Mrs. History PhD strikes again!

A couple of days ago, after an extended absence, Mrs. History PhD voiced a desire to paint "something for Vietnam" other than the VC infantry stands that she has hitherto completed. "Maybe a vehicle...something obscure." So we sat and talked and poured over Internet images of some of the possibilities that I brought up.

After a bit, we unearthed these two images, the top one captioned "Saigon, November 1968":

The second undated, but obviously near the same time as the first. So she chose an M8 Greyhound:

The two Vietnam images are of one (or possibly two) of the eight Greyhounds operated by the National Police Field Force (NPFF in English, Cãnh Sát Dã Chiên - CSDC in Vietnamese), the paramilitary wing of the RVN National Police. These vehicles were stationed in Saigon as part of the security detachment for the National Police HQ building and the main building of the Bank of South Vietnam and they took part in the fighting during the Tet Offensive. It's a common misconception that these armored cars were left by the French, but they weren't. As part of the United States' direct military aid to South Vietnam, eighteen M8's were supplied to the RVN between 1956 and 1958. 

And here is what Mrs. PhD has turned out:

She's even added the distinctive yellow ARVN license plates, front and back.

I think she's done quite well for her first ever vehicle! I had her weather it in the orange earth style of all the rest of my Veitnam vehicles, even though the real thing wouldn't have been, being on the streets of Saigon and not in the countryside. 

A fine job sweetheart!