Why was the battle on Hill A1 the most fierce in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign?

According to Senior Lieutenant General Tran Viet Khoa, member of the Party Central Committee and Director of the National Defense Academy, Hill A1 is a high point of strategic and operational value. Here, the enemy is determined to hold and we are determined to fight.

PV : Sir, in the historic Dien Bien Phu campaign, the battle on Hill A1 was considered the most intense and fierce. Why was A1 such an important position, while General De Castries' Command Post was not located in this position?

Lieutenant General, Director of the National Defense Academy Tran Viet Khoa. (Photo: Ninh Binh Newspaper)

Senior Lieutenant General Tran Viet Khoa: The enemy called Hill A1 the throat of Dien Bien Phu. Hill A1 is a high point in a series of high points in the East. Here, the enemy is determined to hold and we are determined to attack this high point. Because Hill A1 is a high point with tactical and campaign value. If we can capture and hold Hill A1, the entire Muong Thanh field in the French base will be controlled. Therefore, we are determined to fight, the enemy is determined to hold.

Why was the enemy Command Post not located at this high point? Because this range of high points was located to the east outside. Muong Thanh Center - Command Post was located near the force assembly area. There were tanks, 8 battalions and 5 groups of forces protecting the Command Post, along with the airport and other warehouses. Therefore, the French also calculated very carefully to arrange the Command Post at Muong Thanh Center.

PV: In a talk about the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, General Vo Nguyen Giap said, “Battle A1 was the golden key in the campaign.” How did we use our forces to capture this high point, sir?

Senior Lieutenant General Tran Viet Khoa: Hill A1 is a high point of strategic and operational value. The campaign was assigned to two regiments of two divisions. They were Regiment 174 of Division 316 and Regiment 102 of Division 308. During the 38-day and night battle on Hill A1, the officers and soldiers of Regiment 174 and Regiment 102 were determined to carry out the assigned mission of capturing Hill A1.

Our troops attacked key enemy positions on Hill A1, May 6, 1954. (Photo: VNA)

PV: The battle on Hill A1 took place in 3 attacks and 1 defense, lasting 38 days and nights, the longest battle in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. The determination of our troops was the decisive factor in winning this battle?

Senior Lieutenant General Tran Viet Khoa: Yes, it can be said that the spirit of Dien Bien Phu in general and the attack on A1 hill in particular, is first of all the spirit of patriotism, there is nothing more precious than independence and freedom, not accepting to be slaves, ready to sacrifice for the cause of national liberation. That determination to fight and win is combined with the spirit of creativity and extraordinary efforts to overcome difficulties that seem insurmountable. It creates a great leap forward and the ability to fight with strength for us to defeat the enemy right from the moment we determined to take the A1 hill, to create a springboard for the main army to attack all the remaining strongholds in the Dien Bien Phu base.

PV: When summarizing the campaign, General Vo Nguyen Giap commented that one of the reasons why the attack on Hill A1 lasted so long and we suffered heavy casualties was that Regiment 174, under Division 316, opened fire slowly because they did not receive orders from the Division... Looking back at this historic battle, what lessons do you think we should learn in coordinating operations?

Senior Lieutenant General Tran Viet Khoa: During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, comrade Nguyen Huu An, former Director of the National Defense Academy, was the Commander of Regiment 174, Division 316. During his direct command of this regiment, he said that the regiment received orders from the division slowly. The first reason was that our information at that time was not as modern as it is now. The second reason was that the coordination between the division and the regiments was not tight. Therefore, the regiment did not receive the firing time of the division, of the front, of the entire battlefield.

From that, we can draw a lesson that in order to create strength and open fire at the right time, at the right time, and at the right moment, the means of communication must be guaranteed to be smooth. In addition, coordination between forces and units from top to bottom must be tight and meticulous, creating high unity, ensuring that opening fire is carried out on the entire battlefield as well as in each battle.

PV: In the decisive battle on Hill A1, we suffered heavy casualties, but the Dien Bien soldiers were always determined to complete their assigned objectives in all situations. That shows that the fighting spirit and will of the soldiers are always the decisive factors for us to be ready to fight and win in all wars. Could you analyze this issue in more depth?

Senior Lieutenant General Tran Viet Khoa: It can be said that valuing the political and spiritual factor is a very important factor in war, not only in previous wars but also in recent wars and in the future (if any) that is always true.

Therefore, leadership, political education, and strict ideology, and building high fighting determination in combat for soldiers are extremely important factors.

In the Dien Bien Phu campaign, we did this well. Because we did it well, we created strength. The more fierce the war, the more dangerous the weapons to people, the more the political and spiritual factors must overcome everything to win. I believe that, in today's conditions, if war breaks out, the spirit of Dien Bien Phu in the past will be transmitted to every soldier, so that we can defeat any war of aggression, by any enemy, to maintain peace, independence and build socialism.

PV : Thank you!

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