Liberation Army captured Thanh Son airport (Ninh Thuan). (Photo: Dinh Quang Thanh/VNA)
Phan Rang is a town of Ninh Thuan province, 351km north of Saigon.
There is Thanh Son airport and two seaports, Tan Thanh and Ninh Chu; there is the main road No. 1 and the railway running through, connecting Saigon with the newly liberated Central provinces.
On April 15, 1975, the Division Command proposed to Lieutenant General Le Trong Tan and Lieutenant General Le Quang Hoa to let Division 325 enter combat.
With the approval of the Corps, a new plan to attack Phan Rang was formed.
Studying the enemy's reaction after two days of Division 3's attack, the Command of Division 325 and the Corps realized that the enemy paid great attention to utilizing the power of artillery to support the infantry in holding defensive positions.
Due to the special terrain of Phan Rang valley, our forces advancing from the North could only deploy forces to attack Phan Rang in one direction, so the enemy relied on high points and favorable terrain to organize into consecutive defensive clusters along Highway 1.
When the outer cluster was broken, the enemy retreated and kept the inner cluster as a springboard to bring the forces behind to counterattack and restore the lost positions.
The enemy defended like that, our combat strategy was: organize a strong penetrating force, using wheeled vehicles combined with tanks to transport forces, attack straight along Highway 1 to occupy Phan Rang town, then spread out to the East to occupy Tan Thanh and Ninh Chu ports, tightening the sea route; follow Highway 11 to attack northwest to occupy Thanh Son airport, cutting off the air route; continue to develop south of Phan Rang town to block the remaining road routes.
Coordinating with the attacks of Division 3 and local forces, we quickly surrounded, destroyed and disintegrated the entire garrison in Ninh Thuan, liberating the area.
To perform this attack, one of the most important requirements is to act quickly, boldly, and unexpectedly.
On the night of April 15, the entire force of the Division deployed to Highway 1.
The Division Command's determination was to use the 101st Infantry Regiment with the 4th Tank and Armored Battalion attached as the main force to break into the enemy's defensive group in Phan Rang. The 18th Infantry Regiment was in reserve.
Leading the attack formation was the 1st Infantry Battalion riding on 20 tanks and armored vehicles of the 4th Battalion. The rest of the 1st Battalion rode on wheeled vehicles interspersed with tanks and armored vehicles.
Behind the 1st Battalion's formation were the light Command Post vehicles of the 101st Regiment and the 325th Division.
Following behind was the convoy carrying the 2nd Infantry Battalion and the 3rd Infantry Battalion, accompanied by the 120th Battalion, 284th Regiment, 673rd Anti-Aircraft Division, ready to shoot down enemy aircraft to protect the attacking formation.
Behind the 101st Regiment's formation was the 18th Regiment's convoy, always ready to launch when ordered.
Regarding the organization of supporting firepower, the Division deployed a number of 85mm long-barreled guns and 37mm anti-aircraft guns of the 84th Regiment in the formation of the 101st Regiment, ready to organize direct fire and shoot down enemy aircraft to protect the deep penetration formation.
The remaining forces of the 84th Artillery Regiment advanced close to Du Long district, setting up firing positions on both sides of Highway 1. The artillery command vehicle accompanied the team.
By the morning of April 16, 1975, our army completely liberated Phan Rang town and Ninh Thuan province.
In the Xuan Loc Campaign, on April 15, 1975, our army changed the direction of attack. Early in the morning, we used artillery to fire at Bien Hoa airport.
At the same time, the 6th Division and the 95A Regiment focused on destroying the puppet 52nd Battalion in Dau Giay, capturing 12 artillery pieces and all tanks of the enemy's 3rd Armored Battalion.
National Highway 1A from Xuan Loc to Bau Ca was cut off. National Highway 20 from Dau Giay intersection to Tuc Trung was completely controlled by us.
At the same time, the Coastal Army broke the Phan Rang "steel shield", liberated Phan Thiet and Ham Tan; at the same time, advanced into the Rung La area, directly threatening Xuan Loc.
Meanwhile, in the Xuan Loc area, the 7th Division and the 341st Division continued to attack, defeating the 43rd and 48th Divisions, and heavily depleting the enemy's 1st Airborne Brigade.
Also on April 15, 1975, the Standing Committee of the Regional Party Committee and the Military Region 9 Committee met to assess the situation: On the battlefield, our great victory had an impact on the enemy in the Mekong Delta. However, the enemy's intention to hold Can Tho was clearly revealed...
The capture of Can Tho, in coordination with the force capturing Saigon, could not be carried out, because at this time we had not yet finished resolving Xuan Loc.
With a positive and proactive spirit of attack, the armed forces of the Military Region continuously attacked the positions and units of the puppet army, creating favorable conditions to capture Can Tho later.
On April 15, 1975, General Vo Nguyen Giap sent a letter to the General Staff's Cipher Department, in which he wrote: During the recent urgent campaign days, the officers and soldiers of the cipher department have excellently completed their tasks. The battle is currently continuing and the closer it gets to total victory, the more urgent and fierce it becomes. The task of ensuring the accurate and timely secrecy of the content of orders... is of decisive significance to the implementation of the determination to liberate the South./.
(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/50-nam-thong-nhat-dat-nuoc-ngay-1541975-tran-chien-o-phan-rang-dien-ra-ac-liet-post1027775.vnp
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