On the morning of April 26, 1975, enemy soldiers guarding the outer perimeter of the Nuoc Trong base, while searching the surrounding areas, clashed with reconnaissance troops of the 304th Division. At 7:30 a.m., the enemy sent two aircraft to attack the formations of the 9th Regiment, 304th Division. Throughout April 26, the enemy continuously bombarded the northwestern areas of Nuoc Trong and Long Thanh with artillery and air strikes. Before the H-hour of the campaign, the enemy launched a fierce air attack on the battlefields of the 2nd Corps.
At 5 PM on April 26th, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign commenced. Artillery units of the 2nd Corps, 4th Corps, and 7th Military Region simultaneously opened fire, unleashing a barrage of fire on Trang Bom, Ho Nai, Bien Hoa, Nuoc Trong, Long Thanh, Duc Thanh, Ba Ria, and other areas.
The eastern flank was under the responsibility of the 2nd Corps: The 304th Division and the 9th Regiment attacked the Armored School; the 24th Regiment attacked the Infantry School at the Nuoc Trong base. By 6:45 PM, the 9th Regiment had captured the Armored School, the enemy retreated to the Infantry School and the Special Forces School, and simultaneously deployed additional forces from Bien Hoa to organize a counterattack.
At 5:35 PM, Regiment 101 (Division 325) attacked Long Thanh district town, Regiment 46 infiltrated deep behind enemy lines to capture Phuoc Thieng intersection, and Regiment 18 surrounded the enemy at Binh Son and served as a reserve for the Division.
At 8 PM on April 26th, Regiment 12 (Division 3, Military Region 5) captured Duc Thanh, Dat Do, and Long Dien, then, together with local forces, eliminated a series of coastal positions.
The southeastern direction was under the responsibility of the 4th Corps: The 270th and 273rd Regiments (341st Division) attacked the Trang Bom base, while the 266th Regiment attacked the enemy's defensive area from Hung Nghia - Bau Ca hamlet, destroying the remaining forces of the 18th Division and the 5th Armored Regiment of the puppet army. On the same day, the 6th Division deployed south of National Highway 4 to attack Ho Nai. The 52nd Brigade was in reserve at the Dau Giay intersection.
The coastal forces on both the eastern and southeastern fronts simultaneously launched attacks to capture the bridges: Ghenh, Rach Chiec, and Rach Cat. The enemy counterattacked and recaptured them, but we prepared to continue the assault. Special Forces Unit 116 captured the Dong Nai Highway bridge, defeating the counterattacking enemy forces and holding the bridge.
To the north, by April 26th, units of the 1st Corps had occupied their positions, ready for the offensive. A detachment of the 312th Division approached the Chanh Luu, Phuoc Vinh, and Phuoc Hoa bases, drawing the enemy's attention and forcing them to deploy the 8th Regiment of the 5th Division to block Highway 14. The 141st Regiment of the 312th Division captured the Binh Co and Binh My strongholds, opening the way for Highway 16. On the night of April 26th, the 1st Corps Headquarters moved from Rach Be to Van Huong to directly command the offensive operations.
To the west and southwest, on April 26th, the 232nd Regiment and the main force of Military Region 8 completed their deployment and preparations. The 8th Division quickly advanced to cut Highway 4 from Long Dinh to Tan Hiep. The 5th Division approached National Highway 4 from Ben Luc to Tra Cao, crossing the river at Ninh - Loc Giang. The 16th Infantry Regiment attacked An Lac - Binh Dien. Local troops battalion.
In My Tho, the armed forces of the district coordinated to capture the section from Long Dinh to Bung Mon. The 263rd Special Forces Battalion, the 291st Engineering Battalion, and the guerrillas of Cai Be district captured the section from Hoa Khanh to north of My Thuan. At 8 PM on April 26th, the 3rd Division captured Duc Thanh.
On the same day, April 26th, the Military Commission and the Regional Command sent a letter of encouragement to all officers and soldiers: ..."The historic strategic decisive battle for the final victory of the nation has begun. All units of the liberation armed forces have the responsibility to dedicate all their strength to attacking and liberating their homeland and base areas, and at the same time have the responsibility to coordinate closely to create conditions for the Saigon - Gia Dinh front to achieve complete victory..."
On April 26th, the Regional Party Committee and the 9th Military Region Party Committee sent a letter calling for and launching a powerful offensive across all districts and communes with the spirit of a general offensive and uprising to liberate their own districts and communes. The Military Region ordered forces from the provinces to move closer to the outskirts of the towns so that on the night of April 29th and the morning of April 30th, they could launch a simultaneous and decisive attack according to the approved plan.
After more than three days and nights of fierce fighting, our army captured many bases and positions, shattered the enemy's outer defense line, and destroyed and dispersed most of the enemy's 5th, 25th, 22nd, 18th, and 7th divisions. At this time, the whole country focused on Saigon-Gia Dinh. The entire force attacking Saigon was ready. Officers and soldiers were brimming with the spirit of victory. On their helmets, sleeves, rifle butts, cannon barrels, and vehicle hulls were inscribed the words of beloved President Ho Chi Minh: "Forward! Complete victory will surely be ours."
Early in the morning of April 30, 1975, our troops advanced into Saigon from all directions. Our forces quickly captured the enemy's Air Force Command and Parachute Division Command, taking control of Tan Son Nhat Airport. At 10:45 AM that same day, we attacked the Independence Palace, capturing the entire Saigon government and forcing President Duong Van Minh to declare unconditional surrender. At 11:30 AM, the revolutionary flag flew atop the Presidential Palace of the Saigon government. The historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign was a complete victory!
From the capital Hanoi to the remote villages and islands, cheers of joy resounded. The entire nation sang the triumphant anthem, "As if Uncle Ho were present on this joyous day of great victory," marking the successful conclusion of the resistance war against the US, saving the nation, completely liberating the South, and unifying the country.
VNA/newspaper
Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/chinh-polit/ngay-26-4-1975-mo-man-chien-dich-ho-chi-minh-lich-su-158365.html
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