Dien Bien Phu Campaign: On April 12, 1954, Company 828 of Battalion 394 shot down the 50th enemy plane.
On the enemy side: Nava studied and planned to implement the "Condo" plan, a plan to rescue the army stationed at Dien Bien Phu and flee to Laos.
On our side: By April 11, 1954, that is, entering the second phase of the campaign for more than 10 days, anti-aircraft and artillery troops had shot down and damaged 49 enemy aircraft of all types. In order to encourage forces across the front to participate in shooting down enemy aircraft, the Campaign Command directed the launch of a competition movement to shoot down the 50th aircraft. Realizing that the opportunity to make achievements at a crucial moment had come, and at the same time, it was also an opportunity to eliminate the "idol" of the French air force, the 367th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment focused on researching ways to attack the "flying fortress" B-24. During the research process, our troops learned that this was a four-engine bomber, and from the ground, if counting the nose of the aircraft, it looked like it had 5 heads, so our troops often called it a 5-headed aircraft. The B-24 had a fairly large carrying capacity, often flying at a level altitude, dropping bombs at an altitude of 3,000m to 3,500m. Although it was a type of aircraft with many superior features compared to other types, the B-24 was not without inherent disadvantages such as unstable flight path, large size, and when operating at altitude, it was often within the effective firing range of the 37mm anti-aircraft gun. Thus, if the timing was right, the shooting was accurate, and the weapon's full capabilities were utilized, it would definitely destroy this "five-headed" enemy.
12.7mm artillery position shooting down enemy aircraft supplying the Dien Bien Phu stronghold. Photo: VNA archive
Without having to wait long, at noon on April 12, 1954, Company 828 of Battalion 394 discovered the "5-headed" B-24 sneaking into the battlefield area. That day, Deputy Company Commander Nguyen Do Huu was in command, waiting for the plane to lower its altitude and enter effective firing range, he loudly ordered the battery teams to open fire simultaneously. The "flying fortress" was hit by concentrated anti-aircraft fire, cutting the cockpit off from the body, crashing straight into Ban Keo field, carrying bombs that had not yet committed the crime. This was the 50th plane shot down and destroyed in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and also the first B-24 to be shot down on the Vietnam battlefield. Witnessing with their own eyes the scene of the "flying fortress" being knocked down by anti-aircraft artillery right at the front, our soldiers were extremely satisfied, the brothers near the plane crash site rushed out to climb on the B-24's wreckage and cheered. The news of the “flying fortress” being shot down quickly spread throughout the units, our soldiers were extremely happy because the “idol” of the French air force had lost its sacredness before our anti-aircraft fire. These bombs were provided to the engineers with explosives to place inside the A1 hill in early May. The difficulty for the French pilots was not only in the increasingly concentrated anti-aircraft fire, but also in the fact that the two opposing sides were too close to each other.
Wreckage of a B-24 plane crashed on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. Photo: Archive
The French had to switch to parachuting food and ammunition at night. There were nights when the base received over 200 tons of supplies. The food situation of the base improved slightly. This way the transport planes were also safer. But parachute collection still had to be done during the day.
* Coordinate with Dien Bien Phu battlefield:
- At Inter-zone 5, we ambushed and attacked the enemy on Highway 19 from Pleiku to An Khe, destroying 22 enemy vehicles.
(excerpt)
1. General Vo Nguyen Giap: Complete Memoirs, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2010.
2. General Hoang Van Thai: Complete Works, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2007.
3. Dien Bien Phu Campaign - Facts and Figures/Nguyen Van Thiet-Le Xuan Thanh, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2014.
4. Dien Bien Phu - seen from two sides, Thanh Nien Publishing House, 2004.
5. Dien Bien Phu - Historical Rendezvous/Memories of General Vo Nguyen Giap by writer Huu Mai, Information and Communication Publishing House, 2018.
According to People's Army Newspaper
Source
Comment (0)