50 years of national reunification: April 11, 1975 - Our army attacked Song Tu Tay island

Our army attacked Song Tu Tay island.

Implementing the directive of the General Command on liberating the Truong Sa archipelago, the Navy Command immediately deployed the attack plan.

At 4:00 a.m. on April 11, 1975, the units left Da Nang military port and headed out to sea. The first target chosen was Song Tu Tay, an island in the Truong Sa archipelago, guarded by a platoon of Saigon troops.

The attacking force included: Team 1/Special Forces Group 126, which had sunk many enemy ships in Cua Viet; a firepower unit of Battalion 471/Military Region 5; transport ships 673, 674, 675 of Naval Group 125, which were "numberless" ships with a lot of experience traveling around the Truong Sa archipelago.

On the Eastern front of Saigon, the battle of Xuan Loc was still fierce. The puppet army mobilized the remaining air force to the maximum. General Le Minh Dao, commander of the puppet 18th division, boasted that he would fight a heroic battle to show the world and to get the US to increase aid.

On April 11, 1975, the 7th Division continued to attack the rear base of the 5th Armored Regiment, the 52nd Battalion, and the 18th puppet Division, but were all stopped by the enemy.

Faced with the above situation, the Regional Command suggested: switching to fighting the enemy on the outer perimeter mainly, leaving only one division with technical weapons to hold the captured areas in the town and surround the remaining enemy areas.

Our army attacked Xuan Loc town, the enemy's key defensive base protecting Saigon from the Northeast. (Photo: VNA)

While continuing to besiege and attack Xuan Loc town, a large force of ours was ordered to cut off Route 15 (Long Binh-Ba Ria), control Long Tau River and Bien Hoa airport, prevent enemy air force from taking off, draw the enemy to this direction and keep the enemy here until the Saigon-Gia Dinh attack campaign began.

At the Vinh Tra front (Military Region 9), following orders from the Regional Command, on the night of April 11-12, Regiment 1 (missing 1 battalion) heavily damaged Ba Cang sub-region and destroyed enemy artillery positions.

Regiment 3 heavily damaged Binh Minh sub-region (Cai Von), destroyed Dong Thanh commune sub-region; destroyed and forced the withdrawal of 13 posts, liberated a section south of Hau River.

In the north of Cai Von, the 1st Battalion of Vinh Long province destroyed the rear base of the security battalion and the My Thuan sub-region.

On April 11, the leading unit of the 2nd Corps arrived at Cam Ranh. The 3rd Division, with the help of the people of Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Khanh Hoa provinces, was able to move all its forces to the North of Phan Rang to organize the battle.

In just the first three months of Spring 1975, Viet Bac and Tay Bac had exceeded the target of three troop transfers. In all provinces in the area, "not a single soldier was missing."

Also during this time, the Viet Bac and Tay Bac armed forces sent combat, engineering, and transport units to the front lines to serve the campaign.

The production army regiment was also established, consisting of 1,350 people, with weapons, plows, hoes, shovels... marching into the Central Highlands to take over the newly liberated area./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/50-nam-thong-nhat-dat-nuoc-ngay-1141975-quan-ta-tien-cong-dao-song-tu-tay-post1027054.vnp