Item:ARVN Vietnam CSDC National Police Field Force NPFF Clouds Camo Shirt #9
Size/Measurements:The shirt is just legibly marked "A-L" for Size Asian Large, andmeasures 18" from underarm to underarm across the chest, 17 3/4" from shoulder to shoulder across the back, 23 1/2" from the collar/body seam to the bottom of the hem down the back,and with a 19 1/4" sleeve from the shoulder to the end of the cuff.
Markings:Carries a cutoff "A L" (only the bottom portions of the letters remain visible just below the collar seam at the interior upper back) stamped at the inside neck. Also stamped "XUONG" along with some other Vietnamese words in a scroll at the inside neck, though only that first word remains legible. Bears "FTD-AOS / 50" hand applied in black marker at the interior upper middle back, the meaning of which remains unknown.
Condition:This shirt is in Good Condition. There are stitch holes and patch shadows at the right chest pocket, each side of the chest, and each shoulder where sewn insignia once were. Two stitched repairs and several small spots of fraying around the right chest.A 1 1/4" vertical seam tear in the upper right chest. A 3/4" seam tear in the front right underarm.A spot of fraying at the interior middle back collar.Period replacement buttons on the shoulder straps. A few spots of fraying and a few spots of soiling around the lower middle front. Some scattered dark spot soiling and several scattered small holes around the lower back. The characters hand applied in black marker at the interior upper middle back having bled through the material, and remaining visible at the upper back. Some fading at front.Moderate fading at back.Medium weight 100% cotton twill construction. Features the classic dual exposed button flap closure chest pockets, button shoulder straps, and a dual slot pen pocket at the left underarm; the owning of pens was considered a status symbol in the South Vietnamese military, as it connoted education and class. Sports all but two of the original "shaved edge" flat rimmed OD plastic buttons throughout.
Provenance: This shirt, along with several others pieces of NPFF camouflage we currently offer, were acquired from the collection/inventory of the late, great George Petersen, owner of National Capital Historical Sales, and a godfather of the militaria industry.
Historical Background:The South Vietnamese National Police Field Force (NPFF) was an elite paramilitary unit operating alongside ARVN forces and working closely with US CIA agents. The NPFF was usually the first to respond to Communist attacks in cities, and ousted the Viet Cong from the Cholon area of Saigon during the Tet Offensive. They also were an integral part of the Phoenix Project, a controversial program conducted by the South Vietnamese National Police and the US CIA to attack and destroy the political infrastructure of the Viet Cong in South Vietnam. Intelligence gathered by the CIA led to lists of known VC operatives, who were then captured and interrogated for valuable information on the Communist network and activity. NPFF troops wore a distinctive "autumn clouds" camouflage uniform developed from the reverse side of the US "Mitchell" pattern, and the classic camo was also worn by some US Navy SEALs and US Army infantry.We have shown a photo of a US Army soldier "in the 'Nam" offering a "devil may care" grin and wearing a similar NPFF "autumn clouds" camouflage shirt.
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