On the occasion, the war veterans offered incense at President Ho Chi Minh Memorial House - a construction to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the "Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air" victory and visited Huu Tiep lake relic site in Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi, where a B-52 shot down by the battalion on December 27, 1972 crashed.
During the event, the delegates also recalled glorious traditions of Battalion 72.
Reportedly, Battalion 72 was one of the four battalions of Regiment 285 established on September 12, 1965 in Yen The forest, Bac Giang province. The battalion won the first battle on March 5, 1966, shooting down an F-4 aircraft in Hai Phong.
During its training and combat, the battalion gained great achievements and shot down one U.S. F-105 aircraft in Bac Thai province on July 5, 1966; one EB-66 aircraft on July 20, 1966 in Tuyen Quang province, one F8U in Dien Chau, Nghe An on September 2, 1968, to name but a few.
In late December 1972, the battalion rushed to Dai Chu village, Phong Chau commune, Yen Phong district, Ha Bac province, and joined other forces to protect Hanoi.
At 23:05 on December 27, 1992, receiving information about a group of U.S. aircraft moving to Hanoi, Commanding Officer of the battalion Pham Van Chat ordered his troops to successfully destroy the target.
After that, General Vo Nguyen Giap applauded the unit for the excellent feat-of-arms.
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War veterans during the meeting |
In acknowledgement of the unit’s outstanding records, the State presented the noble title "Heroic Unit of the People’s Armed Forces" to the battalion in 2014. Meanwhile, comrade Pham Van Chat, former commanding officer of the unit was conferred with the title "Hero of the People’s Armed Forces" in 2015.
Translated by Minh Anh