Telling the story about B-52 hunters, Senior Colonel Nguyen Xuan Cu (93 years old), former Political Commissar of Division 361, shared the reasons why the air defense troops in Hanoi could make such remarkable achievements.
The “Four affirmations” Resolution
In that situation, Division 361’s Party Committee issued the “Four affirmations” Resolution to point out solutions and promote determination among its troops. As then Head of the Organizing Board under the Political Affairs Section of Division 361, Senior Colonel Nguyen Xuan Cu analyzed the situations and made recommendations to the unit’s Party Committee, contributing to the political work during the campaign.
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Senior Colonel Nguyen Xuan Cu |
According to Senior Colonel Nguyen Xuan Cu, Division 361 was in charge of protecting Hanoi - the heart of the country and headquarters of the Party Central Committee and the government, and had made many remarkable achievements. However, before taking part in the campaign to fight against B-52s in late 1972, the unit was facing difficulties in troops’ thoughts.
In late 1972, it was not yet wartime but also not peacetime yet in Hanoi. At that time, Henry Kissinger, as the adviser for national security of the White House, disseminated misinformation about the “Peace is at hand” situation in North Vietnam. As a result, several servicemen in the division believed that because the B-52 was large and slow to maneuver, it was easy to shoot down, while others were concerned because they did not trust totally on their staffed weapons and equipment or troops’ competence.
In the situation, the division’s Political Commissar Tran Van Giang and Commander Tran Quang Hung agreed to issue a resolution to raise troops’ political stance. The division’s Party Committee approved a resolution on how to hit B-52s in November 1972. Under the chair of Comrade Tran Van Giang, the meeting was held and pointed out “Four affirmations”: Affirming that the enemy would attack Hanoi more fiercely; affirming that it would be complicated and drastic; affirming that the U.S. would use B-52s to bomb Hanoi; and affirming that the U.S. would lose as it attacked Hanoi and we could be able to shoot down B-52s.
“Missile units were tasked with destroying B-52s. In September 1972, the ADAF carried out new solutions to shoot down B-52s in Division 361. Accordingly, the division’s Missile Regiment 257 was stationed on the left bank of the Red River. Meanwhile, missile battalions were all also ready, as B-52s were coming. The plan was approved and the units practiced with high intensity,” added Senior Colonel Nguyen Xuan Cu.
Transforming words into action
In order to bring the resolution into play, the division’s Party Committee held a training program for troops to learn how to defeat B-52s, rearrange operation formations, and repair, manufacture, and preserve weapons, equipment, and ammunition, among others.
Especially, the Standing Board of the division’s Party Committee also implemented political education sessions to change troops’ thoughts, erase wrongful thoughts, and enhance their trust. In every meeting, forecasts of President Ho Chi Minh and contents of the “Four affirmations” Resolution were the highlight.
At the same time, the information dissemination work was also implemented in each unit to promote the troops’ determination to shoot down the U.S. aircraft.
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SAM-2 of Division 361 in the Hanoi - Hai Phong Air Defense Campaign in 1972 |
From December 18 to 29, 1972, leaders of the division paid due attention to the lessons learned from each victory or failure. For example, on the first day of the campaign, when the B-52 could not be downed, the Party Committee of Battalion 77 (Missile Regiment 257) held a meeting right after that and made a determination: “Focusing on leading the troops to shoot down many B-52s to revenge Hanoians who were killed during the enemy air raids. There are six missiles left. We are determined to hit the enemy’s B-52s. Among them, any B-52 formation heading towards the center of Hanoi comes high on the list of priorities.”
After the meeting of the Party Committee, Commissar of Battalion 77 Do Quy Dan sent a letter to the division’s Party Committee, underscored the troops’ high determination to find out the best solutions to destroy B-52s and firmly protect Hanoi, deserving the trust of the people.
As a result, four B-52s were shot down by the battalion and it became one of the battalions that destroyed the largest number of B-52s in the division.
Translated by Minh Anh