March 30, 1954: The second attack on Dien Bien Phu stronghold began.

At the C1 stronghold, the attack of the 98th Regiment under the command of Regiment Commander Vu Lang took place quickly. After only 15 minutes, we had cleared the door through 7 layers of barbed wire. Seizing the opportunity, our troops with just one charge captured the highest bunker, and the spearhead squad leader Nguyen Thien Cai planted the "Determined to fight, determined to win" flag on the roof of the enemy command post.

The enemy was forced into the western bunkers, and artillery was called in to fire on our positions.

The brave soldiers used bayonets and grenades to fight hand-to-hand, smashing three enemy counterattacks.

In just 45 minutes, the C1 battle ended. We destroyed and captured an entire company of 140 enemies from Battalion 1, Regiment 4 Morocco, we suffered 10 casualties.

For the first victory, General Vo Nguyen Giap sent a telegram praising Regiment 98 and awarded the Third Class Military Exploit Medal to Battalion 125.

At stronghold E, Regiment 141 opened fire while the enemy was changing troops, and their forces were exposed outside the fortifications with full equipment. The enemy troops panicked and fled, pushing each other, and the enemy mortar company was destroyed by our artillery before it could fire. The two attacking forces of Battalion 16 and Battalion 428 quickly opened the door through the barbed wire fence and minefield, charging and overwhelming the enemy troops. After an hour of fighting, our troops occupied the entire stronghold. After that, they organized firepower to support the Regiment's deep thrust, and at the same time controlled the enemy artillery at height 210.

At 19:45, Regiment 141 completed the mission of destroying stronghold E.

At the D1 hill area, the 209th Regiment attacked smoothly on the main direction. After opening the gate, our troops quickly charged into the base, penetrating deep to divide the enemy formation to destroy it. On the secondary direction, because the enemy filled the trenches, we encountered mud, opened the gate slowly, were blocked by enemy fire, and took nearly an hour to enter the fort.

By 8:00 p.m., Regiment 209 completed the mission of destroying Hill D1.

In the A1 hill area, the battle of the 174th Regiment (316th Division) was not favorable. Due to the loss of contact with the Division from the beginning, they did not receive orders to attack. After C1 was destroyed, the artillery changed direction and fired at A1. The Regiment opened the gate and it took more than an hour to clear the way. When we charged, the enemy artillery fired fiercely at the open gate; enemy fire was concentrated on the demolition force to break through the fence. It took more than half an hour for the two attacking forces to cross 100m of the fence and minefield and enter the enemy post.

Our forces suffered heavy losses, but with a brave spirit, they still charged forward and poured into the enemy base. The fighting was extremely fierce, the enemy relied on fortifications to resist fiercely, then retreated into underground bunkers. The enemy used artillery to pound the hilltop, causing many casualties on our troops. Regiment 174 brought in reserve forces to fight, but at this time the enemy concentrated firepower on A1, our attacks still could not overcome the enemy's firepower. The fighting at A1 continued to drag on until the morning of March 31.

Also in the afternoon and night of March 30, the Campaign Command also used forces to form 3 deep thrusts with the mission of destroying the artillery position at 210 and attacking the forces stationed in the inner circle, disrupting the enemy's defensive position. However, the situation was not favorable, the deep thrust force developed difficult combat. Although causing many losses to the enemy, it did not achieve the set goal. Late at night, the enemy's firepower became more active, they organized fierce resistance. The fighting of our troops on the eastern highlands slowed down.

During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, many humane orders were issued, demonstrating the concern of the Party and the Command for the soldiers, as well as calling for the fighting spirit of our troops. “Wearing new clothes” was such an “order”. The book “Dien Bien Phu Victory (Record)”, published by the People’s Army Publishing House, recorded this special order with historical interpretations: “On March 30, most of the soldiers wore new clothes. For the soldiers, the battle day was a special festival. Many units had spent months preparing. The soldiers had lived for months in cramped bunkers on the battlefield. Night after night, they had to crawl into the enemy’s position, immersing themselves in storms of steel to create each meter of trench. Today, the hour of battle had come! Their health had gradually declined after days of hard and stressful work. They had waited every minute for the preparation time to pass.”

Nhandan.vn

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