Memories of the rapid March
50 years have passed, but the memories of the rapid March are still imprinted in the minds of the soldiers of the 1st Army Corps - Quyet Corps participating in the Spring General offenses of 1975.
Returning to the old battlefield in Binh Duong, Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Son - former Deputy Political Commander of the 1st Army Corps, Head of the Communications Department of the 1st Army Fighting Friendship Association - recalled the "speed" campaign from North to South in 11 days and nights, exceeding more than 1,700km, promptly participating in the fight in the Southern battlefield.
This is the longest journey. When arriving, the car clock recorded 1,789km, this number coincides with the year Quang Trung Nguyen Hue marched to the North to defeat the Thanh army, a sign of great victory - Lieutenant General Son shared.
The first task of the 1st Corps was to surround and destroy the enemy at Phu Loi base (now the Command of the Military Command of Binh Duong province), where there was a battalion of security guards and police disguised as guards. Although there were 10 layers of barbed wire fences surrounding it, our detectives only discovered 9 layers and it was very difficult to break the fence. Although they wanted to use tanks to obstruct, at 0:00 on April 29, our army fired a shot into the base.
Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Son recalled: The war was very fierce, we had to continuously use explosives to break the fence to advance. The fierce battle, our tanks are muddy, the lack of explosive situations adds to the difficulties".
Mr. Dao Van Cai - former Deputy Captain of Company 2, Battalion 14, Regiment 186, Division 312, Army Corps 1 - recounted: On April 29, the unit received an order to pull firecrackers into the base to fire. The capture of the base was very difficult, but the infantry, tanks and combined forces quickly completely resolved the Phu Loi base.
In addition to occupying Phu Loi base, the 1st Corps also had the task of surrounding, destroying, and preventing the 5-th District Division from Lai Khe and Bau Bang.
The map showing the way of Sau Ngu mother
According to Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Son, when the units advanced to Lai Thieu (now in Lai Thieu ward, Thuan An city), they encountered an enemy base blocking the road. The 27th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps was forced to attack.
At that time, Lai Thieu was the gateway and the last great military base of the puppet army at the "death of the enemy" north of Saigon, 15km from the center. The enemy was entrenched in fortifications, bunkers, underground tunnels and sandbag guns.
To capture Lai Thieu, the 27th Regiment coordinated with infantry and mechanical forces, deeply attacking from both sides. At 4:15 a.m. on April 30, 1975, the 27th Regiment launched an attack. Artillery regrouped to fire tanks and checkpoints, giving infantry to open the door. After 2 hours of fighting, Lai Thieu was completely occupied, opening the northern gate of Saigon, breaking the last important link in the enemy's "death and vengeance" line.
A notable point is the combination of our army and people. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Sac - Veterans of the 1st Army Corps - shared: "The spirit of attacks like storms, the end line of the enemy was broken. Thousands of enemy soldiers surrender.
In the solidarity that created the victory, Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Son remembered most the actions of his mother Sau Ngu (Ms. Huynh Thi Sau, in Lai Thieu, Thuan An City), who presented the Saigon City map to the 27th Regiment.
The map records the enemy's large bases, traffic system and external fire from the inner city to the northern gateway, along with the entire enemy defense line in Thu Dau Mot town. Ma Sau Nguu also provided information to help the 27th Regiment avoid ambushes.
This is not only a map, but also the spirit of the people, a heart towards the revolution - Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Son shared.
With this support, the 27th Regiment and the 1st Corps units continued to travel deep along Road 13, occupying Vinh Binh Bridge, the base bordering Binh Duong and Saigon. Although the enemy mobilized armored vehicles to protect the base, our army destroyed the enemy, captured 12 tanks and destroyed many enemy soldiers. Vinh Binh Bridge was liberated, creating conditions for the army to enter and liberate Saigon.
Proud of the changes of Binh Duong and the country
After 50 years, returning to visit Binh Duong, the soldiers were happy with the changes of the province. Once a site of fire and rice fields, Binh Duong has now become a spacious urban area, with people's lives improving day by day.
The country and Binh Duong have made remarkable progress, that is the pride of soldiers like us, who sacrificed to protect the Fatherland. This development is a great source of encouragement for us - Mr. Nguyen Ba Bong - a veteran of Army Corps 1 shared.
