Dien Bien Phu – Going through historical days

Update: 06-05-2024 | 13:15:35

Part 4: Southeastern sounds in Dien Bien battlefield

Stories from the battlefield of Dien Bien soldiers, the conclusions and assessments of experts, scientists and generals about the Dien Bien Phu victory right on the heroic land of Dien Bien have clearly shown the strategic vision as well as the art of war direction of the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh. Promoting the people's war posture to create synergy, together with the whole country towards Dien Bien Phu, the Southeastern region's inter-regional division heroically fought with the spirit of “We would rather sacrifice everything than lose our country and return to slavery”.

Dispersing enemy forces

Returning to Dien Bien on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, Vo Hanh Phuc, daughter of General Vo Nguyen Giap, shared a story of Uncle Ho's five fingers. It's a story about dispersing forces: "If the French enemy wants to concentrate on, we force them to disperse"...

Ben Cat city’s Youth union members visit the historical relic of Cau Dinh post in Ben Cat city’sTan Dinh ward

In early October 1953, at the meeting of the Politburo discussing the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring campaign in Keo Tin in Thai Nguyen province’s Dinh Hoa district after hearing General Vo Nguyen Giap’s report on the situation of the French expeditionary army gathering a large mobile force to regain the initiative on the battlefield, Uncle Ho raised five fingers and clenched them. According to Uncle Ho, the enemy gathered mobile troops to create strength, but we forced them to disperse and that strength would no longer exist. Uncle Ho's 5 fingers corresponded to 5 strategic directions of attack before Dien Bien Phu. They included liberating Lai Chau, making the siege of Dien Bien Phu; coordinating with the Pathet Lao army to liberate many localities in Central Laos and Lower Laos; liberating Kon Tum and the Northern Central Highlands; liberating Phong Sa Ly and the Nam Hu river basin, approaching Luang Prabang; making the victory of coordinated battlefields in the Northern Delta region, Binh Tri Thien, Central region, South Central and Southern regions.

Regarding the Southern battlefield, the Politburo promoted guerrilla fighting, taking advantage of the enemy's concentration of forces in other directions to increase operations, destroying many parts of the enemy's force. With the motto of "guerrilla is the key, learning to fight in favorable conditions", the soldiers and guerrillas of the Southeastern region divided into small detachments, destroying enemy forces in such places as in Thu Bien, Ba Cho, Gia Ninh...

The East "sharing fire"

In a speech sent to the National Scientific Conference on the Dien Bien Phu victory taking place in Dien Bien province, Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang, Commander of the Military Zone 7 said that on December 29, 1953, at the Minh Chau Duong war zone inTay Ninh province, the Southeastern Inter-Regional Party Committee held a conference to propose 6 tasks to be carried out in 1954. When the Dien Bien Phu campaign took place, 6 tasks were adjusted, focusing on three main tasks, including maintaining and promoting guerrilla warfare; consolidating and expanding the base; promoting military operations.

Vu Tien Luyen, a Dien Bien soldier, currently living in Thuan An city’s An Thanh ward, tells a story of the Dien Bien Phu victory on a map

Thoroughly grasping the resolution of the Party Central Committee and based on the actual situation on the battlefield, Thu Bien provincial Party Committee stepped up the military offensive combined with military mobilization work to create a new step in coordination with the main Dien Bien battlefield. In Ben Cat district (now Ben Cat city), we began operations on National Highway 13 and inter-provincial highway 14. On September 5, 1953, the forces of Company 55 under the Battalion 303 and Le Hong Phong Company in Ben Cat attacked Ben Tranh station in Thanh An commune, combining "internal and external attacks", thereby "eradicating" the Commando Company guarding Ben Tranh station, arresting 54 people, capturing more 100 guns and many military items.

Meanwhile, in My Phuoc commune (now My Phuoc ward, Ben Cat city), the Battalion 303 coordinated with Ben Cat district’s forces and My Phuoc commune’s guerrillas to attack and severely damage the enemy platoon stationed at Cay Xoai station in My Phuoc commune... In November and December 1953, the armed forces of Thu Bien province focused on strong operations in Chau Thanh and Lai Thieu districts. The province flexibly used forces; combined the main forces of the province, the distrit and commune to attack the Commando forces raiding the guerrilla areas of Tan Hiep, Thai Hoa, Khanh Van...

In Chau Thanh district, our armed forces penetrated into Tan An commune and raided the headquarters of the commune. Next, we attacked and destroyed the enemy platoon holding Tuong Binh Hiep station, less than 3km north of the town’s center, capturing 11 people alive (including the post chief) and collected all weapons. From March to the end of May 1954, the province used the main force of the Battalion 303 along with the local soldiers, militia and guerrillas to launch large-scale operations in Ben Cat, Chau Thanh, and Lai Thieu districts to attack Thai Hoa, Tan Phuoc, and Thuan - An - Hoa guerrilla areas; raided enemy patrols on Highway 13, took down watchtowers of So Xoai, Binh Tri..., destroyed many enemy forces attacking Vinh Loi, So Bac Vat bases... Our soldiers made big victories in Ben Tranh, Cau Dinh (Thu Bien), Bau Sen (Gia Ninh), Phu Tho Hoa (Saigon - Cho Lon)... The most resounding visctory was the attack on the enemy stationed at Cau Dinh post (located on National Highway 13, about Thu Dau Mot 10km north).

Upholding the victory of Cau Dinh, the armed forces of the province and soldiers of Ben Cat district attacked Ben Tranh post in Thanh An commune for the second time, destroying and capturing the enemy’s entire company; destroyed the enemy’s platoon stationed at Cay Trac post. Chau Thanh's local soldiers resisted raids for 11 days and nights, breaking up the attack of two European and African battalions into Truong Bong Bong base, eliminating 80 enemies from the battle.

From September, 1953 to March, 1954, Thu Bien provincial Party Committee promoted victories and further attacked the enemy's garrison system on important traffic axes and key points surrounding the townships and towns, destroying and restraining the enemy in order to create momentum for further development in the area behind the enemy. The armed forces of Thu Bien province fought 137 large and small battles, destroyed 1,148 enemies, injured 194 others, confiscated 186 guns of all kinds, destroyed 19 military vehicles, collapsed 3 posts, 5 watchtowers and forced the enemy to withdraw from 25 other watchtowers…

Cau Dinh victory was the pinnacle of the Winter-Spring offensive in 1953-1954, the coordination and promotion of the great Dien Bien Phu victory of the army and people of Thu Bien province in the last days of the resistance war against French colonialists. The battle of Cau Dinh left behind many valuable lessons in the war to protect the Fatherland. During the battle at Cau Dinh, there was the example of Ngo Chi Quoc, commander of the commando squad under the Battalion 303, bravely embracing the explosive and rushing to open the door, creating conditions for revolutionary soldiers to destroy the enemy. Ngo Chi Quoc heroically sacrificed and was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces...

Reported by a group of correspondents-Translated by Kim Tin

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Dien Bien Phu – Going through historical days

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