaptured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
M40105mm
Anti-tank guns
ZiS-376mm~10Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Howitzers
M46130mm~30Supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
M-30122mm~10Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
M101105mm~20
M114155mm~10
Multiple rocket launchers
BM-13132mm~10Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.

Air defense

NameOriginCaliberQuantityNotes
Anti-aircraft guns
ZPU14.5mmUnknownCaptured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
61-K37mm~30
S-6057mm~10

Aircraft

AircraftOriginQuantityNotes
Fighter aircraft
Shenyang J-6C6[6] Supplied by China in 1977.
Trainer aircraft
GY-80 Horizon4Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Cessna O-1 Bird Dog10
Attack aircraft
Helio AU-24A Stallion9Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
T-28D Trojan225 destroyed during the Mayagüez Incident.
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly10Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Transports
Fairchild C-123K Provider7Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Douglas C-4714
Douglas AC-47 Spooky6
Bombers
Harbin H-53Supplied by China in 1977.
Utility helicopters
Bell UH-1H/1G20Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.

Ships

ShipOriginHull numberQuantityFate
Patrol boats
Higgins 78ftUnknown2[7] Sunk during the Mayagüez incident.
Patrol Boat, River40[8] [9] A few have been sunk during the Battle of Ream.
Patrol Craft Fast17A few have been sunk during the Mayagüez incident and skirmishes between Thailand and Vietnam.
PC-461-classE311[10] - E312[11] 2E311 fled to Thailand. E312 fled to the Philippines.
Landing craft
LCM-8Unknown1Sunk during skirmishes between Thailand and Vietnam.
LCU 14661
LCT-62
LSMUnknownUnknown. Used in raid Phu Quoc and Tho Chu.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Becker, Elizabeth. When the War Was over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution. registration. Simon and Schuster. 1986. 0-671-41787-8. New York.
  2. The Vietnamese invasion of 1979 resulted in the forcible disbandment of the AFKRA; formation of a successor force did not begin until 1984.
  3. Web site: Nuon . Chea . 17 January 1978 . cambodiatokampuchea .
  4. Web site: Pol . Pot . 1 July 1978 . bannedthought .
  5. Book: Cambodia, a Country Study . Third . Ross . Russell . 1987 . . Washington, D.C. . Area Handbook Series . 978-0160208386 . 279–313.
  6. Web site: Air Force of the Kampuchea Liberation Army. 2021-05-22. www.aeroflight.co.uk.
  7. Web site: SIPRI Trade Registers. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 2021-05-22. 2010-04-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20100414022558/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php. dead.
  8. Web site: Kampuchean (Cambodian) Naval Battles - Soviet-Empire.com U.S.S.R.. www.soviet-empire.com. 2021-05-21. 2021-07-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20210713141551/http://www.soviet-empire.com/ussr/viewtopic.php?f=149&t=55168. dead.
  9. Web site: Fighting Ships - Cambodia swift boats. www.swiftboats.net. 2021-05-22. 2021-05-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20210522075709/http://swiftboats.net/extras/janes_khmer.htm. dead.
  10. Web site: PC-1086. www.navsource.org. 2021-05-22.
  11. Web site: PC-1171. www.navsource.org. 2021-05-22.