April Memories

(Baonghean.vn) - 42 years have passed since April 30, 1975, but the heroic memories of the victory day remain intact in every soldier who participated in the great Spring Festival Victory.

Photo source: Internet

For veteran Tran Than Ai, village 2, Khai Son commune (Anh Son district), every time he mentions the historic days when he participated in the Ho Chi Minh campaign, his eyes well up with tears. Mixed with the pride of a soldier when he contributed to the great victory of the nation is a feeling of sadness when remembering his comrades and teammates who heroically fell on the battlefield. Mr. Ai shared: In April 1968, when he was just 19 years old, he volunteered to join the army at the sacred call of the Fatherland and participated in voluntary combat in Laos. In 1972, he participated in the battle for 81 days and nights at the ancient citadel of Quang Tri. At the end of 1972, he was assigned to study at the Political Academy. In 1975, he participated in the Ho Chi Minh campaign as an assistant officer of Division 320B, Army Corps 1.

Veteran Tran Than Ai (right) recalls the battle to liberate the South in the past. Photo: Thai Hien

At that time, his 320B regiment was assigned to attack in the northwest direction of Highway 14 down to Dong Du base. At exactly 5:30 a.m. on April 29, when the order to open fire was given, the division's artillery poured a storm of fire on the enemy base for more than an hour. Amid the fierce roar of cannons, tanks and mobile anti-aircraft guns, infantry in all directions detonated directional mines and explosives to continuously open the fences. After 30 minutes of artillery fire, the enemy discovered our opening direction. They fiercely resisted, mobilized tanks and infantry to block our army's entrance, and at the same time used airplanes, helicopters and mortars to attack the division's attack formation.

Our soldiers sacrificed a lot. But one by one, another charged forward, quickly using explosives to break through the fence. "Seeing my comrades die right before my eyes, my heart was both sad and filled with hatred, making me even more determined to destroy the enemy's firepower at all costs," Mr. Ai said, choking with emotion. At exactly 11 o'clock on April 29, the 320B Division's flag of determination to fight and win flew over the center of Dong Du base. The destruction of Dong Du base opened the door to the Northwest for the corps to advance and capture Tan Son Nhat airport.

After more than 20 years of service in the army, in 1988, Mr. Tran Than Ai was discharged from the army. Returning to his locality, he held many positions such as: Party cell secretary, hamlet chief and two consecutive terms as Chairman of the Association of War Veterans of Khai Son commune from 2000 to 2012. Mr. Tran Than Ai made significant contributions to the local development.

Veteran Nguyen Cong Hung (left) introduces medals - souvenirs associated with the country's tumultuous history. Photo by Thai Hien

We visited the family of veteran Nguyen Cong Hung in village 1, Cao Son commune. Unlike our imagination, although he is over 70 years old, he is still very agile and has a hearty voice. In the mind of veteran Nguyen Cong Hung - one of the historical witnesses of the great victory in the spring of 1975, the memories are still intact as if it were yesterday.

At 4:30 a.m. on January 4, 1975, Mr. Hung's unit prepared to retake Hill 174, which was occupied by the enemy at that time. At 5:15 a.m., after concentrating forces, the unit opened fire to capture the hill. In this battle, our army was at a disadvantage compared to the enemy in both force and weapons. At that time, our army mainly used conventional infantry firepower such as BKZ guns, 82mm mortars, 106 mortars, B40 and B41 guns, while the enemy used very modern weapons, including: 175 artillery, 155 and 105 artillery...

The battle was extremely fierce. At this time, Mr. Hung's unit had 75 soldiers, after the battle, 38 people were injured, only 37 people could fight. The division was determined to capture Hill 174 by any means, if it could control the entire plain area of ​​Hoai Nhon district, thereby organizing observation posts to serve the Southern Liberation Campaign. After the balance of forces was too unequal, forcing them to retreat, on January 7, the unit was assigned the task of continuing to capture this important hill. There were many casualties, but thanks to the will and determination, Battalion 7 won.

Returning to normal life, veteran Cao Ngoc Co is a typical example in economic development. Photo: Thai Hien

For veteran Cao Ngoc Co, village 4, Cao Son commune, who directly participated in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, the heroic memories of the day of national victory will never fade. Talking about those heroic years, Mr. Co proudly said that he was the Political Commissar of Division 312, Corps 1, one of the four main mobile corps, whose main mission was to penetrate deep into the enemy General Staff, contributing to the victory on April 30, 1975.

He recalled: "On the morning of April 30, 1975, while the fighting of his unit was taking place fiercely, the thrust spearheaded by the reinforcement forces also accelerated the attack speed. After breaking through Lai Thieu, defeating the blocking forces on the way, especially at Vinh Binh, Binh Phuoc, Binh Trieu bridges... His unit directly attacked and captured the General Staff of the puppet government at 10:30 a.m. on April 30 and established a glorious victory. Thus, after just over 3 days of fighting, he and his comrades had excellently completed the tasks assigned by the Campaign Command, contributing to the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country.

"We hugged each other and cried, chanted "Long live President Ho Chi Minh", and sang victory songs together. The emotions at that time were indescribable. The great victory of Spring 1975 and the moment the national flag flew over the Independence Palace will forever be imprinted in the memories of the soldiers" - Veteran Cao Ngoc Co emotionally said.

Thai Hien