The war has long since ended, but the memories of the time participating in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign are still intact in the minds of the soldiers of the past. During these historic days, we had the opportunity to meet with veteran Nguyen Duy Thuong in Quynh Luu commune (Nho Quan) to hear about the difficult but very proud years.
Although he is 92 years old, the memories of the days of participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign are still intact in the memory of veteran Nguyen Duy Thuong. In January 1954, he participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, worked as an information soldier and then became the Information Squad Leader in the formation of the 304th Division fighting the enemy at the Hong Cum base.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Thuong said: The mission of the information unit in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign was very important, requiring accuracy, strictness, secrecy, and timeliness in order to convey instructions from superiors to the units. Communication in wartime conditions was extremely difficult because my unit's military area was deep in the forest, and the roads were difficult to travel. Despite the difficulties and hardships, the soldiers were always full of fighting spirit and determined to ensure smooth communication.
According to Mr. Thuong, communication in campaigns plays a very important role, deciding the victory or defeat in each battle. In combat, without information, all orders and directives cannot be implemented, there is no coordination between units, and the combined strength of the entire army cannot be promoted. Therefore, in any area where the line is broken, the communication soldier must be present to reconnect it, ensuring that all information, orders, and directives from superiors are transmitted quickly and promptly, kept secret, serving the work of deploying tactics and combat plans.
During the battles of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, there were many information officers and soldiers with the spirit of self-sacrifice, intelligence, and creativity "for the information bloodline to always be strong". Many radio and signal soldiers heroically sacrificed themselves to maintain communication with the bases, many radio soldiers stuck close to the attack points despite suffering casualties while on duty.
Although he did not directly fight with a gun, when asked about the battles in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, Mr. Thuong happily said: The battle at Hill A1 is always imprinted in my memory. Because at that time, Hill A1 was the most important stronghold in the defense system of the 5 eastern hills protecting the central area of Muong Thanh. Here, the enemy deployed troops, strong firepower, and had solid and sturdy fortifications and battlefields. At 2:00 p.m. on May 6, 1954, our artillery fired simultaneously for an hour on Hill A1. Then we fired at the airport for about 30 minutes, then fired at the enemy's artillery hill in Hong Cum for nearly an hour. At that time, the enemy fought back fiercely with strong firepower, we and the enemy fought for every inch of land.
After the evening of attacking A1 hill, destroying the enemy's gun emplacement called "the human gun emplacement", the units withdrew to their base about 700m from A1 hill. At about 5am on May 7, 1954, many enemy troops came out of Doc Lap hill and raised the white flag to surrender. Our units had taken control of A1 hill and other areas. The image of our army's "Determined to fight, Determined to win" flag flying on the roof of General De Castries' command bunker signaled the complete victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. The end of 56 days and nights of steadfast, brave, and creative fighting by our army and people, creating the Dien Bien Phu Victory "famous in five continents, shaking the world" did not fade in his mind.
Now, despite his advanced age, veteran Nguyen Duy Thuong always maintains and promotes the qualities of a soldier of Uncle Ho's Army; sets an example in mobilizing his children and people to strictly follow the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws; actively works in production, contributing to the construction of his homeland and country.
Article and photos: Tien Dat
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