Comrade To Vinh Dien (1924-1954) was the first anti-aircraft artillery hero to fall on the Dien Bien Phu front. He was posthumously awarded the Second Class Military Exploit Medal and the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the Party and State. At the time of his death, he was the 37mm anti-aircraft artillery squad leader of Company 827, Battalion 394, Air Defense Regiment 367.
Hero To Vinh Dien - the 26-year-old steadfast battery commander who sacrificed himself to save the artillery during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Photo: VNA archive
Exemplary, leading the way, excellently completing assigned tasks Comrade To Vinh Dien was born in 1924, from Nong Truong commune, Nong Cong district (now Trieu Son district), Thanh Hoa province. In 1946, Comrade To Vinh Dien joined the local militia. In 1949, he volunteered to join the army, fighting in many positions and units. He was always exemplary, leading the way, excellently completing assigned tasks and was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam. In May 1953, our army established the first anti-aircraft artillery units to prepare for the big battle. To Vinh Dien was summoned to join the soon-to-be-established anti-aircraft artillery force. When the anti-aircraft unit was established, he and his unit went to Nanning, Guangxi province (China) for training. During the training period, To Vinh Dien was assigned as Deputy Platoon Leader of Company 829, Battalion 394, Regiment 367 and was admitted to the Vietnam Workers' Party (now the Communist Party of Vietnam). In December 1953, To Vinh Dien and his unit returned to Vietnam and immediately marched to Dien Bien Phu to prepare to participate in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. He was assigned to Company 827, Battalion 394, Air Defense Regiment 367, as Platoon Leader of a 37mm anti-aircraft artillery. Bravely sacrificing himself to block the artillery wheel From January 16 to 24, 1954, with the assistance of infantry and engineers, artillery units, including To Vinh Dien's unit, began to pull the artillery by human power to the assembly position to participate in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. On the long march of about 1,000km and when pulling the artillery through difficult and arduous roads, To Vinh Dien always volunteered to drive the artillery, set an example, and encouraged his teammates to bring the artillery to the assembly point safely. To ensure the Dien Bien Phu Campaign was sure to win, on January 26, 1954, the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command decided to change the combat plan from "Fight fast, win fast" to "Fight steady, advance steady". Artillery units received orders from the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command to coordinate with the infantry to pull the artillery out, including To Vinh Dien's unit. Pulling the artillery in was arduous and difficult, pulling the artillery out was even more difficult and challenging. Whenever encountering dangerous roads, To Vinh Dien always volunteered to stay in difficult positions to ensure the safety of the artillery. On the night of February 1, 1954, it was raining, the road was slippery, on the way to pull the artillery out, to Chuoi slope - a 70 degree slope, narrow and very dangerously curved - To Vinh Dien and comrade Ty volunteered to drive the artillery. Halfway, the winch broke, the artillery rushed down the slope, To Vinh Dien still calmly held the wheel, steering the artillery straight down the road. But unfortunately, one of the four artillery pulling ropes broke again, the artillery rushed even faster, comrade Ty was thrown into the stream. In that dangerous situation, To Vinh Dien shouted to his comrades "Rather sacrifice, determined to protect the artillery" and let go of the wheel, ran forward, using his body to block the artillery wheel. The artillery got stuck, leaned against the mountainside and stopped. The unit managed to stop the artillery, and brought To Vinh Dien out. When his comrades came to his rescue, he only had time to ask: "Is there anything wrong with the artillery?" then exhausted, sacrificed. It was 2:30 a.m. on February 1, 1954. The whole front admired To Vinh Dien's example of sacrificing to save the artillery, and he was followed by the soldiers to bring the artillery to safety. He was awarded the First Class Military Exploit Medal. On May 7, 1956, comrade To Vinh Dien was posthumously awarded the Second Class Military Exploit Medal by the Party and the State and the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces according to Decision No. 118/LCT. Relics of Martyr To Vinh Dien at the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum: In the display system of the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, there are thousands of valuable documents and artifacts, including a special group of artifacts, which are relics of Hero of the People's Armed Forces To Vinh Dien. Although the artifacts are simple, rustic, and small, they contain historical value and sacred sentiment. - Knife: made of steel, 40cm long, 5.2cm wide. This is a relic that has been associated with comrade To Vinh Dien. According to comrade Tran Quoc Tran, former platoon leader of comrade To Vinh Dien, on the afternoon of February 1, 1954, comrade To Vinh Dien used this knife to go into the forest to cut trees to camouflage the artillery to avoid detection by French planes. - Canteen: 18cm high, 3.3cm in diameter, 37cm in circumference, made of military green aluminum. The canteen has the word Pham 83 on it. This is the canteen issued during the time comrade To Vinh Dien attended a course on artillery in Nanning - China. - Iron bowl: similar to the canteen, this iron bowl was also issued during the time comrade To Vinh Dien attended a course on artillery in Nanning - China. - Cotton coat: this is the coat comrade To Vinh Dien wore during the time he pulled the cannon. Although the weather was cold in winter, the coat was soaked with sweat while pulling the cannon. The coat has faded but its historical value is still intact as a testament to the determination and courage of the comrade in particular and of the Dien Bien soldiers in general. Currently, the remains of martyr To Vinh Dien have been collected by the State and buried at A1 Hill Cemetery, Dien Bien City, Dien Bien Province. The relic of the old hand-pulled artillery road has been built, where there is a monumental artillery pulling monument simulating the scene of the artillery platoon of comrade To Vinh Dien pulling the artillery through the forest, uphill to the battlefield. The place where comrade To Vinh Dien sacrificed his life also has a stele to honor his "selfless sacrifice for the country" action. - The 37mm artillery, numbered 510681, produced by the Soviet Union in 1939, (currently on display at the Air Defense - Air Force Museum) associated with the sacrifice of martyr To Vinh Dien was recognized by the Prime Minister as a National Treasure in the first phase (October 1, 2012) along with 29 other typical artifacts in the system of museums and national monuments of Vietnam. - The name of martyr To Vinh Dien has been given to many streets and schools in many provinces and cities across the country. [Source: Portrait of heroes in the Ho Chi Minh era, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2002, p. 162; Stories of Dien Bien Phu Victory, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2024, p. 190, 191]
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