The 'barefoot, bareheaded' army used infantry guns to shoot down American planes

(Baonghean.vn) - In the "Destructive War", militiaNghe An defeated the US air force with infantry shots, shocking world public opinion.open onemovementthroughout the North.

About the place that shocked the world

In the book “History of Dien Hung Commune” – a coastal commune of Dien Chau district, there is a passage: “On March 15, 1965, with 4 K44 rifles, the 3rd combat squad led by To Duc Hung – originally from Quang Nam, living in Dien Hung – shot down an American jet plane”. In addition to To Duc Hung, the 3rd combat squad also included Mr. and Mrs. Pham Cong Nho, Nguyen Huu Uoc, Ngo Van Thanh, Bui Thi Ich and Tran Thi Trieu.

I asked Mr. Tran Thong - Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee to help me find the witnesses and received the answer: "The elders in the 3rd combat squad have all passed away, Mr. To Duc Hung passed away about 3 years ago. But fortunately, Mr. Thong is quite knowledgeable about the history of the commune and can provide the necessary information.

Dien Hung is in front of the sea, and there is also the Nha Le canal - an important waterway running along the area used to transport food and weapons to support the southern battlefield. Because of that, it had to endure gunboats from the Pacific Ocean and bombs from enemy planes.

Militia of Dien Hung commune (Dien Chau) on air defense duty. Photo: Archive

To protect the villages, warehouses and vital traffic routes, Dien Hung was assigned an 85mm position to protect the coast, a 14.5mm artillery company on duty to protect Nha Le canal and 4 militia teams on duty. It is estimated that during the war years, the US Air Force and Navy attacked Dien Hung about 1,000 times, dropping about 22,000 tons of bombs and ammunition on this land, with each person suffering an average of 4 tons.

In the scene of devastation and pain caused by enemy bombs, the people of Dien Hung both produced and fought, joining forces with the air defense troops to confront the enemy. The militia squads were divided into combat areas, always in a state of readiness. And, it was the farmers of Dien Hung who made a miracle on March 15, 1965, when an American jet was knocked out of the war by a barrage of rifle bullets.

Dien Hung village (Dien Chau) today. Photo: Cong Kien

This event contributed to destroying the prestige of the US Air Force, affirming that no matter how sophisticated an American aircraft was, it could be shot down, and if one knew how, it could be shot down with infantry guns. That shocked world public opinion, brought joy and confidence to friends around the world, and at the same time opened up a movement to shoot down enemy aircraft with infantry guns by militia and guerrillas throughout the North.

Following the example and learning from the Dien Hung commune militia, many other localities such as Dien Ky (Dien Chau), Quynh Nghia (Quynh Luu) and Nghi Tan, Nghi Hai, Nghi Phuong, Nghi Lien (Nghi Loc) militia shot down American planes with infantry guns... And after that feat, the Dien Hung commune militia force was awarded the Military Exploit Medal (First Class) by the state.

Meet the man who used his body as a gun mount

From Dien Hai, we returned to Dien Ky, where we met Mr. Ngo Sy Ai - one of two militia comrades who participated in shooting down an American reconnaissance plane at Bung bridge more than 52 years ago. Nearly 80 years old, Mr. Ai is still lucid, remembering every detail of the event that took place on April 3, 1965. The former militia soldier recounted: “During the years of the war against the US, Dien Ky commune had two fierce focal points: Bung bridge and Sy station.

Therefore, in the area, there are often air defense units equipped with anti-aircraft artillery to protect targets and ensure smooth traffic. The commune also organizes two mobile combat teams, each team has about 20 people, equipped with 1 12.7mm gun, 1 heavy machine gun and the rest are rifles, commanded by comrades Ngo Guom, Nguyen Thai and Nguyen Huy.

Mr. Ngo Sy Ai, Dien Ky commune (Dien Chau) recounted the situation of shooting down an American plane with infantry guns. Photo: Cong Kien

The combat units regularly stayed close to the battlefield to shoot down low-flying aircraft. In any situation, they had to maintain their position, fight calmly, and work with the troops to spread a “fire net” to protect the target. During the war, the Dien Ky commune militia participated in more than 800 battles, coordinated to shoot down 3 fighter planes, and independently shot down an American reconnaissance plane.

Regarding the battle on April 3, 1965, Mr. Ngo Sy Ai recalled: “That day, comrade Ngo Guom (now deceased) and I were assigned to the District Team to receive an additional machine gun. After being trained in how to use it, we eagerly brought the guns back. When we reached the middle of Bung Bridge, suddenly two enemy planes came from the sea at a very low altitude, continuously hovering up and down.

Standing in the middle of the bridge, unable to advance or retreat to find a place to hide, with no time to think, I immediately knelt down on the bridge, telling comrade Guom to put the gun on me to shoot the plane. Continuously, I felt my whole body shake from the gun recoil, a series of loud explosions rang out. Looking up at the sky, I saw a plane wobbling and flying towards the west, trailing behind it a trail of thick black smoke.

Life along the Bung River (Dien Chau) today. (Photo courtesy of Sy Minh)

With a series of 6 bullets, two militiamen of Dien Ky commune hit the enemy reconnaissance plane, it "crawled" for a few dozen kilometers and crashed in the border area between Anh Son and Do Luong districts. This feat strongly encouraged the fighting spirit of the armed forces of the province. With this outstanding feat, the militia force of Dien Ky commune was praised by Military Region 4.

Comrade Ngo Guom was awarded the Military Exploit Medal (Third Class) by the State, and comrade Ngo Sy Ai was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of National Defense. And most importantly, it once again affirmed that no matter how sophisticated and modern an enemy aircraft was, it could still be shot down with infantry guns. It demonstrated the brave, courageous and resourceful fighting spirit of the militia force, the "barefoot, bareheaded" farmers.

Cong Kien