The old general tells the story of fighting the enemy at sea.

Drive the train and shoot the plane at the same time

I was fortunate to meet Vice Admiral - former Navy Commander Do Xuan Cong during the traditional meeting of the 171st Navy veterans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding. On the banks of the historic Saigon River, among many stories recalling the days of war and war, there was one story that he said he would never forget. “It has been with me all my military career. As a young man, what do you care about rivers and waters? If there is an enemy, you go to war without hesitation. That was how our class was back then. There were many battles, but the two most glorious in naval history were the victory in the first battle on August 2 and 5, 1964 and the liberation of Truong Sa in 1975. At that time, saying that going to war was enthusiastic, especially when you both steered the ship and shot down planes, there is nothing more proud than that”, the commander affirmed when I asked about the typical battle of the Vietnamese Navy in history.

Marine soldier Do Xuan Cong fights on ship 161 during the battle on August 5, 1964. Photo: Brigade 171

Mr. Cong recounted that after 9 years of establishment, the Navy was still young. The force was not complete, the weapons and equipment were rudimentary. The battlefield situation at that time was extremely fierce and fierce. Especially after the coup of Ngo Dinh Diem on November 1, 1963, the Vietnam issue became increasingly hot for the US authorities. They outlined a plan to expand the war of aggression against Vietnam, escalating to the North in order to bomb the capital Hanoi. With sinister plans such as increasing reconnaissance by U2 strategic aircraft, dropping pilots into villages, kidnapping people in North Vietnam to exploit intelligence, using parachute sabotage teams and organizing commando attacks from the sea.

Militiamen of Nam Ngan ward (Thanh Hoa) supply ammunition to navy ships to destroy enemy aircraft. Photo: Archive

In particular, on August 2, 1964, the US used the destroyer Maddox to patrol the coast of North Vietnam to support the puppet Navy in raiding the islands and coastal residential areas of the former Zone 4 provinces. In that situation, the Navy Command decided to establish a forward command post on Gianh River (Quang Binh). This was the place to provide combat forces and food for the campaign.

“At that time, I was the Marine Squad Leader on ship 161. On August 5, 1964, our ship was on duty at Song Gianh Port when we received orders to receive ammunition and prepare to leave the port. With my soldier’s intuition, I knew that war was happening. I quickly carried the bomb from the warehouse and placed it on a fixed rack. At that moment, the ship sounded the alarm, giving the order to leave the port urgently. I rushed to the command deck to steer the ship according to the captain’s orders,” Mr. Cong recalled.

As predicted by the command, at around 2:30 p.m. the same day, a series of American planes divided into many groups to drop bombs on the Gianh River in an attempt to "destroy the sea otters completely". But with a heroic, courageous, and resilient fighting spirit, the soldiers on ship 161 were determined to destroy the enemy from the sky.

“When we heard the roar of the planes, we went to our fighting positions. At that time, no one was afraid of bombs and bullets. Whenever we heard the sound of a plane, we would raise our guns, and when we got the order, we would grab our guns and rush out to find a target to aim at the enemy planes and shoot. In that battle, we shot down two planes, and many of our comrades were killed.”

Mr. Cong looked at the empty space in front of his house with tears in his eyes, then looked up at the photo of him when he was a soldier: “In this photo, I was a corporal piloting ship 161. Those were the most beautiful days of my life as a marine. It’s just a pity that I didn’t get to fight more. The wartime is over, but the fighting spirit is still intact as if it were yesterday,” Mr. Cong said proudly.

Special forces destroy "heavenly enemies"

Admiral Do Xuan Cong tells the story of the battle in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa in 1964. Photo: Mai Thang

Right next to Mr. Cong's house is the house of Colonel Hoang Kim Nong - a typical special forces hero who defeated "heavenly enemies" in the Lach Truong sea area (Thanh Hoa). Returning to normal life, the hero's luggage is a guiding compass and a burning love for his comrades. "You asked about the battle on ship 187, it brought me back to my youth on the water", the colonel said with his head held high, like that, when I asked about the story of him and his comrades fighting on ship 187, which was bombed by the US many times in 1964. The hero's memories of a fiery time flooded back with proud words: "At that time, I was a marine soldier of the ship. But when fighting, I was ready to supply ammunition to gunner number 2. At that time, we fought very enthusiastically. Always ready to sacrifice".

Young soldiers of Brigade 171 in parade formation. Photo: Mai Thang

Going through each photo is like searching for memories. Mr. Nong stopped at the photo of ship 187, explaining: “The evidence is still here, those were the most beautiful days. On August 5, 1964, our ship 187 was on a mission at Hon Ngu (Nghe An). The captain at that time was Mr. Le Van Tieu. At 12:20, we were taking a lunch break when we suddenly heard the sound of a gong. Mr. Tieu's order from the command deck shouted loudly: The whole ship is on combat alert. All positions urgently deploy their formations. I heard the sound of enemy bombs rumbling around. In the sky at that time, a group of enemy planes appeared, diving to drop bombs. The situation was so unexpected and dangerous. As quick as lightning, we opened fire immediately. To be honest, at that time, we didn't shoot them, they shot us. Many soldiers were determined to hold their positions, not leaving their fighting positions even though they were seriously injured right on the ship.”

Colonel Nong paused for a moment to hold back his emotions. “At that time, American bombs were pouring down on Hon Ngu sea, yet Tieu still controlled the ship firmly and fought with his comrades. He was wounded, his right arm was bleeding profusely, almost leaving his body. To steer the ship, he used a bandage to tie his right arm to his chest, and his left hand held the ship's control to dodge and avoid enemy bombs. Private Nguyen Van Vinh, who had not yet been in the army for 1 year, jumped into the enemy's fire to rescue wounded soldiers and supply ammunition to his comrades. When the ship was hit by a bullet, Nguyen Van Vinh boldly told the captain: "As long as the ship is still there, I am there, captain, let me stay and fight to the end." Vinh's words showed the spirit of doing everything for the beloved ship.

Farewell to comrades under enemy bombs

The emotional moment mixed with pride made Colonel Nong choke up. He took another sip of hot tea and said: "Every time I think about my old comrades, I miss them so much. 56 years have passed, but the memories of that day are still intact and have not faded."

Then, he continued. At that time, he was on duty to supply ammunition to the number 3 artillery position in front. Before the first bombs and artillery shells of the enemy, Captain Le Xuan Tieu both maneuvered the ship to avoid the bombs and shouted to his comrades to hold their positions. But in the second wave, the ship's command post was hit by an enemy missile. Then another missile hit the engine room of ship 187. The oil pipe burst and caught fire.

Militiamen of Nam Ngan ward (Thanh Hoa) supply ammunition to naval ships to destroy enemy aircraft. (Photo taken by the author from archive photos).

Sergeant Cao Viet Thao - Chief Electrician, quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and jumped down. Thao's whole body was like a torch, rushing in to plug the hole in the oil pipe and save the whole ship. "The battle was getting more and more fierce. At that time, Doan Ba ​​Ky, who was the Political Commissar of Ship 187, ran back and forth like a shuttle to encourage the soldiers. He patted my shoulder, a young soldier of only 19 years old, calm down. As soon as he finished speaking, I heard a thud behind me. He was hit by a bullet. His eyes were still open but tears were flowing. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something. I leaned close to his ear but couldn't hear. I believe he was reminding the soldiers to try to keep the ship."

How is the fighting going, sir? I asked again.

Colonel Nong looked out into the yard in front of the house and continued his story: “Then, suddenly there was a flash of explosion. Our entire artillery formation was thrown off. Bang and Thuan were killed. Hy and Be were seriously injured, and I was unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself lying under the gun platform, covered in blood and torn clothes. Radar soldier Nguyen Thanh Hai asked me: “What happened to you?” The situation was extremely tragic. On the other side of the ship, soldier Thiep held his forehead, which was covered in blood, and the other hand kept pulling the trigger, his whole body leaning against the gun platform. After bandaging Thiep’s wound, I went up to the cockpit, holding the steering wheel to control the ship instead of soldier Can, who had also just collapsed from injury. At this time, radar soldier Nguyen Thanh Hai was hit by a bomb and lying near the gun platform. We helped him up, and all we could hear was a whisper: “Stand me up so I can see my Fatherland one last time,” and then he closed his eyes and passed away.” A young soldier helped him lie straight again. We stood still watching him lying on the gun platform. The farewell under enemy bombs and bullets.

Colonel Nong's voice choked up and dropped. 56 years ago, he cried to see off his comrades on the ship. And today, after more than half a century, the water commando hero's tears once again mourned his beloved comrades who would forever remain at sea for the peace of the Fatherland.