Vol. 2, No. 8 - August 2012
A disabled KPA Su-76M self-propelled gun being examined by UNC troops, 1950 (U.S. Army)
Articles in this issue include,
"KPA 17th Tank Brigade (Tank Division, Mechanized Brigade, Mechanized Division), Part I," by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.
While much is now known concerning U.S. and U.N. units, organizations and operations during the Fatherland Liberation War (i.e., Korean War) very little reliable and detailed information is available concerning those of the Korean People’s Army. This is especially true for its armored forces, which played a brief but important role during the first year of the conflict. This paper represents an initial effort to recount the organization and operations of one of the KPA’s first armored units—the 17th Tank Brigade.
"Addendum: KPA River Crossing Units"
A KPA propaganda photograph has come to light purporting to show CPV units crossing the Amnok-gang (i.e., Amnok River, more commonly the Yalu River) in 1950 using a pontoon bridge.
"KPN 14.5 mm 6 Barrel CIWS" by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.
During the early 2000s the Korean People’s Navy (KPN) undertook a series of upgrades to a number of its vessels and weapon systems. One of these new weapons systems is the 14.5 mm 6-barrel close-in weapon systems (CIWS).
"BTR-80A in KPA Service" by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.
Little is known at the open source level concerning the employment of the BTR-80A in KPA service. It is believed that the vehicles first enter KPA service in 2000 when an order for 32 vehicles—enough for a mechanized infantry battalion—were purchased, along with a number of other BTR-80 variants. It is unclear if additional BTR-80s or BTR-80As have been subsequently purchased.
Additional Material
Editor’s Note and Endnotes are also provided.