Military Region 5 Commandos

Military Region 5 Commandos
Commandos de la Région Militaire 5
Active 1969 - May 1975
Country Laos Kingdom of Laos
Allegiance Royal Lao Government
Branch Royal Lao Armed Forces
Type Special Forces
Role Reconnaissance, Commando
Size 340 men (at height)
Headquarters Ban Y Lai, near Vientiane
Nickname(s) MR 5 Cdos.
Engagements Battle of Phou Khout
Battle of Khong Sedone
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 (unknown)

The Military Region 5 Commandos (French: Commandos de la Région Militaire 5), MR 5 Commandos or MR 5 Cdos for short, were an elite military unit and Special Operations force of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (commonly known by its French acronym FAR), which operated during the final phase of the Laotian Civil War from 1969 to 1975.

Origins

In 1969 some 300 selected Laotian personnel from the Royal Lao Army (RLA) were sent to Thailand to attend advanced Airborne and Ranger courses manned by instructors from the Royal Thai Army Special Forces (RTSF) at their Special Warfare Centre and Recondo School co-located at Fort Narai in Lopburi Province.[1] Upon returning to Laos after completing their training, they went to provide the core of a new Para-Commando battalion which was assigned to Military Region 5, hence became known as "Military Region 5 Commandos".

Structure and organization

By January 1970, MR 5 Cdos strength peaked at 340 officers and enlisted men, all airborne-qualified volunteers, organized into a battalion comprising one headquarters (HQ), three company HQ sections, and three Commando companies.[2] The unit was based in Ban Y Lai, north of Vientiane, Laos capital city.[3]

Operational history 1969-1975

The MR 5 Cdos were initially employed primarily on counterinsurgency sweeps targeting Pathet Lao guerrilla units around Vientiane, though in later years they were deployed in other military regions to demonstrate symbolic support from the Royal Lao Government. During September 1971 two companies participated in Operation Golden Mountain, the successful capture of Phou Khout Mountain, overlooking Muang Soui and in 1972 two companies were sent to Military Region 4 (Pakse) to help RLA units in the recapture of Khong Sedone. As late as May 1975, after the collapse of the FAR, a single remaining company from the MR 5 Cdos was fighting Pathet Lao forces north of the Laotian capital city.[4]

Weapons and equipment

The MR 5 Cdos used the standard weaponry and equipment of US origin issued to FAR units, complemented by captured Soviet or Chinese small-arms such as AK-47 assault rifles that allowed its personnel to use ammunition retrieved from enemy caches while on operations.

See also

Endnotes

  1. ↑ Conboy and McCouaig, South-East Asian Special Forces (1991), p. 18.
  2. ↑ Conboy and McCouaig, South-East Asian Special Forces (1991), p. 18.
  3. ↑ Conboy and McCouaig, South-East Asian Special Forces (1991), p. 19.
  4. ↑ Conboy and McCouaig, South-East Asian Special Forces (1991), p. 19.

References

Further reading

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