U.S.M.P. ‘On-Duty’--single Vietnam-era figure
$45.00
Item Number: VN175
U.S.M.P. ‘On-Duty’--single Vietnam-era figure
This particular Military Policeman is a member of the 716th Military Police Battalion who provided security and law enforcement in the Saigon/Cholon/Tan Son Nhut metropolitan area. Included in their responsibilities were the U.S. Embassy in the centre of Saigon and the massive Military Assistance Command Vietnam headquarters next to Tan Son Nhut Air Base.
K&C’s smartly-dressed MP is wearing his fully-buttoned-up ‘Flak Jacket’, polished helmet and carrying his M16 rifle and, of course, his Colt 1911 .45 Automatic Pistol on his right hip. This figure works perfectly with our earlier-released M151 “Mutt” U.S. Military Police version (VN142).
"GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!"
During the Vietnam conflict, nearly all Military Police duties and operations came under the direct control of the 18th Military Police Brigade headquartered at Vung Tau, southeast of Saigon and situated at the tip of a small peninsula. Members of the Brigade deployed to Vung Tau in September 1966 and soon established major sub groups at Nha Trang and Long Binh. Smaller units were then stationed throughout every tactical zone ranging from Da Nang in the north to Soc Trang in the south.
In all of these and hundreds of other smaller locations, MPs performed a wide and expanding range of missions including handling and processing prisoners-of-war, security of vessels and port facilities as well as vital installations and VIP protection.
At the same time, with the rapid expansion of U.S Ground Forces in South Vietnam, maintenance of discipline and law and order in the military were very high on the Brigade’s priorities list… both on and around U.S. bases and also on the streets and highways of South Vietnam.
TOTAL STRENGTH
Even at the height of American involvement in Vietnam with over 500,000 U.S. troops deployed ‘in-country’ the Brigade strength was just 6,000 strong.
Our three new releases provide some welcome additions to this dynamic series…
Released in MAY 2023.
