Army of the Republic of Vietnam ARVN (Rubicon Models)

ABS multi pose Plastic Model Kit - requires ABS cement - Includes Instruction Booklet

The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN;Vietnamese : Lục quân Việt Nam Cộng hòa; French: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the South Vietnamese Military from its inception in 1955 to the fall of Saigon in April 1975. At the ARVN's peak, an estimated 1 in 9 citizens of South Vietnam were enlisted, composed of Regular Forces and the more voluntary Regional Forces and the popular force militias. It is estimated to have suffered 1,394,000 casualties (killed and wounded) during the Vietnam War

The ARVN began as a post-colonial army that was trained and closely affiliated with the United states, and had engaged in conflict since its inception. Several changes occurred throughout its lifetime, initially from a 'blocking-force' to a more modern conventional force using helicopter deployment in combat. During the American intervention in Vietnam, the ARVN was reduced to playing a defensive role with an incomplete modernisation, and transformed again following Vietnamization, it was upgeared, expanded, and reconstructed to fulfill the role of the departing American forces. By 1974, it had become much more effective with foremost counterinsurgency expert and Nixon adviser Robert Thompson noting that Regular Forces were very well-trained and second only to the American and Israeli forces in the Free World (GEG note - really?) and with General Creighton abrams remarking that 70% of units were on par with the United States Army.