RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

[BarryC]

Louis,

It's going to look great once painted and weathered.

Barry

[lmcq11]

It's going to look great once painted and weathered.

Hi Barry, yes, i think so. The tanks were delivered brand new by the Americans in Haiphong, dismantled, flown in parts and reassembled on site. After some time but before the battle started, they were camouflage with yellow paint and local dirt. Then each tank was heavily hammered and damaged during the two month battle. It might not make a pretty sight if i go too far in time. I therefore have to decide at which period i will represent the model. You know my style, i am not very good with mud and dirt...

The construction of the M24 Chaffee is completed, well... still missing the tie downs, first aid kit and some stuff loaded on the vehicle by the crew.

There seems to be many spare tracks variations on the M24, in style and location. View of the spare tracks and holders that are difficult to analyse on the left fender of Conti. Looks like the other tanks at Dien Bien Phu did not have these.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Capture.JPG (47.26 KiB) Viewed 2353 times

This view provided extra details, every bit of shade means there is something there.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Capture2.JPG (23.7 KiB) Viewed 2353 times

I tried to reproduce what i saw. The spare tracks themselves are the same as the ones used to run the vehicle, modified Heng Long metal Sherman double pin tracks.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Modern view of a Chaffee left fender wreck still at Dien Bien Phu, only the broken fender supports remain visible. Notice the coiled bracket on the top left that held the tow cable, running along the fender from the rear shackle to the front glacis. Also notice the damage from small arms fire on the side armor, a silent testimony of the ferocious two month battle where the Chaffee were sent daily to every hot areas.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

The tow cable is installed, i tried to repro the coiled brackets on the right, seen on previous picture.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

The metal tow cable connectors come with the AFV_Model M26 Pershing shackles set. Looks like the French simply deposited it on the glacis.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

At the rear, the tow cable has a curved pin coming out that serves as anchor point.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

View of the turret rear bin locking latch. This is always complicated.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

The turret rear bin latch was reproduced in brass strips and a 0.5mm rod. Also notice the hinges and the locking handles that were installed on the middle deck panel.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

continuing on following post

[lmcq11]

Close up on the latch, second attempt at it, done on a best effort basis. First attempt material used was too thick. Looking big here but it's really small even in 1/16 scale. When such thing is being built, its only through close up pictures that you really see the results for the first time. Not bad for a one hour job, after the experience of the first attempt, even at extreme close up like this. I can see that some improvements can still be done with a cooler head.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

The tools are located on the middle of the right fenders. Reference pictures of the tool mounting are rare. I have two Chaffee walk around books and none of these guys could take a single close up picture of it... These are Tamiya Sherman tools, looks like a very good match. The sprue was purchased separately from AAF museum. Notice the small apparatus on the right of the tool which is a support for the front hatches on each sides when opened.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

There is a three level brass bracket in the middle, each tool is installed in a specific sequence.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Close up on the hatch support. The middle pin is actually an M1.4 bolt, the height is therefore adjustable like the real thing by turning it. The side pin is to keep the main bolt from moving and is an M0.8 bolt with nut.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

When the front hatches are opened, they rest on it.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

A large bracket seen in references was added to the right side of the turret. The two smaller brackets just under it is to store the M2 barrel when unscrewed from the body. The cylinder at the bottom is to hold the M2 cradle upward when dismounted from the top of the turret and my guess is that the M2 body rests on the large bracket when still attached to the cradle. The small shield at the front gives some frontal protection to the dismounted M2.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Locking handles were added to the gunner's hatch on top of the turret. This hatch is non functional considering the removable top for RC electronic access. Its also quite large to leave it open for a figure.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

As mentioned before, the smoke mortar at the front right of the turret was removed at one point during production. Bizarre, smoke grenades should normally be useful and would have been at Dien Bien Phu. The cast location was sealed and used as a base for a secondary radio antenna. I noticed that Conti had a small half circular shield added to the front of it. Also notice the small bracket in the middle of the top facing the mantlet.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Overview of the model, now real close to the finish line.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

[lmcq11]

The Chaffee was an excellent tank in Vietnam for counter insurgency warfare. It was well engineered with good Cadillac engines, light weight with low ground pressure giving good mobility, good armor and armed with a powerful 75mm gun, a rather large caliber for a light tank category who usually got a 37mm. The Chaffee did not give good results in Korea against North Korean T-34/85, the mistake was to use it like a Medium tank, which it wasn't.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Next step, the tank commander, a couple of French Foreign Legion paratrooper riders, and maybe a driver.

Regards, Louis

[lmcq11]

Hi,

LEDs and all electronics are installed. Here is a view under the hook. The control board used was changed to the TK-60 because of the need for the two machine guns.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

And here is a short video of the weapons testing.

phpBB [video]

Regards, Louis

[EAO]

Louis,

Another amazing creation! Your level of attention to detail is truly mind bending! Love everything about it! Carry on!

Cheers,
Eric.

[lmcq11]

Louis,
Another amazing creation! Your level of attention to detail is truly mind bending! Love everything about it! Carry on!

Thanks Eric, i try to make this a multi dimension hobby. Now, i usually take the opportunity to mix history with it, learning about the battle and the men as well. It makes the hobby more interesting. As i am a builder, not a player, my style is to create really detailed scale models in addition to making them come alive with RC features.

This post is for the crew itself, not the riders that will be next. I have decided to create the tank commander and a driver.

The ten tanks at Dien Bien Phu were a detachment of the 1er Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval (1st RCC), an old cavalry unit with history dating back to 1651. Serving in Indochina since 1946 with M5 Stuarts and M8 Greyhounds, two squadrons were equipped with M-24 Chaffees in 1950 from US military aid.

Seen here is Captain Yves Hervouet, commander of the detachment of the three Dien Bien Phu tank platoons, and tank commander of Conti. We can notice right away the beret, the style of headset used, the haircut, the glasses, and what is probably his dress uniform put on for a photo op before the battle started.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Captain Hervouet is seen here coordinating with infantry which are looking more like a group of German Waffen SS than what most people would expect from the French army. The good looking panache of the post WW2 French Paratroopers in Indochina and Algeria is an influence from a breed of new field commanders like Colonel Bigeard. These guys have nothing to do with the "bidasse" of 1939. Hervouet was wounded to both arms later during the battle but continued leading his tank platoons from the command center. He died of sickness, starvation and exhaustion two months after captivity, having been deprived of medical care and medicine by the Vietminh. He was buried on the side of a road, now under the inundated zone of a dam project, resting in peace.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

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Seen here next to Lieutenant Preaud, one of his platoon leader, later becoming General. You can notice that Hervouet seems to display an aristocratic style in the way he stands and holds his cigarettes, but he was a good and well appreciated leader.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

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On this picture, we can see one of the tank crew at Dien Bien Phu, in combat uniform. Crew changed often because individuals were killed or wounded, and were replaced by volunteers who jumped over the battlefield to replace them. When representing a specific crew, the modeller needs to pick a specific day and time. Notice the camo scheme on the Chaffee, light colored lines roughly applied around the tank in a much simpler fashion than Conti.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

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On this picture, we can see that the driver and assistant driver were wearing steel helmets. Hervouet seems to be wearing a dark pullover for the occasion. This picture was very likely taken prior to the start of any fighting, as it would otherwise have presented the Vietminh artillery spotters with an easy high value target.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

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On eBay, there is a Chinese seller that sells two 1/16 resin figures of French soldiers in Indochina. These are likely copies of some other international brand. I purchase 2 sets of both as raw material for this build.

First task for the Tank Commander is to create a combat tunic, but without the webbing and equipment. I therefore removed these using a scalpel, and redrawn lines.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

And plugged the holes for the equipment.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

It has the head of a Foreign Legion soldier but can it be made to look like Hervouet of the 1st RCC. He has a beret but it is worn the way Foreign Legion wears them, meaning on the wrong side compared to the way the 1er RCC wears them. You can compare to the first picture above.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

As veterans would surely notice or be insulted, this need to be fixed. As i have two sets of the same figure but won't be using the same face, i can therefore takes an intact beret from one figure, flip it around, and put it on an intact head of the other. Here, the beret is being removed.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

And then put on the figure after some finetuning. Now this looks like a 1st RCC tank man. The neck was also modified to have the head face strait ahead and not turned sideways.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

continuing on following post

[lmcq11]

And here is my rendition of the 1/16 Tank Commander in resin, Captain Hervouet.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Still very dusty from the transformation, need to do some clean up. The glasses are from Verlinden. The fragile head sets and a cigarette will be put on after painting.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

This is the resin figure used for the driver, an American soldier created to fit a Jeep. It had the components i was looking for. Sold by the same ebay Chinese seller, but i only used the upper torso, head and steel helmet. One arm of this figure is used on Captain Hervouet, heated in the microware and modified to hold on to the TC cupola.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

View of the driver, named Sergent Francois Willer, an Alsacian and a former Waffen SS soldier enlisted by force at 18, veteran of the eastern front and Italy. Captured during the German retreat by the French army, he had found his new family. He escaped Vietminh captivity with a small group and after walking weeks in the jungle, a trek filled with adventure, starvation and suffering, they managed to reach a French outpost with the help of local tribesmen sympathetic to the French, he's one of the few that made it. You can't escape your destiny.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

View of the 1st RCC crew on the tank.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Next step, the Foreign Legion paratroopers and tank riders.

Regards, Louis

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Louis, you wrote that you "usually take the opportunity to mix history with [making RC tanks and figures], learning about the battle and the men as well. It makes the hobby more interesting." What more need one say? I have worked with some highly-acclaimed scholars (not me), fine colleagues, and you match them in your scholarship. It is a pleasure to read your posts and see your handiwork.

[lmcq11]

Thank you Herr Dr. professor for your kind words and encouragements.

This post is for the Foreign Legion paratroopers. Because the soldiers were such a big component of the Dien Bien Phu battle, i wanted to give them the honour of featuring in this tank build. Seen here equipped like American soldiers with US steel helmets but armed with French MAT-49 sub machine guns. The uniforms were large and bulky.

The Legion at the time is estimated to be about 50% German, maybe 10% French, rest from Europe and North Africa, very few from English speaking countries. They look very much like the American airborne troops that the US sent to Vietnam 10 years later, in uniforms and also in their facial expressions. The third soldier from the left seems to be strait out of 1965 after an engagement or a jungle trek. However, the French had to fight a different war. With only about 20 helicopters in all of Indochina at the time, the men would jump out of planes but they generally had to walk back to base, and in many cases, it was "Marche ou Creve" (walk or die), pursued by the enemy through jungle trails or ambushed roads. And forget about Medevac. The French would later develop the concept of the armed transport helicopter assault in time for the Algerian war of Independence.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

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The choice of 1/16 Foreign Legion figures on the market is very limited, i decided to create 3 standing Foreign Legion paratroopers with the material i was able to gather in addition to the tank commander and driver. These will not be sitting on the tank, it would be unrealistic for the kind of battle at DIen Bien Phu, unless soldiers were dead or wounded. The plan is to show the two main figures consulting with the Chaffee Tank commander prior to a joint mission, the other one will just be standing on the tank. Now the puzzle of putting together resin pieces that do not naturally fit together is starting.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

I wanted the paratroopers to be equipped with the US M1 carbine, some with folding stock as shown below.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

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The weapons coming with figures are usually disappointing in details and always broken . It is better to discard these and sign a contract with the experts in order to properly equip the figures with good looking small arms.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

I usually deal with Reedees miniatures for my small arms, below is their resin M1 carbine with folding stock as used by paratroopers. Reedees does not have all the weapons available, but they have the major ones. Wish they had a Mat-49 though but they don't. You can see the difference in finesse between the M1 below and the one above coming with the figure.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

They also have the standard stock M1 carbine that will equip one soldier.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

The resin figure used for the two main paratroopers is a Foreign Legion figure equipped for a 2 week mission in the jungle. As the battles involving tanks at Dien Bien Phu were mostly counter attacks only about 2km from base and uphill... these figures needed to be lightened, loading up on ammo, water, med kit and some food. Most of the backpack will be removed while allowing for variation between the two figures that use the same base. The third figure is using the same base as the tank commander.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

And after a lot of cutting, kit bashing, microwaving and improvisation regarding the poses for arms, legs and heads, these are the three 1/16 Foreign Legion paratroopers i created. Figures really help making the model come alive and provide an additional dimension to the tank build.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Two of the paratroopers, officers, are coordinating their next action with the tank commander, Yves Hervouet. These three figures will obviously only be used for static display.

RC 1/16 M-24 Chaffee light tank- Dien Bien Phu 1954 - Build

Continuing on following post.