WIP Viet/French Para,Indochina 1/16.

[amcairns]

Hello All,
Trying something a little different with a Vietnamese in French (colonial)service in Indochina during the 1950,s.
The MAS 36 was made ,then after a casting was cut down to the CR39 version ,which is the weapon our figure holds in his right hand.There will be a second weapon (same type)with stock partially closed draped on the left side.
It should be an interesting paint for those who like Allied three tone camo,with a US reversible top,British para trousers and French webbing.A red beret will be added later to the figure also.
Comments welcome.
Andy

 

[Chris Mortimer]

Hey mate. Another great looking figure. The folds of the cloth are awesome

 

[Mookie]

Looks a great figure Andy!!.Rather a neglected modelling area.Alternative French head would be great as well.IM ALWAYS AMAZED at the rate you get things produced.A fair old production line indeed.
Super work as always!.
All the best from Richard in the u k.

 

[Mark S]

Nice work Andy, interesting subject and a great pose!

 

[Dr Bison]

The paras of the First Indo War have always been a favourite of mine, and all too often the many Vietnamese in those units are just forgotten.
Absolutely fantastic work, Andy - love everything about it. More, please...

Ta

 

[bucsfan21]

Andy, Looking forward to seeing this come to life. Definitely up my alley of interest! PS< Like the idea of an optinal head as well with a beret or floppy hat.

All the Best, Terry Martin-Member of the Atlanta Miniature Figure Society

 

[amcairns]

Thanks for the comments guys.Im not sure about an alternative head as I have purposely made thia fellow short,well 6 heads in height.Im not sure if any native French paras were of small stature.Can anyone advise on this matter please.
Cheers
Andy

 

[Don]

Dont know about small French Paras Andy but this is a lovely figure. Like it as it is and I have to say when a "French" head was mentioned I did think of the size.
Super figure

Don

 

[Dr Bison]

I guess that the average French post-WW2 soldier wasn't as tall as the GIs in Vietnam some 10 - 20 years later. I've sifted through some of my books and found pictures of really tall French paras and of some that were the same size as most of their Vietnamese (and Thai/Laotian/Cambodian) comrades.

Attached you find two pics that show French and Vietnamese legionnaires side by side, and you can see what I mean...


(from: Raymond Guyader: La Légion Etrangère en Indochine 1946-1956. Paris 2011. pages 150/151)

...some very small French guys and one very tall Vietnamese legionnaire.

 

[captnenglish]

This will fit in nicely with my growing FFL figure stash.

 

[amcairns]

Hello All,
Some more progress (with better lighting).I think the trick to building a figure is to try and create movement on a static figure,which is usually reflected in the pose and the drapery,not always easy to do.
A grenade mold will be opened tomorrow and a couple of them will be cast and added to the front waist belt.
Comments welcome.
Andy

 

[Dr Bison]

If anyone wants to know what the little fellow might look like when finished, here's a 1:1 scale impression:


(Source: MILITARIA Magazine, No. 320 (March 2012), p. 25)

 

[Martin Antonenko]

BTW: The unit, those Vietnamese soldiers served in french colonial service was called "Bataillons Parachutistes Vietnamiennes", had 5. Batallions and was founded 1951.

The batallions were the 1., 3., 5. 6. and 7.

Due to the previous name of the unit "Bawouan" the French called the asian paras in the army jargon "Les Bawouans".

The unit faught at "Operation castor" 1953 and Dien Bien Phu 1954.

Cheers

 

[Dr Bison]

It's true that there were altogether five BPVN, with the 1er BPVN formed in 1951, the remaining four battalions being created in 1952/53, but Vietnamese paras also fought in the "French" battalions before and after that. In fact, the first one - the 1er Compagnie Indochinoise Parachutiste (1er CIP) - was integrated into the "1st Colonial Batallion of Para-Commandos" (1er BCCP) as early as 1948.

There were two Indochinese companies in each of the six Colonial para batallions, and one in each of the Metropolitan ones and the Foreign Legion's two BEPs by 1951. As the paras suffered very high losses in the fights against the Viet-Minh, the percentage of locally recruited personnel fighting in the French units rose and rose. In his fantastic book "The Last Valley" - which not only deals with Dien Bien Phu, but the First Indo War in general -Martin Windrow states that "...Indochinese paratroopers typically made up 30 to 50 per cent of unit personnel."

The five BPVN, by the way, were part of the Vietnamese National Army, officially fighting alongside the French Expeditionary Force against the VM. Only one of them - the 5e BPVN - was fighting at DBP.
The Viet-Minh didn't have a lot of sympathy for men they considered as traitors fighting against "their own people" and not many of them survived the aftermath of the fall of Dien Bien Phu on 7 May 1954...

All in all - a fascinating topic!

 

[Martin Antonenko]

You are absolutely right with the 5. Batallion!

I had suggested to Andy alerady a few days ago the following titles for the figure:

"Bawouan", 5eme Bataillons Parachutiste Vietnamienne, "Operation Castor" 1553
or
"Bawouan", 5eme Bataillons Parachutiste Vietnamienne, Dien Bien Phu 1954.

Cheers