On April 16, 1975, we shattered the enemy's Phan Rang defense line, liberating Phan Rang town and the entire Ninh Thuan province. General Vo Nguyen Giap, Commander-in-Chief, sent a telegram commending all officers and soldiers who achieved victory at Phan Rang.
At dawn on April 16, 1975, the forces participating in the attack on the enemy's Phan Rang defensive line simultaneously opened fire. The 101st Regiment of the 325th Division, led by four PT.85 armored vehicles, attacked the soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 31st Special Forces Regiment, defending at Hoi Dien and An Xuan, then advanced towards the Ca Du intersection and Dai Son hamlet. The enemy offered weak resistance.
On Highway 1, the enemy called in artillery and air support to counter our attacks. Our troops simultaneously pursued the enemy on the ground and used machine guns and anti-aircraft guns to fight back against the aircraft.
The 3rd Division of Military Region 5 and the 25th Regiment, in coordination with the spearhead of the 325th Division, attacked several targets in Phan Rang town and Thanh Son airfield.
After two hours of fighting, our troops completely took control of the town. One unit quickly seized Tan Thanh and Ninh Chu ports. Another unit advanced south of the town along Highway 1 to capture Dao Long bridge and Phu Quy district capital.
At 9:40 AM, our tanks advanced through Gate 1 of Thanh Son Airfield. At 10:00 AM, Regiment 101 and Division 3 defeated enemy counterattacks and captured Thanh Son Airfield. All more than 10,000 enemy troops in Phan Rang were annihilated and dispersed.
Lieutenant General Nguyen Vinh Nghi - Commander of the Forward Command of the 3rd Corps of the Republic of Vietnam Army, and Brigadier General Pham Ngoc Sang - Commander of the 6th Air Force Division, along with many enemy officers and soldiers, were captured alive. We seized many weapons and war equipment, including intact A37 aircraft. On that day, Ninh Thuan province was completely liberated.
The fall of Phan Rang weakened and shook the enemy's main defensive line in the east from Phan Thiet to Xuan Loc, creating an opportunity for the Liberation Army to continue along Highway 1 to liberate Saigon.
At 10 PM on April 16, 1975, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Commander-in-Chief, sent a telegram commending all officers and soldiers for their victory at Phan Rang.
On the same day, the Central Military Commission sent a telegram to the 2nd Army Corps ordering: They must quickly pursue the enemy, develop a swift, bold, and unexpected offensive to achieve new victories, urgently consolidate forces, continue marching and fighting, and promptly undertake the task of participating in the campaign to liberate Saigon.
On April 16, 1975, at the Command Headquarters in Dong Xoai, the 1st Army Corps Command assigned tasks to its subordinate units. Several units of the 3rd Army Corps, such as the 675th Artillery Regiment, the 593rd Air Defense Regiment, the 575th Engineering Regiment, the 1st Battalion (7th Engineering Regiment), the 29th Communications Regiment, the 198th Special Forces Regiment, and the 3rd Army Corps' logistics forces, were present at the assembly point and began preparations for the Ho Chi Minh Campaign.
NDO
Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/chinh-polit/ngay-16-4-1975-giai-phong-thi-xa-phan-rang-va-toan-tinh-ninh-thuan-157140.html
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