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 fight without hesitation. That was how our class was at that time. There were many battles, but in the history of the navy, there are two most glorious battles: the first victory on August 2 and 5, 1964 and the liberation of Truong Sa in 1975. At that time, saying that going to fight the enemy was enthusiastic, especially when you both steer the ship and shoot 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 in the battle on August 5, 1964. Photo courtesy of 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 difficult 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 naval ships to destroy enemy aircraft. Documentary photo

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 attacking 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 in 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 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 planes, we would raise our guns, and when we received orders, we would pick up our guns and rush out to find landmarks 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 out 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 wearing a soldier's uniform: "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 couldn't fight more. The time of war has passed, 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 - the 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 the fiery time came back with proud words: "At that time, I was a marine soldier of the ship. But when fighting, I was ready to supply ammunition for gunner No. 2. At that time, I fought very enthusiastically. Always ready to sacrifice".

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

Going through each photo was like searching for memories. Mr. Nong stopped at the photo of ship 187 and explained: “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 alarm bell. Mr. Tieu's order from the command deck was shouted: The whole ship is on combat alert. All positions urgently deploy their formations. I heard the sound of enemy bombs falling all around. In the sky at that time, a group of enemy planes appeared, swooping down 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 and did not leave 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 heavily on Hon Ngu sea, yet Tieu still controlled the ship firmly and fought with his comrades. He was wounded, his right hand was bleeding profusely, almost leaving his body. To steer the ship, he used a bandage to hang his right hand in front of 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 under enemy fire to rescue wounded soldiers and supply ammunition to his comrades. When the ship was hit by a bullet, Nguyen Van Vinh firmly 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.

Sending off comrades under enemy bombs and bullets

The emotional moment mixed with pride made Colonel Nong choke up. He took another sip of hot tea and said: "Every time I talk 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 maneuvered the ship to avoid the bombs while calling on 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 open and caught fire.

Militiamen of Nam Ngan ward (Thanh Hoa) supplied ammunition to naval ships to destroy enemy planes. (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. Mr. Doan Ba ​​Ky, who was then the Political Commissar of Ship 187, ran back and forth like a shuttle to encourage his comrades. He patted my shoulder, a young soldier of only 19 years old, calm down. As soon as he finished speaking, I heard a loud crash 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 his comrades 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 lightning. Our entire artillery formation was thrown away. 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, my clothes torn to shreds. 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, while the other hand continuously pulled 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, replacing 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: “Get 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. His 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 heroic water commando once again shed tears for his beloved comrades who will forever remain at sea for the peace of the Fatherland.