Nghe An veteran and the story of almost 'capturing' an American plane on Co Pung peak

Burned 2 enemy helicopters for more than 1 hour

On April 6, 2025, we went to the home of veteran Nguyen Hong Thang in Hong Thai hamlet, Thong Tan commune, Hung Nguyen district, to hear him recount his battlefield exploits in battlefield B, Western Thua Thien Hue.

The details of each battle are still fresh in Mr. Thang's memories as a soldier. He said: “On July 15, 1970, the 3-man reconnaissance task force led by me as the leader (equivalent to a squad leader) of the C20 reconnaissance task force (C20), Division 324 was leaving the plains for the rear base. When we reached the top of Co Pung, at an altitude of 1,440m (Western Huong Dien district, Thua Thien Hue province), we saw an A-shaped bunker, so the whole team stopped to eat rice balls for lunch. In the middle of the meal, without bowls or chopsticks, we heard the sound of helicopters hovering overhead. We thought the enemy was flying reconnaissance, but soon after, we saw them landing. Because the distance was only 20m, we saw all American soldiers, a platoon in number.”

The reconnaissance task force predicted that the enemy would launch a sweep of this area in order to block our supply route from Che Cave on Highway 14 to the border area. While Captain Thang was trying to swallow the last dry piece of rice, the enemy landed troops for the second time. This time it was a helicopter with the symbol HU1A belonging to the US 101st Airborne Division. "We knew that the team only had 3 AK47 riflemen with folding stock, but we were in the proactive position so we could open fire suddenly to destroy the aircraft," said Captain Thang. Immediately after that, he and 2 fellow soldiers Nguyen Van Minh and Tran Van Thu came out of the tunnel mouth and opened fire simultaneously. The HU1A aircraft caught fire on the spot. All the American soldiers jumped into a bomb crater right next to the aircraft landing zone. It was 10:15 a.m. that day.

- Why is there a bomb crater here? We asked in surprise. Veteran Thang explained:

- Before bringing tanks to the top of the forest or landing troops on a hill, the enemy used planes to drop bombs. After the bombs had plowed up the top of the hill, the enemy used bulldozers to level the hill to clear the forest, avoiding being ambushed by the liberation army.

But the “encounter” with enemy aircraft did not end there. Veteran Thang continued to tell of another “encounter” that occurred 55 minutes later that day with an American “duck-duck” aircraft (OH 6 Cayuse - this type of aircraft has very special features. While flying, it can stop and then suddenly “lift” straight up. It can fly low, weaving through mountainous terrain). “At 11:10 that day, Co Pung peak was still stinking of the HU1A plane wreckage when a “duck stick” appeared, flying close to the landing area, “firing” 12.7mm continuously. When it flew over the mouth of the A-shaped bunker, the Special Forces Reconnaissance Team saw that it was a “good deal” so they put their guns against a tree trunk and fired immediately. The “duck stick” fell on the spot. The enemy panicked and retreated. I checked and found out that each person had fired 3 rounds, only 1 round left in the gun, so I directed my brothers to crawl through the cover of the saddle of Co Pung pass and retreat. That lightning-fast battle and great victory was highly appreciated by the division and the Reconnaissance Team was awarded 3 Third Class Military Exploit Medals,” veteran Thang recalled.

Almost "captured" a helicopter

Up to this point, veteran Thang remembers that night of July 15, Voice of Vietnam Radio reported: “The Thang-Minh-Thu Reconnaissance Team is as quick as a squirrel, as strong as a tiger”. The news report eloquently told the story of when on the way back from a mission in the plains, the Reconnaissance Team broke up the landing by shooting down 2 helicopters within more than 1 hour. Veteran Thang gave a comment full of the atmosphere of the battlefield: “In that battle, we were not the proactive side. We were surprised. But when a soldier sees the enemy, he fights. When the enemy comes to the house, even women fight. That is the courage of a soldier when facing the enemy”.

In April 1973, Squad Leader Thang became the Commander of Company C20. At that time, using radio communication from the PRC 25 of the technical reconnaissance unit, Platoon Leader Ho The Luan discovered a commando team operating on a grass hill, 500m above sea level in the forest in Phong Dien district (Western Thua Thien Hue). Under orders from the Division, Chief of the 2nd Special Forces Reconnaissance Team Le Huy Mai directly assigned the task to Company Leader Thang to command a team of 10 selected reconnaissance special forces to raid and capture this commando team.

Captain Thang divided the team into two groups. Group 1 was commanded by Captain Thang. Group 2 was commanded by Platoon Leader Nguyen Van Minh. On April 6, 1973, the two groups followed the enemy's footprints to search for clues. At 8:00 p.m., Group 2 discovered six commandos sleeping on the hill, with one soldier standing guard outside. Both groups decided to advance into the hill, close to the commando team's position and shouted: "Charge!" "Surrender or you will live. Resist or you will die." The commandos were sleeping and did not put up any resistance. Only the guard escaped.

After releasing the prisoners for exploitation, the Division used the strategy of "using the enemy to fight the enemy". That is, choosing 5 experienced scouts, pretending to be captured commandos, wearing camouflage clothes, carrying AR15s (American super-fast submachine guns) to lie in ambush on Hill 500 so that when the commando team "called for a helicopter to save their lives", the 5 scouts would rush onto the plane, overwhelm the soldiers in the plane and control the pilot according to the Division's intentions.

The reconnaissance team led by Captain Thang prepared the fake battlefield and landing site, but when the 2nd Section and the Division feared that it was not safe, they sent the 37th Infantry Company and the 12.7mm artillery unit to support. The mobilization process slowed down the time according to the default plan. Meanwhile, the surviving commando used a reflector to "catch" contact with the enemy helicopter, and the helicopter used a rope ladder to rescue them. The ruse was exposed. The reconnaissance team led by Captain Thang had withdrawn less than a kilometer when the landing site on Hill 500 was blown up by enemy bombs and bullets.

25 years of living experience

After the historic Spring Campaign of 1975, Captain Thang became the Chief of Reconnaissance of Regiment 3, Division 324. In 1977, he was promoted to the rank of Senior Lieutenant and performed an international mission in Laos. In 1981, he was the Chief of Reconnaissance of Division 336 in Central Laos. In 1983, the soldier who almost “captured” an enemy helicopter became a veteran.

He recalled the touching situations: “At that time, the country was in a difficult situation. My wife had to work hard to make ends meet. There were times when there was not enough rice, so she had to cook a pot of porridge to share with the children. I repaired bicycles and took the opportunity to sell cassava all the way to Kim Lu Station, Tuyen Hoa District, Quang Binh Province. It was not until 1995 that things got better. A bamboo house was extended and replaced with two houses made of xoan wood. Now, after the third renovation, we have a level 4 house with solid walls.”

Mrs. Le Thi Thanh, Mr. Thang's wife, sat listening to her husband recount the battles of more than 50 years ago on the battlefield, and could not help but be shocked. She suddenly asked: "When you are a company commander, do you still directly lead each unit to battle like when you were a squad leader?" Veteran Thang looked at his wife and smiled gently: "On the battlefield, being a leader does not mean staying at home or in the command bunker. The most important and intense battles require experienced people. That is why the unit leader goes into battle."

This detail made the veteran's wife even more shocked. She turned her face away, wiped away her tears, and emotionally said: "My husband and I are now old and toothless, but now that the journalist asked about it, I have finally heard my husband tell the story. Luckily, my husband is still alive to return home. If he had sacrificed himself back then, then... A small salary is fine. No matter how difficult life was, my family has overcome it. The children are all grown up. Looking at him so thin, I feel sorry for him."