Heroic memories of Dien Bien soldiers

Veterans of To Hieu ward talk with veteran Pham Xuan Dan.

This year, at the age of 91, his eyesight is dim and his legs are slow, but when talking about his days in the army, Mr. Dan's voice is still full of pride. In the story with us, he said: In 1952, he registered to join the army, becoming a soldier of Company 18, Battalion 16, Regiment 141, Division 312 - one of the main units of our army in the resistance war against French colonialism, assigned by the General Command to attack the enemy in the main direction of the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Under the command of Division Commander Le Trong Tan, his unit marched to the Northwest, carrying out the tasks of building roads, opening roads, digging trenches, and pulling artillery into the battlefield.

Talking about the victory of the opening battle at Him Lam base, Mr. Dan's voice was emotional and proud: On the night of March 11, 1954, the battalions began digging trenches to build the starting position. On the morning of March 12, the enemy sent troops with tanks and bulldozers to fill the position. Enemy planes and artillery fiercely bombarded the forest gates, mountain crevices... where our troops were suspected to be. My teammates and I were then ordered to participate in organizing the starting position, digging trenches to attack; taking advantage of the opportunity to dig trenches and build the position at night or during bad weather and thick fog. Although performing the task under the enemy's heavy rain of bombs and artillery fire, everyone was enthusiastic and resilient. My unit also supported other units to pull artillery into the positions.

Also according to him: On March 13, 1954, our troops opened fire to attack the Him Lam stronghold, opening the Dien Bien Phu campaign. At noon on March 13, the enemy stormed and destroyed our position. Our troops responded with artillery to support the units protecting the position. On that day, on the main direction, Regiment 141, following the commander's orders, advanced along the trenches toward the Him Lam stronghold. The enemy's artillery continuously fired from the Nam Rom River to Hill 674.

Speaking of this, Mr. Dan choked up: At that time, the war was very fierce, our army attacked from many directions to occupy the position on the hilltop opposite the main direction of attack, then the enemy's artillery fired over the formation. The company commander and deputy company commander were sacrificed, but the entire company still obeyed orders, overcame firepower, bombs and bullets to fight steadfastly, concentrated firepower on Him Lam, the central subdivision, Muong Thanh airport and successively occupied important positions.

In my regiment, comrade Phan Dinh Giot used his body to block the loophole, extinguish the fire point, creating conditions for the entire company to spread out in all directions; before the fierce attack of our army, the surviving enemy panicked and fled to Muong Thanh, but were intercepted by our army, destroying more than a company.

At 11:30 p.m. on March 13, Division 312 completed its mission of destroying the Him Lam stronghold, killing 300 enemies, capturing 200 enemies, and seizing all weapons and equipment. The Him Lam victory was an important victory that encouraged the fighting spirit of our entire army across the Dien Bien Phu front, paving the way for subsequent battles against the Dien Bien Phu stronghold complex. Division 312 continued to coordinate with other units, attacking key strongholds, contributing to the historic Dien Bien Phu victory on May 7, 1954.

Mr. Dan continued: On May 7, 1954, when the news of the Dien Bien Phu victory spread throughout the battlefield, my comrades and I were in the trenches outside Muong Thanh field, the whole unit burst into extreme joy, cheering. We hugged each other and cried, cried with pride, cried in victory. That night, no one slept, some sang to celebrate the victory, some together recalled the days of arduous fighting, faced fierce battlefields and remembered the sacrifices of so many comrades.

After the victory of the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Mr. Dan continued to participate in the mission of the 312th Division. With the spirit of a loyal soldier, he continued to participate in consolidating the force, protecting the achievements of the revolution and carrying out important military missions in the following years. In 1960, Mr. Dan transferred to the Son La Food Department. No matter what job he held, he always promoted the qualities of "Uncle Ho's Soldier" in the cause of building and developing the local economy.

71 years have passed, but the Dien Bien Phu victory still retains its value and significance in the current revolutionary cause. Soldiers like Mr. Pham Xuan Dan are living witnesses of the nation's heroic history. They not only dedicate their youth to the country, but also pass on the revolutionary fire to future generations about their courage, indomitable spirit and belief in the nation's independence and freedom.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/xa-hoi/ky-uc-hao-hung-cua-nguoi-linh-dien-bien-13pzCPbNg.html