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 AFVs of the French Indochina War |
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This page is an attempt to detail the various types of AFV in service during the French Indochina War of 1945-54. I do not intend to spend much time here on tactics or organisations, but to give an overview of the variety of equipment in service with the CEFEO. The history of the various armoured units in Indochina deserves a page to itself ! As with most areas of equipment for the CEFEO, the AFVs were an heterogenous mix - in the early days Japanese tanks were used by the returning French Army, and later a mixture of US, British and French vehicles were brought in. Many were modified locally, and as in most thing the French proved to be nothing if not adaptable. Tanks and TankettesJapanese Tanks
The main user of these was an ad-hoc formation (apparently the reforming Détachment Motorisée du Cambodge?) in Cambodia, which used Renault UE tractors with machine-guns mounted, plus a mixture of Japanese Type 89B mediums, Type 95 lights and Type 94 tankettes. There were at least 9 Japanese tanks in service on 15th February 1946. Type 89-B Medium Tank (Otsu)Weight: 13 tonsCrew: 4 Length: 19ft 3ins (5.87m) Width: 7ft 1in (2.16m) Height: 8ft 6ins (2.59m) Armour: 10-17mm Armament: 57mm gun, 2x 7.7mm MGs (one in turret rear, one in hull) Engine: 115hp diesel Top Speed: 15mph Type 95 Light Tank (Ha-Go)Weight: 7.5 tonsCrew: 3 Length: 14ft 4ins (4.37m) Width: 6ft 9ins (2.06m) Height: 7ft (2.13m) Armour: 6-12mm Armament: 37mm gun, 2x 7.7mm MGs (one in turret rear, one in cupola) Engine: 110hp diesel Top Speed: 25mph Range: 100 miles Type 94 TK TanketteWeight: 3.5 tonsCrew: 2 Length: 10ft (3.05m) Width: 5ft 3ins (1.60m) Height: 5ft 4ins (1.63m) Armour: 4-12mm Armament: 7.7mm MG in small turret (offset to right) Engine: 32hp petrol Top Speed: 26mph Range: 100 miles French TanksThere were a few Renault MG-armed chenillettes in Cambodia at the beginning of the conflict, and numbers of H-39 light tanks were sent out from France in 1947 and 1948.Chenillette Renault UE "Colonie"
Weight: 2 tons Crew: 2 Length: 9ft 2ins (2.80m) Width: 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) Height: 4ft 1in (1.25m) Armour: 7mm maximum Armament: 1 7.5mm MG (FM 24/29) Engine: 35hp petrol Top Speed: 18mph Range: 60 miles The casemate was an AMX development, built initially for export orders to China pre-WW2. There were apparently 6 in service in Cambodia, 15th February 1946. Hotchkiss H-39 Light Tank These
tanks of the Blitzkrieg Era of WW2 had probably seen service with the
French
Army in 1940, then the Wehrmacht, and were then returned to French use
again. The first arrived in May 1947 to equip the REC (Foreign Legion
Cavalry
Regiment), with 20 more in April 1948.
Weight: 12 tons
US TanksM5 Stuart Light Tank This
tank provided the main part of the CEFEO's tank force until replacement
by the more modern M24 Chaffee started in 1950, but
it was in service from 1946 until the final withdrawal.
Weight: 15 tons
HMC M8 Based
on the M-5 hull, this vehicle provided much needed fire-support to
armoured
units in Indochina.
Weight: 15 tons
M4 Sherman Medium Tank The
famous Sherman was used in limited numbers both in the M4A1 version,
and
the M-32 ARV (with 81mm mortar, but no gun, 1x hull 0.3in MG, 1x 0.5in
AA MG, winch and A-frame jib).
Weight: 30 tons
M24 Chaffee Light TankThis excellent light tank came into service in Indochina
from 1950,
and was most famously used at Dien Bien Phu where the Chaffees were
nicknamed
"bisons". Weight: 18 tons M36B2 Jackson Tank-destroyer
This tank destroyer was initially deployed to Indochina to guard the Chinese border, but was generally used for fire-support. It was based on the M-10 Tank Destroyer, itself a development from the M4A2 Sherman. Weight: 28 tons
Half-tracks and CarriersUS Half-track Another
vehicle which served right through the war, this was a very useful APC.
Both M2 and M3 Half-tracks were used.
Weight: 9 tons
British Universal Carrier
This classic British vehicle of WW2 was used by several units for reconnaissance. Weight: 4 tons
Armoured CarsFrench Armoured CarsPanhard 178B The
Panhard 178 AMD (armoured recon vehicle) had been probably the best
armoured
car in service in 1940, but the 25mm gun had limited effectiveness.
Prototypes
of a version with a 47mm AT gun were built in 1940, but France fell
before
these could be put into production. However, production of the B model
was resumed post-war with the new armament.
Weight: 8 tons
British Armoured CarsCoventry Mk.I Armoured Car
Intended as a replacement for the British Daimler and Humber armoured cars, the war ended before production really began, and the British orders were cancelled. However, France bought the initial production run for service in Indochina, and was in fact the only user of this vehicle. It was found to be too heavy for service in Indochina, and was gradually withdrawn from use. Only around 100 were ever in service. Weight: 11.5 tons
Humber Scout Car A
light recon vehicle of the British Army in WW2, this was used by the
returning
French troops - 78 were apparently in service on 15th February 1946.
Some vehicles sported locally-made turrets.Weight: 3.5 tons
US Armoured Cars and Reconnaissance VehiclesM8 Greyhound This
quiet and agile armoured car was in service throughout the war.
Weight: 7.75 tons
M3 Scout Car This
vehicle was more of a small APC than a true scout car, but had been
much
used by the French troops in Europe 1944-45, and was sent out with the
initial elements of the CFEO.
Weight: 5 tons
Armoured JeepsTrue to their SAS ancestry, the paras of the Demi-Brigade Parachutiste SAS fitted some jeeps with armour. However, the Viet Minh had no airfields to raid and the jeeps proved unsuited to local needs. After taking serious losses in a well-planned ambush, the armoured jeeps were replaced by armoured cars in 1948.Armoured GMC trucks The
deployment of the 2e DB's to Indochina included its 22nd Colonial
Artillery
group (AA) equipped with self-propelled 40mm Bofors mounted on GMC 2.5
ton trucks, a conversion that had been carried out by the unit during
WW2.
Given the lack of enemy aircraft, these were quickly given armoured
bodies
and used for gunfire support of infantry operations. Improvised mounts
were also built locally by simply bolting a Bofors gun to a GMC's cargo
bed and adding armour plating but these suffered from excessive weight
and resulting chassis fatigue. Some armoured trucks were also used as
personnel
carrier for convoy escorts.
Armoured Dodge WC62 Besides
the GMC trucks, some Dodge WC62 1.5 ton trucks were also given some
armour
protection and proved relatively successful for road opening and escort
duties. Armouring the lighter 3/4 ton Dodge Weapon Carriers on the
other
hand was abandoned after experiments had shown that the drastically
overloaded
vehicle was of little use.
AmphibiansAll of the amphibious AFVs used in Indochina were of US origin. One, the M29 Crab was not originally an AFV at all, but was extemporised into such during the delta campaigns.M29C "Crabe" (Weasel) Weight:
2.5 tons
Crew: 2 (plus 2 passengers, or up to 100lb of cargo) Length: 16ft (4.88m) Width: 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) Height: 4ft 5ins (1.35m) Armour: none Armament: None originally, but various were mounted including 0.3in MG, 7.5mm FM 24/29 and 0.5in MG (sometimes 2 MGs were carried). There were also vehicles carrying 60mm mortars, or recoiless rifles (57mm or 75mm). Engine: 65hp petrol Top Speed: 33mph on land, 3.5 knots afloat LVT-4 "Alligator" (Water Buffalo) Weight:
16 tons
Crew: 3 (could transport 30 fully-equipped men or 6500lb of material) Length: 26ft 1in (7.95m) Width: 10ft 8ins (3.25m) Height: 8ft 2.5ins (2.50m) Armour: 7-12mm Armament: 1x 0.5in MG, 3x 0.3in MG Engine: 250hp petrol Top Speed: 25mph, 5.4 knots afloat Range: 150 miles on land, 75 miles afloat LVT(A)4 Weight:
17 tons
Crew: 5 Length: 26ft 1in (7.95m) Width: 10ft 8ins (3.25m) Height: 10ft 11ins (3.33m) Armour: 7-25mm Armament: M-8 75mm howitzer in open-turret, 0.5in MG (AA) Engine: 200hp petrol Top Speed: 25mph on land, 5.2 knots afloat Range: 150 miles on land, 75 miles afloat Armoured Train There
had been two armoured trains used during WW2 in Indochina (one in
Tonkin,
the other in Cambodia), but their details and eventual fate are not
known.
The famous Rafale ("wind blast") armoured train was built in
southern
Annam during the winter of 1948-49, and operated between Ninh Hoa-Phat
Thiet-Nha Trang in the service of 2e REI (the 2nd Foreign Legion
Infantry
Regiment). It included 2 locomotives, 2 wagons loaded with rails and
sleepers
(at the front to explode mines laid on the track), command/radio wagon,
ambulance wagon, cookhouse wagon, and 9 other wagons. Armament included
a 40mm Bofors gun, a 20mm cannon (with IR sights), 8 twin Reibel 7.5mm
MGs, a 81mm mortar mounted on an old Japanese gun carriage, and a 60mm
mortar. The crew included 100 légionnaires plus local
auxilliaries.
The train survived through to the end of the war, at which point it was abandoned. Main Sources
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The
CEFEO made use of several ex-Japanese tanks early in the War.
Range:
250 miles