Mr. U Huan, Standing Deputy Secretary of Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee, read a speech, reviewing the heroic history of the Van Tuong Victory.
60 years ago, on August 18, 1965, the US military mobilized a force of 8,000 troops, including the 3rd US Marine Division and puppet soldiers, using more than 100 helicopters, 70 jet aircraft, 6 landing ships, 5 gunboats, 44 cannons and hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles to launch an operation called "Starlight" into the Van Tuong area.
To counterattack, our army used a local force of 1,500 men, including the Ba Gia Regiment, Company 21, Company 31 of local troops and guerrilla forces. Throughout the day and night, the army and people of Quang Ngai fought fiercely, promoting the strength of people's war, the entire people, and the whole country, completely defeating the US operation, eliminating 919 enemy soldiers from combat, damaging 22 tanks and armored vehicles, shooting down 13 planes, and destroying many enemy war vehicles.
The victory of Van Tuong became a brilliant milestone, opening the climax of "Finding the Americans to fight, finding the puppets to destroy" throughout the Southern battlefield.
Major General Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Commander of Military Region 5, affirmed: "The victory at Van Tuong proved that our army and people are fully capable of defeating the modern, elite US army, even in conditions where they have the advantage of large numbers, strong firepower, and fast mobility."
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Van Tuong Victory Day, in this solemn and sacred moment, the Party Committee and people of Quang Ngai province express their respect and infinite gratitude to the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam and the great President Ho Chi Minh who outlined the path of people's war, creating the invincible strength of the Vietnamese revolution.
Paying tribute to the noble sacrifices of the heroic martyrs, comrades and compatriots who fell to create the historic Van Tuong Victory.
The brave soldiers
Visiting the Van Tuong Victory Museum, People's Armed Forces Hero Ngo Thanh Trang (85 years old), former guerrilla captain of Binh Dong commune (now Van Tuong commune) was moved to look at the black and white photos, the photo with the caption "Hero Ngo Thanh Trang - Guerrilla captain of Binh Dong commune, Binh Son district (now Van Tuong commune), and his comrades killed 25 enemies in a reconnaissance raid by the US Marine battalion with armored vehicles from Chu Lai base to Van Tuong area".
People's Armed Forces Hero Ngo Thanh Trang shared: "What we had at that time was patriotism and the belief that we would keep every inch of our homeland. Many of our comrades did not return, but the Van Tuong Victory will remain forever."
The Ngoc Huong red soil hill relic is located in the Van Tuong Victory relic complex, where on August 18, 1965, Platoon 2 of Company 2, Battalion 60, Regiment 1 fought fiercely, fighting hand-to-hand with the enemy, forcing them to huddle at the foot of the hill, eliminating about 80 enemies from the battle.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuong, former Deputy Platoon Leader of Firepower Platoon, Company 21, Quang Ngai Provincial Military Command, recalled: "We let the enemy get really close before opening fire, turning passive into active, then engaged in close combat to destroy enemy infantry."
Veteran Trinh Phu Thien, Deputy Squad Leader, Mortar Battalion 81, Regiment 1, Doan Ba Gia, who directly participated in the Quang Ngai battlefield and the Van Tuong battle, shared: “I still remember clearly the days of “mid-August” – in the blazing summer sun of Quang Ngai, we soldiers, most of whom were very young, carrying with us a steadfast belief in the Party, on the day of national reunification, fought with all our courage and the spirit of “determination to die for the Fatherland”.
Major General Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Commander of Military Region 5, shared: “In this battle, Regiment 1 closely coordinated with local armed forces and the masses, making the most of the terrain of the fighting villages, the system of trenches, fortifications, and bamboo hedges to hold on. The troops proactively fought close combat, fought hand-to-hand, fought independently in each unit, and kept their formation secret. Wherever the enemy advanced, we firmly blocked and attacked. After a day of fierce fighting, causing the enemy many losses, by dawn on August 19, our forces secretly withdrew from Van Tuong in an active position.
The Van Tuong Victory has gone down in the nation's history as a brilliant feat in the resistance war against the US to save the country. The Van Tuong Victory Relic was ranked as a national historical relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1982. The Van Tuong Victory Relic Complex consists of 8 points, including: Ngoc Huong red soil hill, Loc Tu trench, Ngoc Huong painting hill, Chuoi hamlet junction, Bang hill, An Cuong beach, Phuoc Thien beach, and the Command Headquarters of the 1st Regiment of the Liberation Army.
>>Many images and artifacts of the Van Tuong battle. Photo: NGUYEN TRANG
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ky-niem-60-nam-chien-thang-van-tuong-post808919.html
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