Free World Military Forces
Encyclopedia
Free World Military Forces, or FWMF was a military force composed of a collective group of nations who sent troops to fight in Vietnam under the FWMF banner. The number of troops sent varied greatly, with nearly 50,000 from Korea, and only 10 from Spain. Many of these nations fought under their own banners in the Vietnam War
, but were part of the FWMF organization, or had troops fighting under both their own banner in addition to sending FWMF forces.
FWMF was formed similarly to the International Brigade of the Spanish Civil War
, supporting American and South Vietnamese forces against the Vietcong.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, but were part of the FWMF organization, or had troops fighting under both their own banner in addition to sending FWMF forces.
FWMF was formed similarly to the International Brigade of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, supporting American and South Vietnamese forces against the Vietcong.
Composition of FWMF forces
- Koreans: 48,879
- Thais: 11,568
- Australians: 7,626
- New Zealanders: 552
- Republic of China (Taiwan): 29
- Spaniards: 30 (10 1966/1967 - 20 1967/1968) Medical and sanitary forces.
This comes to a total of 69,864 soldiers, over two thirds of them Korean. Altogether, the US contributed over 1.4 million troops to the Vietnam War.