Hill A1 in 38 days of firestorm - Part 4: Holding the battlefield

After discussion, we found the situation very difficult, with the local forces unable to hold, we needed to present specifically to the regiment to ask for opinions from above.

There was no radio, so the liaison officer could not report everything. We agreed that Hung Tan would command the force to hold the position, I went down to the telephone to report to the regiment. Dung Chi went out to regroup the unit and wait for orders from above. When Dung Chi and I came out of the bunker, it was already light. We went down to the trench to meet Le Son and Toa, the political commissar of the 317th company. Listening to Son, I learned that the 317th company suffered heavy casualties, the rest were pushed towards the 251st Battalion. I was sad because the battalion suffered such heavy losses.

Colonel Vu Dinh Hoe revisits Muong Phang Command Headquarters (2004)

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I went to the telephone and learned that Bang Khe and Bich had also broken through the pass to enter the post, but there was no means of communication and no information about the unit. The training officer and liaison officer who followed were all injured. The two of them were also hit by artillery fire and had to retreat. I called Huu An to inform him of the developments of the night. With a worried voice, Huu An reminded me to encourage the men to try to hold the bridgehead and ask for reinforcements. I explained clearly that there was only a small part of Battalion 255 left, and it would be difficult to fight back against the enemy's counterattack. From 6 a.m., the enemy fired like rain at the place where the brothers of Company 924, Battalion 255 were holding. At about 7 a.m. on March 31, enemy tanks and infantry recaptured the hilltop. At about 8 a.m., the last part of Battalion 255 and some brothers of Company 315, Battalion 249 were retreated, and Hung Tan was seriously injured. In the afternoon, Brother Huu An met me at the foot of hill A1. Partly worried because he had not completed the mission, partly annoyed because we had fought poorly, he only said briefly: "Gather the remaining brothers to coordinate with friendly units of the 308th Division to continue fighting tonight."

Colonel Vu Dinh Hoe (far right) visits the martyrs' cemetery on A1 hill (2014)

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I reported that all the companies and platoons had suffered casualties, and that there were less than 30 soldiers left who could fight. He sighed, looked at my feet, and said, "Your feet hurt, you have to rest. Let me tell Le Son to do this." Then he hurried to meet Le Son. The medic helped me back to the base to bandage my feet. That evening, lying in the base, I was both in pain and sad, not understanding how my comrades were fighting. While I was thinking vaguely, a slightly wounded comrade told me that in the afternoon when he went to observe the enemy's position, an officer from a friendly unit said, "This post only needs one blow of the nose to be finished, but we couldn't fight." I felt ashamed for not completing the mission, and for being looked down upon by the friendly unit. I was sad but also startled, thinking, "Our comrades were subjective, thinking that destroying A1 was not difficult. I'm afraid that if the friendly unit follows the same path, they will stumble again!" And that was true, your unit lost a part of its force and could not destroy the enemy. The fighting lasted until April 4th, then stopped, the enemy continued to occupy and consolidate the fortifications here. A few days later, Regiment Commander Nguyen Huu An, Regiment Political Commissar Tran Huy and the battalion commanders went to Muong Phang to attend the conference to summarize the operation. The atmosphere of the meeting was very heavy, General Vo Nguyen Giap criticized the shortcomings of the units with a very strict attitude, criticized comrade Nguyen Huu An and comrade Tran Huy, a deputy regimental commander was dismissed, a battalion officer of the 102nd regiment was severely disciplined for wavering in combat. Thus, 4 people were announced to be disciplined, all for not completing the task at A1. I held my breath, coldly waiting to hear the announcement of my discipline, but nothing happened. Although I was fine, I felt a bit dissatisfied with this disciplinary sentence. On the way back, I asked Dung Chi: "What do you think about this disciplinary issue?". Dung Chi said: "Oh my god! What else! I'm so scared! The other day I overheard those guys discussing disciplinary action against the whole gang, including you. Some said they should be warned, others said they should be dismissed, but I don't understand why today Mr. Giap let you off!". I said: "Why did they convict me, but let you off?". Dung Chi chuckled and joked: "Because you are the main battalion commander, your crime is bigger." I also laughed at his innocence and that joke, but still felt resentful and wondered who was responsible for the 174th Regiment joining the battle more than 30 minutes late, missing the unit's breakthrough opportunity. (to be continued)

The heavy casualties of the two best assault regiments, 174 and 102 (belonging to the 308th Vanguard Division), forced the Campaign Command to decide to stop the attack, withdraw troops to consolidate, leaving only a defensive force.

Thanhnien.vn

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