Republic of Vietnam Airborne Division

Republic of Vietnam Airborne Division

Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active 1948 – 30 April 1975
Country  South Vietnam
Branch Army of the Republic of South Vietnam
Type Airborne
Engagements Vietnam War
Insignia
Division flag
Paratrooper Hoàng Ngọc Giao (the 5th Airborne Battalion), 1967.

The Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the earliest components of the Republic of Vietnam’s Military Forces (Quân Đội Quốc Gia Việt Nam). The Vietnamese Airborne Division began as companies organised in 1948, prior to any agreement over armed forces in Vietnam. After the partition of Vietnam, it became a part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

History

Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the most elite fighting forces in the ARVN. It was placed as a reserve unit along with the South Vietnamese Marine Division. Headquarters of the Airborne Division was outside of Saigon. The Airborne Division would mobilize anywhere within the four corps at a moments notice. The main use of the Airborne was to engage and destroy People's Army of Vietnam ('NVA') and Viet Cong forces, not hold a specific region like the infantry units.

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