Tank stands as reminder of victory over French
(VOV) - Sixty years have elapsed since the Dien Bien Phu Battle ended, the M24 Chaffee tank has stood in Muong Thanh rice field as the remaining vestige of the French expeditionary force, conceding their bitter defeat in Dien Bien.
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Lying next to Muong Thanh Airport, M24 Chaffee was manufactured in 1943 in the US and was used in World War II. |
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During the battle of Dien Bien Phu, it was great pride of the French expeditionary force |
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Braving the weather, the tank’s iron wheels have become stained and rusty now. |
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Sixty years ago, the tank was used to protect entrenched fortification of Muong Thanh Airport |
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The tank was downed by 105mm artillery Company 802 under the Artillery Regiment 45 on April 23, 1954. |
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It has become a historical relic, synonymous with the bitter defeat of the French army in the Dien Bien basin |
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The tank is the only relic in the Dien Bien relic complex left in the open air. |
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Lying in the middle of the rice field, the tank’s main gun hangs down, showing that the war was a long time ago. |
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Local farmers have been familiar with the standing of the tank for the past six decades. |
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Next to the tank is a stone stele recording the victory of Vietnamese soldiers during a battlefield at Muong Thanh Airport from April 24-29, 1954. |
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Dien Bien province plans to move the rusty structure to another place to make way for Muong Thanh Airport upgrade. |
