Tobacco Farm Skirmish
58-59 Kilometer
การปะทะที่ไร่ยาสูบ
Km 58-59 Tobacco Farm Skirmish (การปะทะที่ไร่ยาสูบ) is a Skirmish involving Chanthaburi Division's Marines and a platoon of French, which occurred on 20th December 1940.
NOTE: This is a direct translation from 2483RG post
about the Skirmish Report, the translation may not be accurate.
Map of the Tobacco Farm
Dark Green=Forest/Treeline
Green=Tree Farm (idk what they produced)
Light Green=Tobacco
Light Khaki=Road
Darker Khaki=Field/Soil
Brown=Warehouse (likely)
(the map is made from the modern satellite image, it may be different to that in 1940)
Background
The Kingdom of Thailand wanted the boundary change, which Thailand wanted the border to be drawn based on the Mekong River, but also some parts on the right bank, especially Pakse and Luang Prabang.
However, Vichy France refused to accept the proposals, and as a result, the Franco-Thai War began as a border dispute lasting from October 1940 to 5 January 1941. This period saw frequent clashes, artillery exchanges, and aerial bombardments.
The Tobacco Farm Skirmish is one example.
Pre-Skirmish and Order of Battle
Since 9th December, Thai Marines and Chanthaburi Field Police have deployed at the border of Thai-French Indochina through a series of Guard points.
Thailand's patrols initially consisted of 20 Marines from the 6th Company, 2nd Marine Battalion, and 10 Chanthaburi Field Policemen.
French forces consisted of 40 soldiers (Platoon-size), primarily indigenous soldiers with French Officers and NCOs, the French also brought 3 LMGs. It's likely to be either Tirailleurs Cambodgiens (Cambodians) or Tirailleurs Tonkinois (Tonkinese)
Units position before the first contact
Skirmish
In the late morning of 20th December (11:50 AM), Thai Marines deployed a patrol to the Tobacco Farms next to the Bung Chanang Central House. The Tobacco Farms were open fields without border fences or markings, meaning any patrols could enter the wrong sides of the border.
Thai patrols began moving from a flat border road to a tobacco farm. When the patrol emerged from the bush, they came into contact with a French patrol hiding in a tree. Thai patrol fired back at the French (?).
When the patrol heard gunshots, the Thai patrol rushed to control and expanded the line along the bush line. When the gunfires briefly calmed down, the French patrol rushed out of the forest line into a warehouse made from stumps and logged woods in the tobacco farm. The French side, about 200 meters away, started firing at the Thai patrol all the way.
The Thai side, stationed at Wat Bueng Chanang (or Ban Bueng Chanang Klang), heard the sound of skirmish and sent in reinforcements consisting of 2 marine squads, and a field police unit (supposedly squad size). They moved in and flanked the French from the side. Being flanked from both sides, the French had to flee.
Units movement during Skirmish
Aftermath
The French suffered 5 killed, and 7 wounded. The dead French soldiers' bodies were buried in the forest not far from the battlefield.
The Thais suffered no casualty.
However, the French report says "On December 23, the unit of Lieutenant Jalin attacked and killed approximately 20 Thai soldiers patrolling in the area of Pailin, Cambodia," - according to the records of General de Boisboissel, commander of the Cambodia Defensive Sector.