Coal Industry Self-Defense Force: Proud to contribute to the resounding victory

60 years ago, on August 2 and 5, 1964, the army and people of many coastal provinces in the North bravely fought and repelled the American destroyer Madoc that invaded the northern waters of our country. This victory contributed to encouraging the entire Party, the entire army, and the entire people to compete to fight the enemy and gain achievements, determined to gain national independence and unify the country. To make this glorious victory, there was a significant contribution from the self-defense forces of the Coal Industry.

The traditional room of Hon Gai Coal Selection Company still preserves many historical documents related to the victory of the first battle in 1964.

Going back in history, in 1964, with the intention of carrying out a destructive war by air and naval forces in the North, the US imperialists created the "Gulf of Tonkin Incident" as an excuse to attack and sabotage the North, in order to prevent us from providing human and material support to the battlefield in the South. On August 5, 1964, the US mobilized more than 60 aircraft, divided into 3 waves of simultaneous attacks on economic, military targets and naval bases of Vietnam from Quang Binh to Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ninh.

In that unequal battle, the Party Committee, people, armed forces of Quang Ninh province in general and the Coal Industry Self-Defense Force in particular were unanimous and wholeheartedly ready to fight to protect the Mining Area. With the support and coordination of the air defense unit, the Vietnamese Navy shot down 8 modern jet planes, capturing Lieutenant E. Alvarez. The US Air Force and Navy suffered heavy defeats and were forced to withdraw from the Northern sea area. The victory of the first battle of the Navy and the Northern army and people affirmed the indomitable will of the Vietnamese people not to submit to any invaders.

60 years have passed, but in the memories of those who participated in the self-defense force of the Hon Gai Wharf Enterprise (now the Hon Gai Coal Selection Company), the echo of the victory of the first battle is still intact in their minds. Mr. Vu The Xuan, a former self-defense force of the Hon Gai Wharf Enterprise, shared: On August 20, 1960, the Hon Gai Wharf Self-defense Force was born at the same time as the establishment of the Hon Gai Wharf Enterprise. The 37mm anti-aircraft artillery position of the self-defense force participated in many battles, including the battle against the US Air Force on August 5, 1964, which was the victory in the first battle against the US invasion and attack on the North.

“Before the US attacked the Mining Area in 1964, we were trained in low-altitude infantry shooting. That day, US aircraft continuously bombed the Hon Gai area, where coal factories and enterprises were within the enemy's range of attack. Upon receiving the information, the Hon Gai wharf self-defense force immediately took up combat positions to protect the enterprise. After hours of fierce gunfights from artillery positions on August 5, 1964, we continuously received good news when the air defense force shot down the plane and captured the pilot. After this resounding victory, the Hon Gai wharf self-defense force was equipped with heavy machine guns and participated in the 37mm anti-aircraft artillery position. This was an honor that added motivation and confidence, helping us to be ready to fight the enemy in the following battles,” Mr. Vu The Xuan shared.

The standing force of the Dang Ba Hat 37mm anti-aircraft artillery company participates in weekly training.

Mr. Bui Van Inh, a former militia of Ha Tu Coal Joint Stock Company, said: Although he did not directly participate in the historic confrontation in 1964, according to the stories of those who participated in the battle that year, the Ha Tu artillery site was one of the most fierce and arduous fighting locations. The militia participating in the Ha Tu artillery site coordinated with other forces to fire back for many hours to chase away enemy aircraft from the northern sky. The unit's militia had to go through many hardships to contribute to a resounding victory.

After the first victory, when returning to celebrate the Lunar New Year of At Ty (1965) in the Mining Region, Uncle Ho praised the army and people of Quang Ninh on August 5, 1964 for giving the warmongering American imperialists a worthy lesson. Following Uncle Ho's teachings, in the following years, the company's self-defense force organized both production and combat with the spirit of "The battlefield is home, the Mining Region is homeland", "Steady hands on hammers, steady hands on guns", "The enemy destroys one, we compensate with two, three" and continued to achieve feats in repelling the enemy from shelling the Mining Region in 1972.

60 years have passed since the resounding victory of the first battle, the locations that were once the heroic battlefields such as Dang Ba Hat Hill, the old ferry, Hon Gai coal processing plant... have undergone many changes and developments along with the indomitable Mining Region. In the renovation process, the self-defense units of the Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group (TKV) always remember the lessons from the victory of the first battle of the army and people of the Mining Region. In peacetime, the self-defense force of the Coal industry is promoting its tradition of continuing to improve the quality of training and combat readiness, contributing to ensuring safety for production development, actively contributing to the military and national defense tasks of the locality.

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