When the whistle on the roof of the Ba Dinh Hall vibrates, simultaneously 25 phones in the cellar resounded for receiving information B52 is heading Hanoi bombing.
At the 45th anniversary of the "Dien Bien Phu aerial" held by the Hanoi Party Committee this morning, Major General Nguyen Van Ninh, former Missile Officer of the Operations Bureau, with B52 for 12 days at the end of December, 1972.
00:37 | 02:26
General Ninh described the first night of the "Dien Bien Phu aerial".
At the end of 1972, a number of military intelligence reports suggested that the United States was concentrating its forces on attacks aimed at taking the initiative at the negotiating table at the Paris Conference. Available 24 / 24h in the underground T1. The basement is deep in Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the first place to receive military information. In the middle of the cold winter, the tunnel is still "hot and hot" because of intelligence from the battlefield repeatedly sent.
On December 18, Mr. Ninh was on duty in the basement. Deputy chief of staff Phung The Tai from Gia Lam airport called him back and told Mr. Tho just arrived from Paris. Conference deadlock. It will hit you hard, you have to stay in the bunker on the battlefield. "One day earlier, the Northern Armed Forces, especially the air defense unit, received orders, highest.
General Ninh, in the campaign Linebacker (April-October 1972), Hai Phong was first carpeted B52 carpet April 16. The missile regiment fired 93 shots but did not hit. General Vo Nguyen Giap was very anxious, calling the Air Defense Command Le Van Tri assigned the task "Upcoming B52 will beat strongly, we need to organize a great military cooperation" and assigned the General Staff General meeting in private. , try to hit B52.
By September 1972, through the time of research, the Army found a way to beat B52 and organize training for combat teams only a month later. However, the victory of the war must also rely on the intelligence of the intelligence.
United States bombing missile bombing Hanoi
December 18, intelligence agencies discovered in the eastern Philippines, dozens of refueling aircraft for the B52. B52 intelligence and other tactical aircraft will hit Hanoi in the evening.
At 19h on December 18, radar station of 291th Regiment stationed in western Nghe An was the first place to detect B52 flying in, signaling the combat center. The notice said "B52 is heading to Hanoi to fly".
At the same time, officials of the Maritime Intelligence Agency to "Ninh Oi, B52 many from Guam began flying, they direction the North." Mr. Ninh dumb, thinking B52 more than 80 tons each, each bomb thrown down to dig the hole is larger than the village well. It was cold that his grandfather was sweating from chills.
At 19h the same day, he picked up the phone online, feeling "many years of fighting the French, hit the United States also never had as heavy shoulder as now. Reported with Chief of Staff Van Tien Dung and General Vo Nguyen Giap, he requested to pull the alarm sirens for the city sooner than prescribed.
General Giap handed over his report immediately to the Air Defense Corps, the military zone and the air defense alert to the people of the city. Every five minutes, the crew must report to the General Staff. Chief Executive Tran Do informed the Politburo of D67 under the microphone system online.
dien-tien-ha-noi-doi-mat-aoi-dan-b52-cua-my
The whistle in the corner of the operating room that Mr. Ninh hit at 19:00 pm on December 18, 1972, signaling air defense for the whole city. Picture: Giang Huy.
Mr. Ninh to the corner of the battle room, press the red siren. The whistle connects to the large horn system located on the roof of Ba Dinh Hall. Get signals, anti-aircraft sirens at the Opera House, Post Office, station ... at the same time scurry, prompting people to quickly shelter.
"At that time, I used all my strength to hit the whistle, in my heart like a fire, want to shout to my people, my dear friends, down the tunnel quickly," Ninh remembers.
Hunched, a series of phones in the T1 tunnel rang. Some senior leaders asked, "Act or alarm?" The party immediately responded "Invite comrade down the tunnel", then hang up.
Mr. Ninh recalled, the situation is so urgent that the Politburo leaders directly to the cellar commander tasked. Communication between the two battlefields T1 and D67 commander tunnel smoothly from the evening until the next morning.
At 19h40, the B52 fleet bombarded the Hanoi and surrounding areas. Both the capital shook. Industrial parks, warehouses, densely populated areas, air defense battleships in Dong Anh, Yen Vien, Duc Giang gas station, Bach Mai hospital, Radio Voice of Vietnam in Me Tri ... were hit by bombs.
dien-tien-ha-noi-mat-aoi-dan-52-cau-1
Bach Mai Hospital was bombed during the December 12th airstrikes. Photo: Giang Huy captured from the exhibition.
Bomb thrown down, aerial bombardment, rocket fire, anti-fire grids lit the sky in Hanoi. In the cellar, the phone rang. Everyone is wet, because they have not received news about B52.
Around 20h18, the observatory on the top of the flag pole has a large fire in the north. At the same time, the crew was informed that a B52 was shot down in East Anglia. Basement like to blow up
