However, to achieve that glorious victory, the army and people of the whole country had to go through decisive battles against the strategies of the US imperialists: Special War, Local War and Vietnamization of War, and one of them was " Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the Air" in 1972.
This was an extremely important victory, forcing the US empire to sign the Paris Agreement to end the war, restore peace in Vietnam, and create conditions for the whole country to concentrate all its efforts on liberating the South and unifying the country.
Strategic vision and thorough preparation
After the consecutive failures of the special war strategy and then the local war, from 1969, the US imperialists carried out the Vietnamization strategy by expanding the war to all of Vietnam and Indochina.
However, based on objective analysis and assessment of the domestic and international situation, the reality of the battlefield, the plots and tricks of the US imperialists, as early as the end of 1967, our Party and President Ho Chi Minh assessed: "Sooner or later, the US imperialists will send B-52s to attack Hanoi, and only when they lose will they admit defeat. We must anticipate this situation to have time to think and prepare...".
With that in mind, the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army built up a developed air defense and air force ready for the strategic decisive battle. To improve the level and combat capability of each force, the Party and President Ho Chi Minh directed the sending of a number of missile, radar, air force units, scientific staff, and technical departments directly to the battlefield to study and attack the B-52 as soon as this type of strategic bomber appeared on the southern battlefield.
In particular, with the correct and creative viewpoint and line of people's war, the three-service air defense force, closely combining the main air defense force, local air defense force and militia and self-defense force, created a solid and widespread shield, especially in key areas, building a multi-layered, multi-layered air defense posture. Along with the whole country, the army and people of Hanoi also proactively prepared to respond and had a combat plan when the B-52 violated the capital's airspace.
As predicted, after consecutive failures on the Southern battlefield, in April 1972, the US imperialists frantically launched the second destructive war in the North. On December 14, 1972, US President Richard Nixon approved the Linebacker II campaign to massively attack Hanoi and Hai Phong by air force with 193 B-52 aircraft and nearly 1,000 tactical aircraft. Along with that, 2 aircraft carriers and 2 guided destroyers were also mobilized to enter the Gulf of Tonkin with the goal of attacking the North in order to put pressure on our Government, forcing us to accept favorable conditions for the US at the Paris negotiation table.
To minimize human losses, the City People's Air Defense Council directed neighborhoods, agencies, factories, and schools to resolutely evacuate people by all means and methods. This was considered the largest evacuation since the US launched a destructive war in the North by air force. The evacuation not only minimized casualties but also created conditions for our combat forces to stay and fight steadfastly and smoothly. Goods were also dispersed from large warehouses to many small warehouses. Traffic was also ensured to be maintained smoothly when attacked, collapsed, or damaged.
On the security and order front, the entire city quickly built thousands of kilometers of traffic trenches, 5,600 collective bunkers, and more than 630,000 individual holes to ensure bomb shelter for 900,000 people. 414 observation posts in districts and wards, along with 36 city observation posts, were always ready to give warnings from afar... With such careful preparation, on the night of December 18, 1972, when the US launched an air attack on Hanoi, the capital's army and people were completely proactive and calmly responded.
Write an immortal epic
The 12-day and night air raid by the US imperialists in 1972 was considered a barbaric bombing campaign. However, together with the national air defense force and neighboring provinces and cities, the army and people of the heroic capital established a creative and effective “air defense fire net”.
The medium and low-altitude air defense network of the capital's military and civilians was widely organized with 346 militia units, 1,428 anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns, including 32 100mm guns, 16 85mm guns and 61 37mm guns. This large force, together with the main high-altitude air defense force of missiles and air force, made the US army unable to react in time.
In just 12 days and nights, 441 B-52s and thousands of tactical aircraft dropped more than 10,000 tons of bombs, destroying many neighborhoods and villages. 5,480 houses, nearly 100 factories, businesses, schools... collapsed and were destroyed, more than 2,300 civilians were killed...
But as mentioned above, with determination and careful preparation, the air defense forces, air force, and the military and people of the capital smashed the plot of the strategic attack by B-52. During 12 days and nights in the "ring of fire", Hanoi, along with the air defense forces, local military and people shot down 81 aircraft, including 34 B-52s, 5 F-111As, 21 F-4CEs...
The American press at that time strongly condemned the actions of the Richard Nixon administration, considering it an inhumane abuse of power. However, the number of B-52s dubbed the “impregnable fortress” falling like rain in the sky of Hanoi made not only the US empire but also the international community truly stunned when the Vietnamese army and people could do such seemingly unimaginable things. An immortal heroic epic was written in the sky of Hanoi.
The victory of “Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air” was considered a “knockout blow” to the administration of President Richard Nixon, bankrupting the US’s intention to turn around the strategic situation at the Paris negotiation table. The heavy defeat forced the US empire to declare an end to the B-52 air raids, stop bombing from the 20th parallel and beyond, and then forced to sign the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam on January 27, 1973.
Article 1 of the Agreement clearly states: “The United States and other countries respect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Vietnam as recognized by the 1954 Geneva Agreement on Vietnam.”
Along with recognizing our country's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the US also pledged to end its military involvement, withdraw all US and vassal troops from South Vietnam unconditionally. Hanoi and the socialist North entered into production restoration, devoting all their efforts to supporting the southern battlefield. The struggle to liberate the South and unify the country from here entered a new phase, rapid and stormy, and ended with the historic Great Victory of Spring 1975.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/chien-thang-ha-noi-dien-bien-phu-tren-khong-tao-buoc-ngoat-tap-trung-toan-luc-giai-phong-mien-nam-700710.html
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