Type Airborne Infantry | Size 400-500 (at height) | |
Branch | ||
The Cambodian Para-Commando Battalion (French: Battaillon de Commandos Parachutistes – BCP) was one of the main elite military units of the Khmer National Armed Forces (French: Forces Armées Nationales Khmères – FANK), which fought in the final phase of the Cambodian Civil War of 1970-75.
Contents
Origins
The BCP had its origins in a 60-man contingent sent in March 1972 to Indonesia to attend the Para-Commando course at the Batujajar Airborne Commando School, near Bandung in West Java. Interestingly, a significant number of the contingent was made of recruits drawn from the Muslim Cham ethnic minority of Cambodia. After a nine-month course conducted by Indonesian Kopassus instructors, the contingent returned to Phnom Penh in November 1972. Upon their return, however, two dozen of its members were posted to the FANK 5th Infantry Brigade, a predominantly Muslim formation; the remaining 36 Cham graduates were assigned to a ceremonial unit allocated in the Cambodian Capital until 1974.
Operations
They were then used as the cadre for the BCP and in March 1975, loosely under assignment to the Khmer SF, the Para-Commandos were sent to man the defensive perimeter north-west of Phnom Penh.
Weapons and equipment
The BCP employed the standard weaponry and equipment of US origin issued to all FANK formations, though it remains unclear if they ever used captured Soviet or Chinese small-arms like other Cambodian elite units.