Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea
កងទ័ពរំដោះកម្ពុជា
Flag of Democratic Kampuchea
Founded1977
Disbanded1979
Service branches
  • Army
  • Navy
  • Air Force
HeadquartersPhnom Penh
Leadership
Commander-in-ChiefPol Pot
Personnel
ConscriptionYes
Active personnel40,000
Reserve personnel50,000
Industry
Foreign suppliers China
 North Vietnam (until 1976)

The Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea (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 (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 (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

Name Origin Notes
Semi-automatic pistols
TT pistol[5]  Soviet Union Supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Makarov pistol[5]
Type 54 pistol[5]  China Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Semi-automatic rifles
SKS[5]  Soviet Union Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 56[5]  China Captured from FANK and supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Assault Rifles
AK-47[5]  Soviet Union Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 56 assault rifle[5]  China Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
M-16 rifle[5]  United States Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Light machine guns
RPD[5]  Soviet Union Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 56 LMG[5]  China Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Heavy machine guns
DShK[5]  Soviet Union Supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 54[5]  China Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
M1919 Browning[5]  United States Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
M2 Browning[5]
General-purpose machine guns
PKM[5]  Soviet Union Supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
M60 machine gun[5]  United States Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Rocket-propelled grenades
RPG-2[5]  Soviet Union Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
RPG-7[5]

Armored Fighting Vehicles

Name Origin Quantity Notes
Light tanks
Type 62  China 20[6] Supplied by China during and after the Cambodian Civil War.
Type 63 ~10[6]
Armored personnel carriers
M113  United States ~200[6] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.

Artillery

Name Origin Caliber Quantity Notes
Mortars
M29  United States 81mm Unknown Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Recoilless rifles
M20  United States 75mm Unknown Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
M40 105mm
Anti-tank guns
ZiS-3  Soviet Union 76mm ~10[6] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Howitzers
M46  Soviet Union 130mm ~30[6] Supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
M-30 122mm ~10[6] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
M101  United States 105mm ~20[6]
M114 155mm ~10[6]
Multiple rocket launchers
BM-13  Soviet Union 132mm ~10[6] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.

Air defense

Name Origin Caliber Quantity Notes
Anti-aircraft guns
ZPU  Soviet Union 14.5mm Unknown Captured from FANK and supplied by North Vietnam during the Cambodian Civil War.
61-K 37mm ~30[6]
S-60 57mm ~10[6]

Aircraft

Aircraft Origin Quantity Notes
Fighter aircraft
Shenyang J-6C  China 6[7] Supplied by China in 1977.
Trainer aircraft
GY-80 Horizon  France 4[7] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Cessna O-1 Bird Dog  United States 10[7]
Attack aircraft
Helio AU-24A Stallion  United States 9[7] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
T-28D Trojan 22[7] 5 destroyed during the Mayagüez Incident.
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly 10[7] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Transports
Fairchild C-123K Provider  United States 7[7] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.
Douglas C-47 14[7]
Douglas AC-47 Spooky 6[7]
Bombers
Harbin H-5  China 3[7] Supplied by China in 1977.
Utility helicopters
Bell UH-1H/1G  United States 20[7] Captured from FANK during the Cambodian Civil War.

Ships

Ship Origin Hull number Quantity Fate
Patrol boats
Higgins 78ft  Yugoslavia Unknown 2[6] Sunk during the Mayagüez incident.[8]
Patrol Boat, River  United States 40[8][9] A few have been sunk during the Battle of Ream.[8]
Patrol Craft Fast 17[9] A few have been sunk during the Mayagüez incident and skirmishes between Thailand and Vietnam.[8]
PC-461-class E311[10] - E312[11] 2 E311 fled to Thailand.[10] E312 fled to the Philippines.[11]
Landing craft
LCM-8  United States Unknown 1 Sunk during skirmishes between Thailand and Vietnam.[8]
LCU 1466 1[8]
LCT-6 2[8]
LSM Unknown Unknown. Used in raid Phu Quoc and Tho Chu.

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 AFKRA; formation of a successor force did not begin until 1984.
  3. ↑ Nuon, Chea (17 January 1978). "cambodiatokampuchea" (PDF).
  4. ↑ Pol, Pot (1 July 1978). "bannedthought" (PDF).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Ross, Russell, ed. (1987). Cambodia, a Country Study. Area Handbook Series (Third ed.). Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, American University. pp. 279–313. ISBN 978-0160208386.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "SIPRI Trade Registers". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Air Force of the Kampuchea Liberation Army". www.aeroflight.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kampuchean (Cambodian) Naval Battles - Soviet-Empire.com U.S.S.R." www.soviet-empire.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  9. 1 2 "Fighting Ships - Cambodia swift boats". www.swiftboats.net. Archived from the original on 2021-05-22. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  10. 1 2 "PC-1086". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  11. 1 2 "PC-1171". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
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