The French in Vietnam

[+LloydNB]

Is anyone skinning aircraft for this early, post-colonial stage of the Vietnam War?

 

Since I'm doing an Amiot Toucan (Ju-52/3m) I was thinking of branching out to do some of the other WWII aircraft that France committed to the conflict.

 

 

 

LloydNB

Edited May 20, 2009 by LloydNB

[+331Killerbee]

I'd use them for My Vietnam Install........Good Idea.

 

331KillerBee

[+LloydNB]

There’s plenty to go on with. A quick list of French manned aircraft that saw action would be –

Nakajima Oscar

Nakajima Rufe

Hellcat

Bearcat

Consolidated Privateer

Corsair

B-26

C-47

P-63

H-19A Chicasaw

S-51 Dragonfly

SBD-5

Seafire

C-119

 

SB2C-5 Helldiver

Spitfire MkIX LF

Grumman Goose

 

LloydNB

Edited May 20, 2009 by LloydNB

[+Wrench]

IIRC, Geo's Bearcat comes with a VNAF skin ...

 

wrench

kevin steni

[ndicki]

It'll be nearly all ground-attack only, but it might be fun. Doesn't the Bearcat already have a French skin? It was one of their main aircraft along with the Hellcat.

[PGC]

There’s plenty to go on with. A quick list of French manned aircraft that saw action would be –

Nakajima Oscar

Nakajima Rufe

Hellcat

Bearcat

Consolidated Privateer

Corsair

B-26

C-47

P-63

H-19A Chicasaw

S-51 Dragonfly

SBD-5

Seafire

C-119

 

LloydNB

 

No Corsair, they came later in the French Navy.

SB2C-5 Helldiver

Spitfire MkIX LF

[+LloydNB]

Thanks PGC

 

I'll add the Spitfire and the Helldiver to the list, together with the Grumman Goose (8S Squadron).

 

I've found reference to three Corsair squadrons operating in Vietnam during 1955/56.

- 14F squadron (F-4AU1) from Hanoï-Bach-Maï and later F4U-7s from CVL Bois-Belleau,

- 12F (F4U-7) from CVL La Fayette, and

- 15F (F4U-7) from CVL La Fayette.

 

LloydNB

[+Wrench]

You're welcome to my Oscar templates, if want/need them!

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+LloydNB]

Great Kevin

 

Although it might be a while before I get to the Oscar. I started a Privateer skin last night.

 

LloydNB

[+Wrench]

When did we get a PB4Y-2????

 

that's a completely different aircraft from the PB4Y-1/B-24J!!!

I used to have to pilot manual when I was a kid, donated it to the Douglas Museam here in Santa Monica...what a dumb a$$ I was!!

 

wrench

kevin stein

[ndicki]

Thanks PGC

 

I'll add the Spitfire and the Helldiver to the list, together with the Grumman Goose (8S Squadron).

 

I've found reference to three Corsair squadrons operating in Vietnam during 1955/56.

- 14F squadron (F-4AU1) from Hanoï-Bach-Maï and later F4U-7s from CVL Bois-Belleau,

- 12F (F4U-7) from CVL La Fayette, and

- 15F (F4U-7) from CVL La Fayette.

 

LloydNB

 

Interesting. The French "left" Indochina, politically at least, in 1954. From then until the very late 1950s, there was no significant military action either between the two Vietnams or with the colonial power.

 

The Spitfire was replaced by the Hellcat, an example being le Groupe "Corse", which handed over its Spits in Indochina in December 1950. Although the Spitfires were by then at the end of their useful lives - age, French maintenance and the inadequate supply of parts having taken their toll - the pilots were far from thrilled to exchange a real fighter for an oversized flying bomb-trolley...

 

 

Incidentally, they also used Mossies - FB.MkVI, AFAIK - but found the same problems the RAF and RAAF had had with them in the tropics, namely that they tended to come unglued at embarrassing moments owing to the ambient humidity.

Edited May 21, 2009 by ndicki

[+LloydNB]

14F

The unit was born on January 15th 1953 and led by LV Ménettrier. It received several F4U-7 Corsairs, and was sent to Indochina. Over there, it made its first victories from 1954 over Diên Biên Phu and the Delta of Tonkin. 1,422 missions, 1,834 flight hours, 1,565 t of bombs, 120,000 20 mm shells spent over Indochina.

 

The 15.F whose callsign is "finaud", stayed at Bizerte until April 1955, when it moved to Hyères aboard CV Arromanches. It led pilots' training including carrier qualifications (carquals) until January 20th 1956 when it embarked aboard the Lafayette cruising to Indochina. This campaign lasted three and a half months and the squadron headed back to France in early June.

 

In August 1953, 12F squadron went to Karouba to transition onto its new workhorse: the F4U-7 Corsair. April 13th 1955, the squadron embarked once again on the Lafayette and headed for Indochina. Operational missions were performed from May 2nd to November 14th.

 

The final order for 94 Corsair fighter-bombers came from the French Navy, and were designated F4U-7. They were similar to the fighter bomber variant of the F4U-5. Many of these aircraft saw combat in Indo-China.

 

I'll stick with my sources.

 

LloydNB

[fougamagister]

That's a good idea, but yes, definitely a ground campaign ! I don't know much about this war, but I saw HERE that France had Vampires in Indochina. Could a French or someone confirm it and tell what their role was ?

[PGC]

14F

The unit was born on January 15th 1953 and led by LV Ménettrier. It received several F4U-7 Corsairs, and was sent to Indochina. Over there, it made its first victories from 1954 over Diên Biên Phu and the Delta of Tonkin. 1,422 missions, 1,834 flight hours, 1,565 t of bombs, 120,000 20 mm shells spent over Indochina.

It seems it wasn't the F4U-7, the specific version purchased by the French Navy, but 25 AU-1 models lend by the US Navy, which have been use in Indochina by the 14.F between the 20th of April 54 until the end of the "operations". These AU-1 was send back to the USN in Manille in October and was replaced by the F4U-7.

 

Source (in French)