The transport soldier and the mission of speeding the army to liberate Saigon

50 years ago, with the spirit of “one day equals 20 years” at lightning speed, even faster, the troops traveled thousands of kilometers to liberate Saigon. In that lightning-fast formation, the transport soldiers were resilient and brave, overcoming countless difficulties to bring the troops into the campaign beyond the prescribed time.

These days, when the whole nation is joyfully celebrating the 50th anniversary of the complete Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, memories of the days of supporting the footsteps of the speeding troops surge with pride and honor of the transport soldiers.

In 1975, Colonel Nguyen Van Ninh, former Deputy Director of Politics of the Petroleum Department, held the rank of Senior Lieutenant and was the Political Commissar of Battalion 75, Regiment 512, Division 571. This was the first strategic mobile automobile division of our army. When it was first established, the division had 2,600 automobiles of all kinds.

Colonel Nguyen Van Ninh

During the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising, the division was assigned the task of ensuring the rapid mobile transportation of the 1st and 2nd Corps from the North to participate in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Assigned this task, the division prepared more than 1,000 vehicles to transport the 1st Corps from Vinh Chap, Vinh Linh (Quang Tri) along the western Truong Son road to Dong Xoai.

Veteran Nguyen Van Ninh said that the policy is that each battalion of vehicles carries one infantry regiment. To help infantry easily recognize their vehicles and avoid confusion, the military transport vehicles have vehicle numbers written on the driver's door, the side of the vehicle, and the rear door.

"At that time, the unit used a total of 1,053 cars, including the mobile reserve vehicles of the majority of the 1st Corps forces from Vinh Chap, Vinh Linh (Quang Tri) to participate in the Saigon Liberation Campaign. Each car had 2 drivers, taking turns driving day and night, the brothers ate and slept on the car. They traveled continuously day and night, at lightning speed towards Saigon," Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh recalled.

The marching route followed the western side of Truong Son on Laos's land. At this time, it was the peak of the dry season, and the drivers had to face the dusty road as if they were going into a chimney. Two vehicles only a few meters apart could not see each other, even during the day, but at times they had to turn on their headlights to observe. The vehicles moved continuously day and night, and only had a short break when they reached a temporary stop for the soldiers to eat and drink, then quickly set off again. Sometimes, he was eating a bowl of rice and had to leave immediately, because time was extremely urgent. Not only did they have to face the hot dry season, with the dusty road, but during the process of transporting troops, Mr. Ninh and his teammates also encountered enemy attacks.

"When my battalion transported the 3rd Division through Duc Lap, the remaining reactionaries were still active there. They threw grenades and daggers at the vehicle, causing damage, but not much. There were also cases where the enemy attacked along the road, causing a flat tire, and some comrades were injured. We bandaged ourselves, gave first aid, and then continued on our way," Mr. Ninh recalled.

In his memory, veteran Nguyen Van Ninh still remembers the driver Nguyen Van Thuan who was brave and creative in handling the situation of a broken vehicle, ensuring safety. When the vehicle was going downhill, the steering shaft broke, the soldiers sitting in the vehicle were panicked and lost their composure. At that time, driver Nguyen Van Thuan calmly used the brakes to stop the vehicle, sliding the vehicle along the slope. When only 10 meters from the edge of the cliff, the vehicle stopped. That was a situation that showed that the drivers of Truong Son vehicles were not only brave and courageous but also very talented and creative.

In dangerous situations, he still knew how to resolve and find solutions to ensure the safety of people and vehicles. By maintaining marching discipline and clear communication, Mr. Ninh and the drivers successfully completed the task of bringing the 1st Corps to the Dong Xoai assembly area before the scheduled time.

"When we went, there was a communication system, connecting the company, battalion, regiment, and command stations on the road with the division's basic command station in the rear. We used radio to communicate and command. For example, when the formation reached a congested area, where the enemy was attacking, or where there was difficulty, we communicated information to handle the expansion of the formation. So that the formation on the road would not be squeezed. According to the Ministry's order, on April 25, the 1st Corps had to be present in Dong Xoai. Our division marched at lightning speed to reach the destination 6 days ahead of the request of the Campaign Command," said Mr. Ninh.

Perhaps in the world and in all human wars, there has never been an army established to the level of an automobile transport division, nor has there been a lightning-fast march that took place as quickly and urgently as the war against the invading American imperialists of the Vietnamese people.

By car, overcoming countless hardships and sacrifices, in extremely difficult and deprived conditions, the brave and resilient transport soldiers contributed their youth to the great victory of the nation.

Source: https://vov.vn/quan-su-quoc-phong/nguoi-linh-van-tai-va-nhiem-vu-dua-doan-quan-than-toc-vao-giai-phong-sai-gon-post1163456.vov