Senior Lieutenant General Tran Van Tra and the unfinished memoirs

Born into a peasant family in the South Central region, Senior Lieutenant General Tran Van Tra (1919-1996) early entered the revolutionary path and devoted his whole life to the cause of national liberation. From the first battle against the French army at Cau Bong on September 23, 1945 to the decisive moment of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, his footprints were deeply imprinted on the most important battlefields of the South.

During that journey, he held many important positions: Chief of Zone 8; Deputy Commander of the South; Commander and Political Commissar of Saigon - Gia Dinh; Commander of the Eastern Inter-Zone; Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army; Commander of the Southern Liberation Army; Head of the military delegation in the Four-Party Joint Military Commission; Deputy Commander of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign; Commander and Political Commissar of Military Zone 7; Deputy Minister of National Defense ...

Book about Senior Lieutenant General Tran Van Tra. Photo: M.Chi

In 1982, he retired but still continued to contribute. As Vice President of the Vietnam Veterans Association and President of the Ho Chi Minh City Veterans Association, he devoted himself to taking care of his comrades and teammates. In particular, he devoted all his time and passion to researching and summarizing war experiences, leaving behind a valuable legacy. Among them, the work "The 30-year journey of B2 Thanh Dong" was planned to include 5 volumes, but he only managed to complete volumes 1 and 5; volumes 2, 3, 4 were still unfinished when he passed away.

His entire massive legacy has been carefully preserved by his family for many years and entrusted to Dr. Quach Thu Nguyet. With deep respect for Senior General Tran Van Tra and a spirit of respect for historical documents, Dr. Quach Thu Nguyet has selected, edited and compiled those documents into a two-volume book series "Senior General Tran Van Tra and the historical journeys of B2 Thanh Dong", published by the National Political Publishing House in 2021.

With great historical value and profound theoretical overview of the great patriotic war of the Vietnamese people in the 20th century, the book series has attracted special attention from a large number of readers, researchers and history lovers.

In order to bring readers the most concise publication, selecting the most quintessential content based on both original volumes, the Truth National Political Publishing House published and Omega released the book "Journey from "Leaving with empty hands" to "Returning to a strip of land" and unfinished manuscript pages". The book's title is taken from two lines of poetry written by the General right after peace was restored.

The book is a harmonious combination of personal memoirs and strategic summaries, of the emotions of a soldier - a general and the sharp insight of a war reviewer. The work vividly recreates the 30-year journey of steadfast fighting of the army and people of B2 citadel, at the same time thoroughly analyzes the art of war, explains the reasons for success and failure and draws valuable lessons in directing the resistance war.

“The journey from “Leaving with empty hands” to “Returning to a strip of land” and the unfinished manuscript pages” helps readers understand more deeply the value of peace, independence and the people who contributed to the great history of the nation.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thuong-tuong-tran-van-tra-va-nhung-trang-hoi-ky-con-dang-do-724523.html