ARVN Para., Second Indochina War display (originally posted by patrick)

Hello all,

as mentioned in an introductory thread i am a Vietnam war(s) era collector.

The conflicts that raged across so many borders in the region fascinate me more and more as i continue down my collecting path.

I have chosen this display as a first militaria post for a number of reasons,firstly it is one of my favourites, and i know we have a few camo collectors here.

There is a chance that one or two of you may have seen this in the past on another forum, but i hope those that have not will appreciate it.

We have a representation of an ARVN paratrooper wearing a lightweight poplin ARVN Ranger pattern camo shirt.

It has the shoulder reinforcement and shoulder straps typical of the garment.

The quartermaster stamping is present in the neck area and the shirt is essentially unissued.

Hope you enjoy it,


Patrick.

As a counterpoint to the above,

here is an example of a locally made shirt in the Ranger/Airborne style, this time a recreation of a member of the the LLDB, the Vietnamese SF.

This garment was made in arguably Saigons most famous tailor shop.

The trousers are typical government issue.
The only insignia the shirt has ever had are the silk woven airborn wings that you can just see in this shot....


Patrick.

Patrick,
I have not seen any of it before, but I will say this: that is absolutley some of the most PRISTINE & CRISP looking uniforms that I have ever seen. Wonderful colours throughout. I also think that the shirt/jacket in the second photo is interesting due to the colours on the arms look different that the colours on the chest(more darker greens)

But I will be the first to admit that I am not very knowlegable about Vietnam uniforms & militaria. Now I will say that I have somewhere around 50 Vietnam War books, memoirs, etc. So I have read alot about it.

Steven

Hi Steven,

thanks for the compliments!

Regarding the 2nd shirt, it is comprised of the same cloth throughout its construction, what the arms have though are areas which have more sparse areas of the sea green colour and less of the brown pattern visible in the posted shot.

I will try to take a few shots in the near future without all the equipment in the way!


Patrick.

Thanks for that info, That is still fascinating none the less. I am definately going to learn a whole lot from you.

Steven

Patrick,
VERY NICE uniforms! I've got several ARVN uniforms in my collection as well, but really don't have much room to display them. Most of my items are stored in plastic totes and aren't easily accessible.

Again, I am very interested in seeing more items from your collection. I'll photograph mine as time permits.
Arch

Interesting that the ARVN Paras used ERDL pattern fatigues. Usually the pictures Ive seen have them wearing the French Lizard Camouflage Para Smocks(Specifically the 47/51, 47/52 and 47/53 types) and pants left behind from the First Indochina War.

Nice! Cool stuff!