The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)'s fledgling armored corps had its roots in a colonial armored corps established by French Indochina in 1950 and equipped with old M24 Chaffee and M5 Stuart light tanks.
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s South Vietnamese armor was not deployed in offensive maneuvers and was often unserviceable due to logistical problems and age.
With the formation of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)in 1962, US influence on ARVN doctrine grew; all armored units were subsequently reorganized and patterned after the US cavalry regiments.
American advisers also made a concerted attempted to refurbish the ARVN M24 fleet but encountered sourcing problems with the US Army supply system's dwindling stock of M24 parts, most of which had already been disposed of or donated to other countries.
They arranged to have the engines from the ARVN M24s periodically sent to Japan for overhaul, but this was considered neither practical nor economic in the long term.

In mid-1964, as part of a greater effort to introduce more modern equipment to the ARVN, the MACV proposed that the South Vietnamese armored corps be increased by five tank squadrons.
Between January and April 1965 all the ARVN M24s were decommissioned or passed to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force base security units and replaced by M41A3s.
The M41 proved extremely popular with South Vietnamese tank crews, who were generally of smaller stature than their American counterparts and did not experience the same discomfort operating within the tank's limited interior space.
ARVN M41s undertook their first combat deployment less than a year later, and played an instrumental role in crushing the 1966 Buddhist Uprising.
The tanks were mostly used to support ARVN infantry in street fighting, especially around Da Nang.

Seventeen ARVN M41s were initially deployed into Laos as part of Operation Lam Son 719 between February and March 1971, an abortive cross-border incursion to disrupt strategic supply lines for the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong.
The tanks were to coordinate their actions with several ARVN heliborne and paratroop units, who would be joining them by air.
Their offensive soon stalled when a PAVN tank battalion equipped with T-54 and PT-76 tanks attempted to overrun one of the ARVN's designated landing zones.
In the first major armor engagement of the Vietnam War, the M41s counterattacked and destroyed seven T-54s and sixteen PT-76s.
Only four M41s were lost during the same encounter, mostly to land mines and rocket-propelled grenades.
However, the PAVN continued to regroup and counterattack over the next week, forcing the outnumbered South Vietnamese units to abandon the landing zone and withdraw further south.
Failure to maintain a cohesive withdrawal led to individual infantry or mechanized units with no armor support of their own being cut off and surrounded by PAVN tanks.
ARVN commanders declared they did not possess enough tanks or anti-tank weapons to eliminate the PAVN armored threat, which had been underestimated during their operational planning.
For the remainder of the operation, the M41s were dug into defensive positions and essentially used as static artillery.
This prevented the ARVN from taking full advantage of their mobility, and units elsewhere had to depend solely on well-timed air support from South Vietnamese or US bombers to stave off PAVN tanks.
Armor reinforcements were eventually dispatched to help bolster the ARVN forces in Laos, but these arrived piecemeal and it is unclear how many additional M41s actually reached the operational area.
Due in part to conflicting orders, the final ARVN withdrawal from Laos, conducted while under pursuit from PAVN T-54s, was disorderly and resulted in a number of M41s being abandoned intact by their crews.
The ARVN lost 54 M41 tanks during its abortive incursion into Laos.

During the PAVN Easter Offensive of 1972, M41s were again dug into static positions, and typically engaged attacking T-54 or Type 59 tanks from defile.
As this tactic sacrificed the tank
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)'s fledgling armored corps had its roots in a colonial armored corps established by French Indochina in 1950 and equipped with old M24 Chaffee and M5 Stuart light tanks. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s South Vietnamese armor was not deployed in offensive maneuvers and was often unserviceable due to logistical problems and age. With the formation of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)in 1962, US influence on ARVN doctrine grew; all armored units were subsequently reorganized and patterned after the US cavalry regiments. American advisers also made a concerted attempted to refurbish the ARVN M24 fleet but encountered sourcing problems with the US Army supply system's dwindling stock of M24 parts, most of which had already been disposed of or donated to other countries. They arranged to have the engines from the ARVN M24s periodically sent to Japan for overhaul, but this was considered neither practical nor economic in the long term.
In mid-1964, as part of a greater effort to introduce more modern equipment to the ARVN, the MACV proposed that the South Vietnamese armored corps be increased by five tank squadrons. Between January and April 1965 all the ARVN M24s were decommissioned or passed to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force base security units and replaced by M41A3s. The M41 proved extremely popular with South Vietnamese tank crews, who were generally of smaller stature than their American counterparts and did not experience the same discomfort operating within the tank's limited interior space. ARVN M41s undertook their first combat deployment less than a year later, and played an instrumental role in crushing the 1966 Buddhist Uprising. The tanks were mostly used to support ARVN infantry in street fighting, especially around Da Nang.
Seventeen ARVN M41s were initially deployed into Laos as part of Operation Lam Son 719 between February and March 1971, an abortive cross-border incursion to disrupt strategic supply lines for the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong. The tanks were to coordinate their actions with several ARVN heliborne and paratroop units, who would be joining them by air. Their offensive soon stalled when a PAVN tank battalion equipped with T-54 and PT-76 tanks attempted to overrun one of the ARVN's designated landing zones. In the first major armor engagement of the Vietnam War, the M41s counterattacked and destroyed seven T-54s and sixteen PT-76s. Only four M41s were lost during the same encounter, mostly to land mines and rocket-propelled grenades. However, the PAVN continued to regroup and counterattack over the next week, forcing the outnumbered South Vietnamese units to abandon the landing zone and withdraw further south. Failure to maintain a cohesive withdrawal led to individual infantry or mechanized units with no armor support of their own being cut off and surrounded by PAVN tanks. ARVN commanders declared they did not possess enough tanks or anti-tank weapons to eliminate the PAVN armored threat, which had been underestimated during their operational planning. For the remainder of the operation, the M41s were dug into defensive positions and essentially used as static artillery. This prevented the ARVN from taking full advantage of their mobility, and units elsewhere had to depend solely on well-timed air support from South Vietnamese or US bombers to stave off PAVN tanks. Armor reinforcements were eventually dispatched to help bolster the ARVN forces in Laos, but these arrived piecemeal and it is unclear how many additional M41s actually reached the operational area. Due in part to conflicting orders, the final ARVN withdrawal from Laos, conducted while under pursuit from PAVN T-54s, was disorderly and resulted in a number of M41s being abandoned intact by their crews. The ARVN lost 54 M41 tanks during its abortive incursion into Laos.
During the PAVN Easter Offensive of 1972, M41s were again dug into static positions, and typically engaged attacking T-54 or Type 59 tanks from defile. As this tactic sacrificed the tank
M41 Walker Bulldog