Asia@War №45 - Frances War in Indochina, Vol. 1. The Tiger versus the Elephant, 1946-1949 (2023).pdf

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No.45
FRANCE
’
S WAR
IN INDOCHINA
Volume 1: The Tiger versus the Elephant, 1946–1949
STEPHEN ROOKES
Helion & Company Limited
Unit 8 Amherst Business Centre
Budbrooke Road
Warwick
CV34 5WE
England
Tel. 01926 499 619
Email: info@helion.co.uk
Website: www.helion.co.uk
Twitter: @helionbooks
Visit our blog http://blog.helion.co.uk/
Text © Stephen Rookes 2023
Photographs © as individually credited
Colour artwork © David Bocquelet, Jean-
Marie Guillou, Anderson Subtil 2023
Maps drawn by George Anderson © Helion
& Company 2023
Designed and typeset by Farr out
Publications, Wokingham, Berkshire
Cover design by Paul Hewitt, Battlefield
Design (www.battlefield-design.co.uk)
Every reasonable effort has been made to
trace copyright holders and to obtain their
permission for the use of copyright material.
The author and publisher apologise for any
errors or omissions in this work, and would
be grateful if notified of any corrections that
should be incorporated in future reprints or
editions of this book.
ISBN
978-1-804514-21-4
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication
Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form,
or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the express written consent of
Helion & Company Limited.
We always welcome receiving book
proposals from prospective authors.
Front cover artwork: At the end of the
Second World War, the Allied Technical Air
Intelligence Unit (ATAIU) collected a total
of 64 captured and operational Japanese
aircraft, and prepared them for shipment
to Europe for testing. For different reasons
– primarily related to the lack of shipping
space – only four eventually reached their
destination. Instead, most were flight-
tested while still in South East Asia (SEA)
before the ATAIU-SEA was disbanded, at
Seletar Air Base, in Singapore, on 15 May
1946. Subsequently, a number of captured
Japanese aircraft – including at least one
Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’ fighter – was handed
over to the French in Indochina. The fate of
the aircraft collected by the ATAIU-SEA was
thus symbolic of that of numerous Japanese
flying personnel and ground troops that
surrendered in French Indochina: at least
for a while, they served the old colonial
masters, helping them re-establish their
control over this part of the world. (Artwork
by Pablo Patricio Albornoz © Helion &
Company 2023)
CONTENTS
Abbreviations
Introduction
1
2
3
4
5
6
Prelude to War in Indochina, 1940–1945
France Returns to Indochina
The Path to War
Meanwhile, in Laos and Cambodia
The French Air Force (and other aviation) in Indochina
The Ever-Changing Face of the First Indochina War, 1948 – 1949
2
3
6
16
26
42
46
61
69
71
74
Bibliography
Notes
About the Author
Note: In order to simplify the use of this book, all names, locations and geographic
designations are as provided in
The Times World Atlas,
or other traditionally accepted
major sources of reference, as of the time of described events.
ASIA@WAR VOLUME 45
ABBREVIATIONS
Anti-aircraft
Armée de l’Air
(French Air Force)
Armoured Fighting Vehicle
Aviation Légère d’Obsevartion d’Artillerie
Allied Land Forces French Indochina
Allied Land Forces South East Asia
Association of South Eastern Asian Nations
Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit
American Volunteer Group
Bataillon Annamite d’Infanterie de Montagne
(Annam Battalion of Mountain Infantry)
BAL
Brigade d’Annam Laos
BAPN
Base Aéroportée Nord
BAPS
Base Aéroportée Sud
BCC
Brigade de Commandos Coloniaux
(Brigade of
Colonial Commandos)
BCCP
Bataillon Coloniale de Commandos Parachutistes
BCK
Bataillon de Chasseurs Khmères
BCL
Bataillion de Chasseurs Laotiens
BCRA
Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action
(Central Bureau of Intelligence and Action)
BDP
Bataillon de Dragons Portés
BEAL
Bataillon Étranger d’Artillerie Légère
(Foreign Legion
Artillery Battalion)
BEO
Brigade d’Extrême-Orient
(Far East Brigade)
BG
Bataillon du Génie
(Engineering Battalion)
BM
Bataillon Médical
BLIM
Bataillon Laotien d’Infanterie de Montagne
(Battalion
of Laotian Mountain Infantry)
BMEO
Bataillon de Marche d’Extrême-Orient
(infantry)
BMEO
Brigade Marine d’Extrême-Orient
(Far East
Marine Brigade)
BMSEO
Bataillon de Marche Sénégalais d’Extrême-Orient
BMT
Bataillon de Marche du Tchad
(Chad Far East
battle group)
BPC
Bataillon Parachutiste de Choc
(elite paratroop
battalion)
CCB
Compagnie de Commandement du Bataillon
(Battalion command company)
CCP
Chinese Communist Party
CEFEO
Corps Expéditionnaire Français en Extrême-Orient
(French Far East Expeditionary Corps)
CFLN
Comité Française de Libération Nationale
(French
Committee of Nation Libération)
CLI
Corps Léger d’Intervention
(Light
Intervention Corps)
CMT
Compagnie Mixte de Transmissions
CRA/TFIN
Compagnie de Ravitaillement par Air des Troupes
Françaises d’Indochine du Nord
CRD
Compagnie Régionale de Défense
DA
Division Aéroportée
DB
Division Blindée
DBLE
Demi-brigade de Légion Etrangère
DBMP
Demi-brigade de Marche Parachutiste
DBSAS
Demi-brigade Coloniale de Commandos
Parachutistes SAS
DCC
Division Cochinchine Cambodge
AA
AdA
AFV
ALAO
ALFFIC
ALFSEA
ASEAN
ATAIU
AVG
BAIM
DIC
DICEO
DMA
DMC
DML
DMT
DRV
DT
EB
EC
EO
ELA
EMEO
ER
ERO
EROM
Esc. C
ETAP
FAFEO
FAMIC
FAN
FAPI
FAS
FEFEO
FFFM
FFI
FIC
FNEO
GAA
GACI
GANI
GAOA
GBMS
GC
GCMA
GFTA
GLP
GMEO
GMLE
GMTEO
GRC
GT
GTF
GUAL
HDML
IJA
IJAF
IJN
KMT
LC
LCA
LCI
LCM
LCVP
LCT
MFV
OSS
Division d’Infanterie Coloniale
Division d’Infanterie Colonial d’Extrême-Orient
Détachement Motorisé d’Annam
Détachement Motorisé de Cochinchine
Détachement Motorisé de la Légion
Détachement Motorisé du Tonkin
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Division du Tonkin
(Tonkin Division)
Escadre de Bombardement
Escadrille de Chasse
Escadre d’Observation
Escadrille de Liaisons Aériennes
Escadrille de Marche d’Extrême-Orient
Escadrille Régionale
Escadrilles Régionale d’Observation
Escadrille de Reconnaissance d’Outre-Mer
Escadrille Coloniale
Ecole des Troupes Aéroportées
Force Aérienne Française d’Extrême-Orient
Force Amphibie de la Marine en Indochine
Force Amphibie du Nord
Formations Aéroportées en Indochine
Force Amphibie du Sud
Forces Expéditionnaires Français d’Extrême-Orient
Flottilles Fluviales de Fusiliers-Marins
Flottille Fluviale d’Indochine
French Indochina
Forces Navales d’Extrême-Orient
Groupe Aérien Autonome
Groupe Aérien Centre Indochine
Groupe Aérien Nord Indochine
Groupe d’Aviation d’Observation d’Artillerie
Groupement Blindé Mobile Schlesser
Groupe de Chasse (Fighter Group)
Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aéroportés
Groupement de Forces Terrestres Antiaériennes
Groupement Léger Parachutiste
Groupe de Marche d’Extrême-Orient
Groupe de Marche de Légion Etrangère
Groupe de Marche de Transport en Extrême-Orient
Garde Républicaine de Cochinchine
Groupe de Transport
Gremlin Task Force
Groupement d’Unités d’Armes Lourdes
Harbour Defence Motor Launch
Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Air Force
Imperial Japanese Navy
Kuomintang
Landing Craft
Landing Craft Assault
Landing Craft Infantry
Landing Craft Mechanised
Landing Craft Vehicle & Personnel
Landing Craft Tank
Motor Fishing Vessel
Office of Strategic Services
2
FRANCE’S WAR IN INDOCHINA VOLUME 1: THE TIGER VERSUS THE ELEPHANT 1946–1949
PAVN
RAC
RACM
RAF
RAAF
RC
RC
RCP
REC
REI
RBFM
RFM
RIC
RICAP
RICM
RMIC
RMSM
RTA
RTAF
RTC
People’s Army of Vietnam
Régiment d’Artillerie Coloniale
Régiment d’Artillerie Coloniale du Maroc
Royal Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Route Coloniale
Régiment de Cuirassiers (armoured)
Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes
Régiment Etranger de Cavalerie
Régiment Étranger d’Infanterie (Foreign Legion)
Régiment Blindé de Fusiliers-Marins
Régiment de Fusiliers-Marins
Régiment d’Infanterie Coloniale
Régiment d’Infanterie de Choc
Régiment d’Infanterie Chars de Marine
Régiment Mixte d’Infanterie Coloniale
Régiment de Marche de Saphis Marocains
Régiment de Tirailleurs Annamites
Royal Thai Air Force
Régiment de Tirailleurs Cambodgiens
RTM
RTS
RTT
SAL
SAS
SEAC
SOE
SPIN
STUP
TAIU
TFIN
TFIS
US
USAAF
USSR
VM
VP
ZOAL
ZOCOC
ZOTON
Régiment de Tirailleurs Marocains
Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais
Régiment de Tirailleurs du Tonkin
Section d’Avions de Liaison
Special Air Service
South East Asia Command
Special Operations Executive
Section de Parachutage d’Indochine du Nord
Section Technique des Unités Parachutistes
Technical Air Intelligence Unit
Troupes Françaises de l’Indochine Nord
Troupes Françaises de l’Indochine Sud
United States
United States Army Air Forces
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Viet Minh
Vedettes de Port
Zone Annam-Laos
Zone Cochinchine
Zone Tonkin
INTRODUCTION
While the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 was held to
determine which parts of Africa went to which budding, or
confirmed, colonial power, towards the end of the 1800s,
some of the same colonising nations had been jockeying
for position to win trading rights for local resources and
raw materials throughout Southeast Asia. Great Britain, for
example, had spent the middle part of the nineteenth century
attempting to extend its Asian empire eastwards from the
Indian subcontinent; the Dutch had been present in what is
now Indonesia for the best part of a century; the Philippines
had been a Spanish possession since the sixteenth century,
and Britain and France fought wars with China so as to obtain
increased access to vast supplies of opium and tea, as well as
highly cherished commodities such as porcelain and silk.
As for the territories that were eventually united to become
Indochina, they had been largely spared from incursions by
armies used as proxies to help advance the ambitions of large
commercial enterprises such as the British, Dutch and French
East India companies. Indeed, though France did seek out
commercial opportunities along the Mekong and the Red
rivers from the 1850s, French presence in Annam, Tonkin,
Cochinchina, Cambodia, and Laos came about largely as a
means of protecting the Catholic missionaries of the Paris
Foreign Missions Society seen as a political threat to local
dynasties, or through the military and political provision of
protection of one dynasty from another. Chronologically
speaking, the formation of the protectorates took place over
a short period of time: Cochinchina was annexed in 1862;
Cambodia became a French protectorate in 1863; and by 1886,
local opposition to French presence in Tonkin in the north,
and Annam in central Vietnam had been overcome. With
France also successfully fighting two wars against China as the
Berlin Conference was taking place, the various protectorates
were unified to become the Indochinese Union in 1887. The
The French conquest of Indochina, 1862–1907 with French (and English)
French then consolidating their positions, Laos, and the
designations of major geographic areas. (Map by Tom Cooper)
3

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