In 2024 , the entire Party , people and army of Phu Yen province will celebrate the country 's major holidays . In that great joy , Battalion 375 will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding ( February 25 , 1954 - February 25 , 2024 ) .As a unit established and grown in the homeland of Phu Yen , the officers and soldiers of Battalion 375 have been loved , nurtured , protected and cared for by the Party Committee , government and people of Phu Yen like their own children ...
70 years ago, in the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring strategy, implementing the plan to attack and capture the free zone of Inter-Zone 5, General Nava - Commander-in-Chief of the French army in Indochina, gathered a large force of 22 elite infantry battalions and two supporting parachute battalions, with hundreds of military vehicles, armored vehicles, dozens of aircraft and warships, to land troops on Tuy Hoa beach and then coordinate with troops from Khanh Hoa to cross Ca Pass to attack Tuy Hoa district and from the Central Highlands to attack Son Hoa. All three troops would join forces in Tuy Hoa town, then attack the northern districts and then develop to occupy the entire Phu Yen province.
The sweep named Atlant by the French army to occupy the free zone of Inter-zone 5 began on the morning of January 20, 1954.
Establishing a new unit
While on the way to participate in the North Central Highlands campaign, the front command was ordered to quickly dispatch two companies of Battalion 40 to Phu Yen to join Company 389 of Phu Yen Provincial Military Command to establish Battalion 375 - the first main force battalion of Phu Yen province to participate in the At-Lang campaign.
While practicing marching and gathering new units, Battalion Commander Pham Dung led Company 1 and Company 2 from the western part of Quang Ngai province through forests and streams, then took a shortcut through Binh Dinh - Van Canh - Cay Vung - Xuan Quang to Xuan Son to contact Phu Yen Provincial Military Command to receive the mission.
On the evening of March 6, 1954, the unit had just arrived at Xuan Son Nam when the scouts informed them: "Tomorrow (March 7), there will be a convoy carrying a company of Euro-African soldiers from Tuy Hoa town to La Hai."
After discussing with the commanders of the two companies, Battalion Commander Pham Dung decided to arrange a battle position to destroy the enemy convoy. And the Bau Vuon - Dam Sung area on the Phong Nien - La Hai road was chosen as the decisive battle point.
At noon on March 7, a company of puppet soldiers and reconnaissance aircraft patrolled from Chi Thanh to La Hai, they searched both sides of the road to prepare for the motorized convoy to march. Our army's position was silent, waiting for orders. When the two Jeeps passed the position about 200m, the enemy's motorized vehicles also appeared, each vehicle was 10-15m apart. Following behind were two vehicles filled with Euro-African soldiers.
The order to fire was given, and volleys of machine guns, 60mm mortars and infantry guns were fired at the enemy formation. The escort troops were so surprised that they had no time to react. The battle lasted for 30 minutes. Our troops destroyed 24 vehicles, killed many enemy troops, captured many prisoners and seized many trophies.
The resounding victory delighted the officers and soldiers of the two companies and that afternoon, Company 389 of Phu Yen Provincial Military Command officially became part of Battalion 375. The battalion's founding ceremony took place after an extremely meaningful victory!
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| People's Armed Forces Hero Ho Dac Thanh (right) recounts the typical battles of Battalion 375 in the At-Lang campaign with cultural history researcher Phan Thanh Binh. Photo: TRAN QUOI |
Typical exploits of Battalion 375
From the day of its establishment until the ceasefire according to the Geneva Agreement on July 20, 1954, a short period of time, only 146 days and nights, Battalion 375, together with other units and the Phu Yen army and people, won 22 battles. Of these, 4 victories were included in the list of "Typical battles of the Phu Yen Armed Forces".
Specifically, the second battle was on March 9, 1954, the commander of Battalion 375 received a notice from the Provincial Military Command: "The French army in Chi Thanh will launch a long-term sweep to An Linh, personally commanded by the battalion commander of the royal guards Bao Long (son of Bao Dai) to find and destroy our main force. Battalion 375 has the task of defeating the sweep to protect the base."
A meeting of the battalion commanders was held in a flash. Eo Gio was identified as the location for the battle because it had a unique slope between two low mountain slopes.
At about 9:30 a.m. on March 10, the two enemy troops met after a journey of nearly 10 kilometers under the scorching sun. When they reached the grassland, they took off their backpacks, put down their guns, and competed to drink water.
The opportunity had come. All types of firepower simultaneously fired at the enemy formation, then immediately charged into close combat. Many died on the spot, those who were slightly wounded or survived clung to the terrain to resist, some others threw down their guns and ran away, including the battalion commander Bao Long. The 1st Royal Guard Battalion was wiped out.
The third battle was at noon on April 29, 1954, the commander of Phu Yen Provincial Military Command announced and instructed: "The French army will launch a sweep on Hoa Binh, Hoa Dong and Hoa My to find and destroy our main force. Battalion 375 will deploy combat forces to stop the sweep and protect the safety of the base area."
Battalion 375 now had only one company left (two other companies had to disperse to surround the enemy in Chi Thanh and operate north of the Da Rang River), while the enemy had an entire 6th Royal Guard Battalion, with maximum support from air and artillery. At the foot of Mot Mountain, Hoi Cu village, the commander decided: Use Company 1 and the Hoa Tan Guerrilla Platoon to hide in Phu Lac village, 100m south of Go Mam water station, to open fire on the enemy when they returned from a sweep.
This battle of Battalion 375 only lasted 15 minutes, but wiped out the enemy's 6th Royal Guard Battalion.
The fourth battle was on May 28, 1954, the enemy launched a large-scale sweep of the regiment, with artillery support, commanded by Nguyen Khanh, sweeping the Hoa Quang area.
At this time, Battalion 375 lacked troops and had to coordinate with local armed forces to have enough strength to resist. We chose Minh Duc bridge as the decisive battle point.
As predicted, at 3:00 p.m. on May 28, the enemy returned to Minh Duc bridge on their sweep and was intercepted by our troops. The enemy formation was scattered, chaotic, everyone ran for their lives, some died, some raised their hands in surrender. Regiment Commander Nguyen Khanh was also captured by us, but due to carelessness and darkness, Khanh hid in a cowshed, stole clothes from the people, disguised himself and escaped (Nguyen Khanh later became the Prime Minister of the puppet government in Saigon)...
With deep gratitude to comrades and teammates of Battalion 375
Battalion 375 completed the targets assigned by the command when, together with the army and people of the province, they fought side by side against the enemy in the At-Lang campaign.
After the peace, the officers and soldiers of Battalion 375 who were still alive, some changed careers, some retired, some were discharged, some continued to participate in the fight, serving in the battle in the South and in the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia, making outstanding achievements. Some comrades were selected to be trained to become officers of the air force, navy, artillery, and chemical forces, and were core cadres in building the army.
Through hard work and training, they gradually matured and were awarded the rank of general, such as Lieutenant General Tieu Van Man, Major General Vo So, Major General Nguyen Dinh Chot, Colonel Phan Dac Tong. Some became writers and journalists, such as To Phuong and artist Pham Ngoc Ky.
There were 3 comrades who were awarded and posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the State, including Nguyen Lau, Tieu Van Man, and Ho Dac Thanh.
On the 70th anniversary of the founding of Battalion 375, many comrades have passed away. The youngest soldier of the battalion who enlisted in early 1954 is now 80-85 years old. And it would be remiss if we did not mention 3 comrades at the age of 95: Hoang Kim Giai (Phu Yen), Vo So (Hanoi) and Nguyen Dinh Tri (Khanh Hoa), they still live like soldiers.
| The 70th anniversary of the founding of Battalion 375 is also an opportunity for us to remember the heroic martyrs who remained on the battlefields; remember the wounded soldiers who sacrificed a part of their blood and bones but still steadfastly strive in their daily lives. Let us light a stick of incense on the altar of the martyrs and dead soldiers. Let us share the difficulties and hardships of the families of our comrades and teammates who once fought side by side through the fire and bullets of war with the deep gratitude of the very few lucky ones who survived until today. |
Hero of the People 's Armed Forces HO DAC THANH
Head of Liaison Department of Battalion 375
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