Thanks to the radar soldiers in Nghe An
(Baonghean) - "That night (December 17, 1972), the entire sky of the North was filled with all kinds of waves. The US Air Force continuously sent out fake signals, spreading thick metal powder to interfere with the radio screens of our radar stations. The "magic eyes" of the Vietnamese Air Force were almost paralyzed. The Radar Division Command ordered the units to enter level 1 combat status. By 7:00 p.m. on December 18, 1972, the entire division was prepared for the highest fighting spirit. Since then, the Ministry of National Defense, the military service and the division commander continuously sent telegrams to the units to inform them of the situation, thoroughly monitor and closely follow aerial targets, especially to detect B-52 aircraft as soon as possible.
At 18:50, December 18, 1972, with combat experience, Company 45, Radar Regiment 291 stationed at Si Hill (Thuan Son, Do Luong) detected and reported: B-52 aircraft heading to Hanoi". Although before that, Radar Station 16 stationed in Thanh Hoa also suspected that enemy aircraft were attacking Hanoi from the Southwest direction from Laos but did not dare to confirm. That information was quickly transferred to the Command of the Air Force 35 minutes in advance. The Air Defense - Air Force ordered missile battalions to track the flight path and distance of enemy aircraft to destroy them. On the night of December 18, 1972, our missiles shot down 8 enemy aircraft, including 3 B52 aircraft" - Lieutenant Colonel Vo Hai - former Political Commissar of Radar Station 45 (now retired in Hung Loc Ward - Vinh City) recounted.
C45 soldiers on duty
Radar Station 45, belonging to Radar Regiment 291, was established on August 20, 1965 in Chi Lang litchi garden, An Khanh commune, My Duc district, Ha Tay province (old), with comrade Le Ba Chon as the first company commander. From 1965 to 1975, through training and experience in combat, the unit detected tens of thousands of enemy aircraft, including 1,850 high-altitude aircraft and 5,180 low-altitude aircraft, guiding missile units to shoot down dozens of American fighter planes. On November 20, 1971, Radar Station 45 was transferred to Nghe An, stationed at Co Do Farm (Nghia Dan), then moved to Si hill, Thuan Son commune, Do Luong district (Nghe An), with comrade Dinh Huu Thuan as company commander, Nghiem Dinh Tich - station chief and two observers, Nguyen Van Xich and Pham Hoang Cau. With the protection of local people, radar station 45 always excellently completes its mission of guarding the sky of the Fatherland.
Colonel Nghiem Dinh Tich - History Writing Department, Vietnam Air Defense - Air Force Department, former head of radar station 45, emotionally said: "Having experience in detecting B-52 aircraft operating in the south of Military Region 4 since 1969, participating in guiding pilot Vu Dinh Rang to shoot down a B-52 aircraft on the night of November 20, 1971, directly ensuring that Missile Regiment 263 shot down a B-52 aircraft on the night of November 22, 1972 and having experience in anti-jamming to detect B-52 aircraft attacking Canh Dong Chum - Xieng Khouang before, I and the gunners Pham Hoang Cau and Nguyen Van Xich immediately identified the B-52 jamming bands in the southwest direction of Do Luong. Under the order of company commander Dinh Huu Thuan, the entire team performed the anti-jamming procedure for B-52s using the unit's expertise. In just a moment, gunner number 1 Pham Hoang Cau had Informed the B-52 aircraft groups to the Regiment Command and informed the Radar Station at the Army Command, opening the "Dien Bien Phu in the air" campaign.
For us radar soldiers, the most feared thing is still false information, which affects our counter-attack strategy. Therefore, when the information was sent out, we were still worried and focused on monitoring the target until the end." Thanks to the radar troops' early detection of the US Air Force's B-52 bombers raiding Hanoi, missile and anti-aircraft artillery units throughout the North promptly changed their level and proactively fought and won complete victory, forcing the US to sign the Paris Agreement, creating a turning point that fundamentally changed the situation of the war, opening up a great opportunity for our army and people to win the decisive victory in the spring of 1975. On October 20, 1976, the unit was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the Air Defense - Air Force Command.
The war ended, Radar Station 45 was transferred to Regiment 291 stationed in Hung Loc Ward, Vinh City. Generations of cadres of Regiment 291 returned to Si Hill many times to revisit the old battlefield. The emotions were emotional, nostalgic but also full of regret. The women and mothers who raised the brothers have now passed away. On the old land, trees have turned green again, villages have sprung up bustlingly. How many of today's young generation know that this place once marked the great feat of the Air Defense soldiers 40 years ago? Should we soon build a monument and a memorial stele to demonstrate the spirit and intelligence of our Air Defense - Air Force, contributing to educating the revolutionary traditions of the homeland and country for generations...
Nguyen Le (Hamlet 11 - Thai Son - Do Luong)
