Our artillery soldiers prepare for the opening fire at the Dien Bien Phu campaign. (Photo courtesy of VNA)

Determining that the French army's occupation of Dien Bien Phu was an opportunity for us, on December 6, 1953, the Politburo met and decided to concentrate forces to launch an attack campaign to destroy the Dien Bien Phu stronghold.

Artillery forces participating in the campaign included: Artillery Division 351, with Regiment 45, 105mm howitzers (24 guns), Regiment 675, 75mm mountain artillery (20 guns), and a number of engineering and air defense units; artillery units belonging to Infantry Divisions 308, 312, 316 and 304.

Later, the artillery force continued to be supplemented with 1 DKZ75mm ​​Battalion, 1 102mm Rocket Artillery Battalion and 1 Mountain Artillery Company. The artillery's mission was to directly support the infantry in attacking strongholds, stronghold clusters, and resistance centers; fight enemy counterattacks and encroachments; suppress artillery; control airports, and destroy enemy command posts and warehouses.

Initially, with the motto "fight fast, solve fast", we mobilized manpower to pull artillery into the battlefield; by January 25, 1954, most of the artillery had occupied the battlefield, ready to fire.

Due to many changes in the enemy situation, on January 25, 1954, the Campaign Command decided to change the operational motto from "fight fast, solve quickly" to "fight firmly, advance firmly"; at the same time, ordered the artillery to be pulled out and redeployed. Overcoming many difficulties, on the morning of February 5, 1954, the artillery position according to the new motto was completed and became a miracle in the history of the Vietnamese military.

Implementing the determination and campaign plan, artillery combat operations in the Dien Bien Phu campaign were also carried out in 3 phases: Phase 1 (March 13 to March 17, 1954) with the mission of attacking and destroying the Him Lam stronghold; Phase 2 (March 30 to April 30, 1954) with the mission of capturing the key defensive area in the east; Phase 3 (May 1 to May 7, 1954) capturing the last high points in the east; seizing the opportunity, launching a general attack to destroy all enemy troops in Dien Bien Phu.

After 56 days and nights of continuous fighting, the artillery successfully completed its mission, contributing to the destruction of the entire Dien Bien Phu stronghold, marking the growth and maturity of Vietnamese artillery; in which, the art of using artillery had a remarkable development, having the meaning of shaping the basic theory on the following issues:

Firstly, artillery was the main ground firepower supporting the important combat missions of the campaign: Compared to previous campaigns, the artillery force participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign had a remarkable development, creating an advantage over the enemy; in which, the 105mm howitzer was first used in battle with a long range and great power; therefore, artillery became the main firepower of the campaign.

During the campaign, artillery supported the implementation of important combat missions such as: attacking the enemy's defense in strong fortifications, encircling and attacking, fighting counterattacks, fighting artillery, suppressing command posts, destroying fortifications and warehouses, controlling airports, cutting off air supply routes, pushing the enemy into an increasingly deadlocked situation.

Second, concentrate artillery superiority to support infantry to win, destroy each stronghold, and proceed to destroy the entire enemy stronghold group: In the Dien Bien Phu campaign, for the first time we used towed artillery and concentrated the largest artillery.

According to the initial plan, we had concentrated 229 artillery pieces of all kinds, by the day of the opening fire there were 258 pieces and for the entire campaign, we had concentrated 261 pieces of all kinds. The concentration of artillery for the Dien Bien Phu campaign included: 100% of 105mm howitzers, more than 70% of 75mm mountain artillery and up to 80% of 120mm mortars of the entire army. In each battle, we concentrated on creating an artillery advantage over the enemy, such as: Him Lam battle was 3/1, Doc Lap hill battle was 4.5/1...

Third, active, secret, and unexpected artillery mobilization: During the campaign preparation process, we actively and resolutely mobilized artillery to properly implement the campaign's combat motto, creating a solid, interconnected, and dangerous battle formation, effectively supporting the opening of the campaign.

In the practice of the campaign, artillery was actively mobilized to transform the battle situation, thereby improving the effectiveness of artillery combat, providing timely and accurate support to the infantry to destroy the enemy.

After the Him Lam attack, we sent artillery and mortars to support the infantry attacking Doc Lap hill; then continued to support the infantry attacking and capturing bases A, C, D, E. In particular, the campaign directed the movement of howitzers to the west of Muong Thanh to directly support the 308th Division attacking bases in the Northwest.

Fourth, arrange the artillery formation in a difficult and solid manner; form a siege of the enemy throughout the campaign: The outstanding success in the art of using artillery in the Dien Bien Phu campaign was to arrange the battlefields in a dispersed and wide-open manner, but still concentrate firepower on the main direction, main target, and important moment.

The 45th Regiment of 105mm howitzers was deployed from northeast of Hong Cum to northwest of Ban Keo, forming an arc of more than 30 km. The tons of artillery were deployed on the high mountain slopes surrounding the stronghold, capable of firing at most targets within effective range.

In particular, we took advantage of the dangerous terrain to arrange a deep-penetrating artillery position on Hill E, with a firing range of 300 to 500m, which was very dangerous and the enemy could not control.

Fifth, organize flexible and creative firepower command, promoting the power of each type of artillery: Unlike previous campaigns, Dien Bien Phu was the first campaign in which we applied the siege and attack tactics.

Opening the campaign with the motto "fight firmly, advance firmly", we used hundreds of artillery and mortars to conduct preparatory fire that lasted for hours, causing heavy losses to the enemy, creating conditions for the infantry to attack and capture the Him Lam stronghold cluster, winning and terrifying the French army.

When supporting the infantry to attack the enemy in solid fortifications, in large enemy counterattacks, when controlling the airport, our artillery closely coordinated with participating forces, flexibly using artillery to destroy the enemy, support troops, and push the enemy into a desperate situation...

The valuable lessons learned on the art of using artillery in the Dien Bien Phu campaign are of particular importance in the organization and construction of the current artillery force, specifically on the main issues, which are:

Firstly, it is necessary to build a strong and increasingly modern artillery-missile force: Artillery-missile combat strength comes from the basic factors of the number of units, modern weapons and the art of use; in which, the number of units is the basis for concentrated use to create an advantage over the enemy.

Therefore, building a three-army artillery force that is strong in quantity is very urgent, in which: Artillery-missile of the main force is of urgent importance.

To modernize artillery and missile weapons, we have been promoting the defense industrial capacity to proactively research, manufacture, and improve domestic weapons and equipment.

Our goal is to gradually build an artillery-missile force with high mobility, accurate shooting and strong power; move towards automating command and fire control; by 2030 the Artillery Corps will develop into the Artillery-Missile Corps.

Second, prepare a reasonable artillery-missile formation in peacetime, easily transforming in wartime: From the lesson on the art of creating a solid, dangerous, and flexible artillery formation in the Dien Bien Phu campaign; the Artillery Corps coordinated with units to advise the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense to direct the arrangement of artillery units in the entire army to be reasonable in peacetime, easily transforming in combat.

In particular, the strategic reserve artillery-missile force is deployed in a balanced manner throughout the country, concentrated in key battlefield directions, conveniently deployed in peacetime training, and quickly transformed into an advantageous position in wartime.

Third, improve the training level and combat readiness of artillery troops: Strengthen practical training so that troops can master and skillfully use weapons, equipment, and technical equipment to improve the speed and effectiveness of combat deployment.

In conditions where night vision equipment is limited, it is necessary to increase night combat training, along with increasing practical training and training close to actual combat.

The Russia-Ukraine military conflict shows that war and armed conflict can happen at any time when there are disputes over territory, islands, and interests between countries; therefore, along with the entire army, the artillery-missile force must always be ready to fight in all situations.

According to nhandan.vn