On the heroic fire line

(Baonghean) -During the days when the whole country was joyfully and proudly celebrating the first battle day of the North defeating the US Air Force (August 5, 1964), the former Dien Chau air defense militia soldiers met again, shook hands and happily remembered the glorious feats of shooting down US planes in the sky of their homeland.

During the resistance war against the US, Dien Chau was a place with many traffic hubs, train stations, and wharves, which was very convenient for transporting goods to the battlefields. Therefore, the fighting here was extremely fierce from the first day of the destructive war by the US imperialist air force. Mr. Le Van Huan - Former captain of the 12.7mm Company of Dien Yen recalled: "Yen Ly Bridge was the key point of destruction, every day the US planes bombed. This bridge was destroyed to the level of the water. They attacked 2 to 3 times a day, in the afternoon, early morning, even fired flares and fought all night. The soldiers and militia fought back with rifles, after it was so fierce that they were assigned 3 more 12.7mm guns, then 2 more 14.5mm guns. Everyone was very excited, mobilized and went immediately".

Dien Hung Commune Air Defense Company (Dien Chau) - the first unit in the North to shoot down an American plane with infantry guns.

During the two destructive wars, the US carried out 3,792 bombings on Dien Chau land, killing 1,774 people. It is calculated that each Dien Chau resident at that time suffered a bomb. Although it was so fierce, it did not discourage the Dien Chau boys and girls who were only eighteen or twenty years old. Thousands of young people, most of whom were women, joined the militia groups to fight, not afraid of hardship and sacrifice. Revisiting the battlefields of the past, the feats of shooting down American enemy planes came flooding back in the stories told by the air defense soldiers: Dien Yen militiamen repaired their muskets into good ones, shooting down two planes; Dien Thanh militiamen cleverly coordinated to capture enemy pilots... continuing the heroic feats in the traditional history of Dien Chau district. Ms. Le Thi Huyen - who directly participated in shooting down the American plane emotionally recalled: "In February 1968, the Provincial Military Command held a meeting in Dien Phong, I was on duty at the Ngoi village battlefield. The commander ordered us to stick close to the target and shoot, when we saw the plane burst into flames, everyone shouted that the plane was on fire. We ran to the unit to report and then went down to Dien Hai beach to capture the pilot."

From 1965 to 1968, the number of aircraft shot down in the sky of Dien Chau was 84, of which the air defense militia shot down 28, captured 7 pilots, and 57 air defense soldiers remained on the battlefields forever. During the 11 years of fighting the Americans, Dien Chau received a letter of praise from Uncle Ho, and was awarded his badge.

The footsteps of the air defense soldiers of the past are no longer agile and brave when revisiting the battlefields of the past. But one thing that everyone can feel is the enthusiasm, determination, and spirit of the air defense soldiers of the past are still intact. The fertile fields, villages, and the roads connecting the North and the South today contain the feats, sacrifices, and pride of the time of selfless fighting of the air defense soldiers. Handshakes, smiles, and songs, the comradely and comradely love on the day of reunion becomes even more intimate and strong.

Mai Giang