French Armour in Vietnam 1945-54

by Simon Dunstan, Henry Morshead (Illustrator)

Overview

French Armour in Vietnam 1945–54 uses a variety of photos from the private collections of two French generals of the campaign, and full color plates of rarely illustrated vehicles, to tell the complete story of the tanks and armored fighting vehicles that the French employed in their colonies in Indo-China.

The French, quick to realize the efficacy of armor to preserve their sovereignty over Indo-China following the Great War, sent over their Renault FT17 tanks in 1919. Together with a variety of armored cars, these were the principal AFVs in Indo-China until World War II when the Japanese occupied the region. After the war, French troops were equipped with a motley collection of American and cast off British equipment until the outbreak of war in Korea saw an increase in military aid. This included large numbers of the M24 Chaffee Light Tank, along with amphibious vehicles such as the M29C Weasel and LVT4 Buffalo, to conduct operations in coastal and inland areas that the Viet Minh had previously thought immune to attack.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472831828
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	02/19/2019
Series:	New Vanguard
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.10(d)

About the Author

Simon Dunstan is a well-established author, film-maker, and photographer in the field of military history, with several titles already published with Osprey. He specializes in armored warfare, and has written on this subject for three decades. His books have covered topics such as helicopter and armored warfare in Vietnam, the Challenger main battle tank, the British Guards, and armored warfare in Korea. Simon lives and works in London, UK.

Table of Contents

The Empire Strikes Back 4

The Role Of French Armour 6

The battlefield and the enemy

Equipment

Tactics

Viet Minh anti-armour tactics

Evolution of Armour Organization 14

Amphibious units: 1 er Régiment Étranger de Cavalerie

Armoured launches

Armoured train 'La Rafale TB'

Representative Unit History: 1er Régiment De Chasseurs à Cheval 22

Cochinchina and Tonkin, 1946

Operations 1947-50

1951: The Year of de Lattre'

Diversification, and Operation Lotus

1952: Operation Lorraine

1953: reorganization, and Operation Mouette

1954: The 'Bisons' of Dien Bien Phu

The Final Battles 45

French Armour Units In Indochina 1945-54 46

Index 48