The combined-arms battle to fight enemy from afar
At the beginning of the Hanoi - Hai Phong air defense campaign at night of December 18, 1972, MiG-21 fighters of the Vietnamese air force took off from Hoa Lac and Noi Bai airports to fight B-52 bombers. The air force collaborated with the air defense force to create a combined-arms battle to cope with the B-52s to protect the two Northern cities of Vietnam.
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The air force shifts the combat readiness posture to a higher level to defense Hanoi in December 1972. (A file photo) |
To fix the noise intensity affecting the navigation radar stations around Hanoi city, the air force deployed more auxiliary navigation radar stations in Cam Thuy district (Thanh Hoa province) and Moc Chau district (Son La province), where the noise intensity was lower, facilitating the target detection and leading MiG-21s to approach the enemy aircraft. On the other hand, Noi Bai and Yen Bai airports repaired and installed a runway lighting system in a very short time to allow MiG-21s to take off and land at night, contributing to delivering a shock for the enemy’s air force.
The combined-arms battle created continuous fire in each area to fight the enemy from afar. To avoid affecting the fire of the air defense force, particularly missiles and anti-aircraft gun systems, MiG-21s flied in low-altitude.
Close collaboration, creativeness in fighting
Following the direction of the Air Defense - Air Force Service Command, the anti-aircraft missile troops only fought B-52 bombers at night. During the day, they conducted camouflage and diversion to avoid the enemy attacks. Meanwhile, MiG-21s were ordered to take off as many times as possible to fight the enemy’s tactical and reconnaissance aircraft.
The U.S. tactical air force taking part in Operation Linebacker II acted differently from the Linebacker I. They conducted whole-day air raids to destroy the Vietnamese anti-aircraft missile force. The success of protecting the anti-aircraft missile battlefields alone contributed to making a great victory, destroying 29 B-52 strategic bombers of the U.S. Air Force and defeating the plan of the enemy.
Because the anti-aircraft missile force did not fight the enemy in daylight, the air force was allowed to fight the enemy both outside and inside the air defense fire area. Many air battles took place close to Hanoi such as those on December 23, 25, 27 and 28. The Vietnamese air force shot down the enemy's RA-5C and F-4 reconnaissance aircraft near the capital city.
Half of a century passed by after the “Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air” Victory, experience lessons in using forces and deploying combined-arms battle are still valuable to the development of the Vietnamese air defense and air force. The victory affirmed the sound leadership of the Central Military Commission, the High Command, and commanding officers of the Air Defense - Air Force Service.
The responsibility of present and future generations is to research, learn and develop this art of collaboration in order to build an increasingly powerful, modern and elite Air Defense - Air Force Service which is capable of firmly protecting the sky and sea of the beloved Fatherland.
By Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Soat, Hero of the People’s Armed Forces and Former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army
Translated by Trung Thanh