Touching meeting of soldiers participating in the Dien Bien Phu in the air campaign

Hai Duong City leaders presented flowers to congratulate the meeting.

Attending the ceremony were Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Phiet, former Deputy Commander of Politics, Air Defense Service (now Air Defense - Air Force Service) along with air defense veterans living in Hai Duong City and guests.

In the warm atmosphere of the meeting, the delegates together recalled the memories of the days participating in the campaign. 50 years have passed, but the days of fighting steadfastly and bravely to protect the peace of Hanoi's sky are still intact in the memories of the soldiers who directly participated in the campaign. As the commander of the unit that shot down a B52 bomber in Hanoi, Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Chat, Hero of the People's Armed Forces shared: "Today I am very lucky to meet again the comrades and teammates who went through life and death with me. I am extremely moved, happy but also extremely sorry for my teammates who unfortunately sacrificed their lives in the past". The former Battalion Commander, Missile Battalion 72, Regiment 285 continued that at that time (late December 1972), his unit was fighting in Hai Phong when it was assigned the task of recovering military equipment and marching to the Dai Chu battlefield, Yen Phong (Bac Ninh). After many joint combat operations to destroy enemy aircraft, on the night of December 27, 1972, the Battalion reported to its superiors to request permission to attack an independent flight path. With the consent of the Command Center, he assigned his comrades to prepare weapons and equipment to be ready for combat. Lieutenant Colonel Chat's combat team consisted of him as the Battalion Commander directly in command and 4 other comrades, one in charge of control, one in charge of gunnery...

Lieutenant General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Van Phiet recounts the moment of shooting down two B52 planes

After observing, seeing a group of planes appear southeast of Hanoi, he ordered the control officer to turn the antenna towards that direction to eliminate the interference. With the experience and sensitivity of an air defense soldier, he analyzed and determined the difference between B52 interference and F4 support aircraft interference. He ordered the unit to wait for the F4 group to circle out and then shift the focus to firmly follow the B52 target. At the same time, he also ordered to abandon the interference attack tactic and switch to close-to-target attack. When the gunners announced that the target had been locked on the screen, he immediately ordered to launch missiles. 2 bullets tore through the night and flew straight into the B52 flying into the Hanoi sky. The resounding victory of the Battalion was praised and commended by General Vo Nguyen Giap the very next morning (December 28, 1972) when the General personally inspected the scene. Today, the fuselage of this B52 aircraft still lies in the middle of Huu Tiep Lake as a proud testament to the air defense soldiers of the past in the Dien Bien Phu in the air campaign.

Delegates attending the 50th anniversary meeting of Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air

Lieutenant General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Van Phiet, former Deputy Commander of Politics, Air Defense - Air Force, said that at the time of the 12-day and night campaign Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air, he was the Battalion Commander of Battalion 57, Hanoi Air Defense Division. He said that on the night of December 20 and early morning of December 21, 1972, his Battalion received orders to engage in level 1 combat. His superiors assigned the unit the task of destroying a group of B52s attacking the Yen Vien area (Gia Lam). His team at that time consisted of him as Battalion Commander, 1 control officer and 3 gunners. After checking the equipment, he discovered that there were only 3 shells left on the base, while there were 6 B52s in the sky. In theory, 2-3 shells would run out of ammunition to hit a group of B52s, but the division leadership directed that ammunition must be saved, so he asked his superiors to let him "pecker" the attack. At around 5am, when the first B52 entered the center at a distance of 32km, he ordered the first missile to be launched but could not control it. The second missile was controlled at a distance of 28km and caught and destroyed the B52. Outside, his teammates and superiors shouted that the plane was on fire. "After 10 minutes, the second group entered at a distance of 45km, we launched another missile, the second one was shot down and fell in the Nui Doi area. So in just 10 minutes with 2 missiles, we destroyed 2 B52s", said Lieutenant General Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Van Phiet.

Delegates were moved to meet again after 50 years of participating in the Dien Bien Phu in the air campaign.

In his emotional speech, Colonel Nguyen Minh De, Head of the Liaison Committee of the Hai Duong City Air Defense Veterans Association, was moved when recalling the US's declaration that the Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air campaign was to "crush" Hanoi, turn Hanoi into a brickless city and return it to the "stone age", and at the same time, sending a large number of B52 "flying fortresses" to Vietnam, which further strengthened the spirit and determination of our army and people. He said that the strength of the US strategic air force at that time was very large compared to ours, not only reflected in the massive nature of the large number of B52 aircraft but also in the modern and extremely powerful electronic jamming system aimed at threatening, suppressing, and neutralizing our air defense forces, making it difficult for us to predict and intercept. However, during the 12-day and night Dien Bien Phu in the air campaign, dozens of B52s were detected, jammed, and shot down by our units.

Performance by air defense veterans

The victory of Dien Bien Phu in the air once again affirmed the bravery and intelligence of Vietnam, which is the decisive factor in all victories of our nation against the invaders. In this common victory, there were extremely important contributions from many generations of cadres, soldiers, and professional soldiers from Hai Duong. There were comrades who were control officers, pilots, gunners, radar, information, and reporting officers... Many comrades were injured while on duty but still steadfastly held on, fighting until the last moment to keep peace in the airspace of Hanoi in particular and the whole country in general. Proud of the victory of Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air, many of the former air defense soldiers, now old, are always enthusiastic and passionate in participating in local activities, setting exemplary examples for their children and grandchildren to follow...

HA VY