PANO - On April 1st, based on the exact assessment of the swift developments of the war, the Politburo decided that "We are overwhelming the enemy in both military and political power. The revolutionary struggle in the South has reached a turning point... Therefore, the general offensive and uprising should be conducted in the earlyest time, preferably in April, without any delay.”
On April 5th, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Van Thai, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, assigned urgent tasks for the Operations Department to prepare for the liberation of the South.
On April 12th, General Vo Nguyen Giap established an executive board headed by Cao Van Khanh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff to support the Central Military Commission in directing combat operations and studying operational methods.
The team included Huu Duc, Vo Quang Ho, Mai Xuan Tan, Doan The Hung, Le Duy Mat and some other high-ranking officers from the Operations Department. Each day after a briefing on the situation of the battlefields, General Vo Nguyen Giap directly listened to the team’s report on combat developments and to its proposals so as to make the decision on each issue.
The group focused on studying options to besiege Saigon and split the enemy, possible combat plans to destroy the enemy right from the outer defence line and prevent them from gathering and forming strongholds in urban areas, the key battles and attacking directions to break into the city, measures to control Long Tau Canal, Cho Gao Canal, Bien Hoa Airport, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and how to use enemy’s aircraft to hit targets in the city, etc.
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| People in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) welcome Vietnamese liberation soldiers. Documentary photo |
On April 13th, the Politburo decided to name the campaign on Saigon after President Ho Chi Minh.
In those days, Le Trong Tan, Le Quang Hoa, Nam Long came to Da Nang to command Army Corps 2, Division 3 (Military Zone 5) in their littoral operations, reaching the rendezvous to join the campaign to liberate Saigon. Le Phi Long (Operations Department) was appointed as the head of the operations body of this attacking direction. The revolutionary forces then took control over the town of Phan Rang and Phan Rang Air Force Base and captured Lieutenant General Nguyen Vinh Nghi, Front Commander of Army Corps 3 and Commander of Military Region 3, and Brigadier General Pham Ngoc Sang, Commander of Air Force Division 6 of the Saigon Army.
Comrade Le Phi Long directly interrogated the two enemy’s captured generals and sent the information to the Operations Department so that it could help the standing group in studying and drafting the combat plans for the next phases. On April 16th, the group completed the final combat plan to liberate Saigon.
General Vo Nguyen Giap agreed on the plan and directed that “The situation is developing very quickly. Changes may occur. Therefore, units must anticipate every situation when the chance comes, quickly launch decisive blows to neutralize the enemy in their outer defence line, and prevent them from forming strongholds in Saigon. Strong army units should quickly capture key targets in the urban areas.”
On April 17th, the Operations Department completed the general plan to defeat the Saigon regime and submitted it to the Central Military Commission and the Politburo,
The Politburo then appointed General Van Tien Dung as the Commander of the campaign and Pham Hung as the Political Commissar. Deputy Commanders were Tran Van Tra, Le Trong Tan, Le Duc Anh, and Dinh Duc Thien. Le Quang Hoa was the Deputy Political Commissar and Le Ngoc Hien was the Chief of Staff of the Campaign.
On April 21st, President Nguyen Van Thieu of the Saigon administration resigned. Vice President Tran Van Huong took over the position.
On April 22nd, the Politburo met and decided that it was the right time to liberate Saigon. On April 23rd, US President G. Ford announced the end of the Vietnam War. The revolutionary forces, including 4 army corps and Combat Group 232 (equivalent to an army corps) were ready for the final general offensive.
On April 26th 1975, the campaign started with attacks from five directions forming a siege around Saigon. Under the command of the Operations Department, the Victory Squadron led by Comrade Nguyen Thanh Trung dropped bomb on Tan Son Nhat Airport, speeding up the disintegration of the enemy’s forces.
On April 30th, at 11:30am, the flag of the Liberation Army was planted on the roof of the Reunification Palace; Saigon was completely liberated with the unconditional claim of surrender by President Duong Van Minh. By May 1st, the whole Mekong Delta and islands in the South were liberated. Almost all urban areas in the South underwent the campaign with just minor casualties.
After 55 days and nights of combat, the revolutionary forces liberated the whole South with all the mainland, territorial waters, the sea and islands (except the Paracel Islands) ending the war of resistance in victory, reunifying the nation.
Over joy with the victory, all the staff of the Operations Department were deeply moved to pay tribute to the fallen comrades in the battlefields. Later, in reviewing the contributions of the Operations Department during that period, General Vo Nguyen Giap wrote, “Visiting the department on May 1st, 1975, I saw that the organ was in joy… After 30 years of army leadership, I noticed that the advisory role of the Operations Department has been improved significantly, from the planning of operations to the transfer of combat commands. Thank you all for that great job.”
The Operations Department has over the past time always successfully fulfilled its missions and rapidly matured. The department, as a result, was conferred with the noble title “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces”, the Ho Chi Minh Order, and various other titles of merit.
Recounted by Maj. Gen. Nguyen Van Ninh, Former Deputy Director of the Operations Department
Translated by Huu Duong
>> Part 1: Advisory role in defining attacking directions
>> Part 2: Building Plan for South Liberation