Part 1: Long Nguyen - a testing target of B52Part 2: To the tiger lairForty years have passed; however, the rains of bombs in those 12 days had impressed unforgettable memories of Hanoians who witnessed the destructive bombs killing 2,380 people. “In the evening of December 18th 1972, we were attending a pivotal conference of anticraft defense before being warned of incoming bombing. We had to retreat to shelters. On my way back to the formation, on Long Bien Bridge, we saw the fire blasts in Hanoi sky. On the ground, the high reaching anticraft guns and SAM missles kept firing onto the sky where tons of bombs kept pouring down. That night, we shot down some B52 stratofortresses of the US Army. In the next morning, I was assigned to a mission to Phu Lo of Soc Son to photograph the crashed B52 plane. On my way through Dong Anh, I could see the destructive scenes of dead people, broken trees and houses,” recalled Nguyen Xuan At – a field reporter. The remain of a B52 plane shot down and crashed onto Huu Tiep Lake in Ba Dinh District of Hanoi – a now national historical site The memorial night of December 18th 1972 marked the start of Linebacker II with 90 turns of bombing planes attacking Hanoi, Hai Phong, and neighboring provinces. The destruction was harsh and engraved in everyone’s mind. Mr. Dao Van Dac, 66, former Deputy Chair of Uy No Commune of Dong Anh District informed to us the date of first bombing and how the rescuing teams work to seek for injured and dead people. “We prepared a lot of coffins but they came in the sky and blew all up,” he said with a few drops of tears. “It was horrible. In only 3 raids, the killed 22 people, injured 18, blown up over 300 houses. Nothing was left but heavy destruction and strained streets,” he added. Holding back the tears, Mrs. Tuan Thi Vinh told us the date of tragedy killing all her 3 children. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thai, a pensioner is telling us the story of pains and lost 40 years ago “I lost my 3 children in bomb raids. I also saw 12 people in my village killed by bombs although they had been warned to take first shelters,” she said, sobbing while talking to us. “I don’t want to recall the past but it haunts me all the 40 years long,” she added. “On December 27th 1972, a B52 plane was shot down and crashed onto Huu Tiep Lake. People were scared off,” retold Nguyen Thi Thai, a retired communication pensioner in Ba Dinh District. “The sound on speaker: “Dong bao chu y! Dong bao chu y! May bay dich cach Hanoi … cay so” (Warning! Warning! The enemies aircrafts are … km away from Hanoi) still resounds in my head after 40 years,” she expressed. Reported by H. Van-T. Dong – Translated by Vi Bao