Following Uncle Ho's teaching "to fight is to win, to win right from the first battle", on March 4, 1966, for the first time, the squadron of 4 MiG-17s led by pilots: Pham Thanh Chung (No. 1), Ngo Duc Mai (No. 2), Tran Minh Phuong (No. 3), Nguyen The Hon (No. 4) of the Regiment fought bravely and intelligently, shooting down 1 F-4 aircraft and destroying the formation of American aircraft in the sky of Van Yen-Moc Chau (Son La). From here, a period of continuous fighting and many glorious victories of the Regiment opened, with typical battles such as: On July 19, 1966, the squadron of Nguyen Bien and Vo Van Man shot down 2 F-105s in the battle in the sky north of Hanoi; On April 25, 1967, the squadron of Nguyen Van Bay (No. 1), Ha Bon (No. 2), Nguyen The Hon (No. 3), Nguyen Ba Dich (No. 4) shot down 3 enemy aircraft in a battle over Hai Phong airspace; on May 12, 1967, the squadron of Cao Thanh Tinh, Le Hai, Ngo Duc Mai, Nguyen Xuan Ky shot down 3 F-4 aircraft. The coordinated battle on August 23, 1967 between the MiG-21 aircraft of the 921st Regiment and the MiG-17 aircraft of the 923rd Regiment resulted in a resounding victory with 5 enemy aircraft destroyed. On April 19, 1972, the squadron of Le Xuan Dy and Nguyen Van Bay (B) damaged 2 destroyers of the US Navy's 7th Fleet when they violated the waters of Quang Binh province. Although weapons and equipment were limited, the pilots of the Regiment creatively applied Vietnamese military art in creating the element of surprise, and had unique and scientific fighting methods to gain victory. This was the first and only battle of the Vietnamese fighter air force against a US Navy warship.

Pilots of Air Force Regiment 923 after finishing flight training. Photo: LE KHAC LUAN

In particular, on April 28, 1975, the Quyet Thang Squadron, consisting of 4 pilots of the Regiment, namely Tu De, Han Van Quang, Hoang Mai Vuong, Nguyen Van Luc and pilots Nguyen Thanh Trung and Tran Van On, used captured A-37 aircraft from the enemy. After a very short conversion time, they suddenly attacked Tan Son Nhat airport, destroying 24 aircraft and killing many enemy forces. Thereby contributing to the quick victory of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, liberating the South, and unifying the country...

With its outstanding achievements in the resistance war against the US, to save the country, on September 3, 1973, Regiment 923 was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces. Many groups and individuals of the Regiment also received this noble title. Of which, Squadron 4 was awarded 3 times. Squadron 2 was awarded 2 times. The Regiment was presented by Uncle Ho with 3 flags "Determination to defeat the American invaders", 1 flower basket and 92 badges of Uncle Ho given to pilots who shot down American planes...

Since February 1980, Regiment 923 has been equipped with modern Su-22 aircraft, becoming the first fighter-bomber unit of the Vietnam Air Force to carry out the mission of protecting the Fatherland. At the new weapons test exercise in 1983, the Regiment successfully completed the mission with high results, and was praised by superiors for "fighting well, hitting the target, closely coordinating command, ensuring absolute safety...".

An important milestone that cannot be ignored in the 60-year journey of the 923rd Regiment to protect the Fatherland's sky is the event when pilot Vu Xuan Cuong successfully made the first flight to Truong Sa island on February 10, 1988. From then until 1989, 100% of the Regiment's pilots completed flights to Truong Sa archipelago, opening up a new prospect for the combat capability of our air force in carrying out the mission of protecting the sacred sea and islands of the Fatherland.

After adjusting the organization and staffing from Division 372 to Division 371, the Regiment was assigned by its superiors to receive, train, convert, and operate Su-30MK2 aircraft and quickly mastered this modern equipment. Performing the task of level 2 and level 3 combat duty day and night; participating in concentrated shooting and bombing as well as joint military and service exercises, the Regiment always completed its tasks excellently. In recent years, the Regiment's pilots and aircraft have always been the main force, directly participating in flight demonstrations to celebrate important events such as: Vietnam International Defense Exhibition (2022, 2024); The 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification...

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Traditional Day, Regiment 923 was honored to receive the Third Class Fatherland Protection Medal from the President. This is an honor and also a motivation for today's generation to continue the tradition of the heroic Yen The Air Force, to grow and become more and more steadfast in each working position. The collective of pilots, officers, employees and soldiers of the Regiment constantly study, convert, research, and creatively apply and master the weapons and equipment equipped, ensuring the completion of training tasks, readiness to fight and fight to protect the Fatherland's sky. With capacity, enthusiasm and high sense of responsibility, the Party Committee and the Regiment's commander have been leading and commanding the unit to move forward steadily, building the Regiment to truly be a loyal political force, a trusted fighting force of the Party, State and people.

Colonel DO HONG QUANG, Political Commissar of Air Force Regiment 923

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/hanh-trinh-60-nam-va-nhung-dau-an-lich-su-839353