Fort Hill C1 is one of the eastern high points of the central subdivision. During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, both the Vietnamese People’s Army and the French army tried to strengthen their foothold on this hill. Over the past 66 years, the monument of C1 hill still has many properties such as the resounding triumph…
From the strategic peak
C1 Hill fortress is one of the eastern high points of the central division, an effective shielding screen forming the main defensive direction to prevent the enemy from attacking from the East and the Northeast from the center of the Central Region. Dien Bien Phu fortress and Muong Thanh airport – the trump card of the French colonialists.
Like most of the remaining fortresses, the French fortress Hill C1 named Eliane1, one of the strongholds of the Éliane cluster (named after a beautiful French girl). Fort C1 is located on a high point of 493, in the middle of fortresses A1, D1, D3 with a height of 50m, gentle slope. Here, the French colonialists arranged 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Moroccan Infantry Regiment to guard. In addition, there was the support of the 6th colonial parachute battalion, the 5th Wei battalion, a company of the 8th assault parachute battalion, under the direct command of Bigeard – Deputy Commander of the Division center.
On the side of the Vietnam People’s Army, Battalion 215, Regiment 98, Battalion 316, directly commanded by Regiment Commander Vu Lang, were assigned the task of attacking and destroying C1 fortress.
C1 Hill fortress has an important strategic position. Occupying this fortress for the Vietnam People’s Army was a springboard to create favorable conditions for the entry of C2 and A1 fortresses, a dangerous threat to the French in the eastern highlands. Therefore, both the Vietnamese People’s Army and the French army made every effort to strengthen their foothold on this hill. Experiencing 12 fierce and fierce counterattacks, the Vietnamese and French armies fought for each other for every inch of land, gun emplacement, and trenches, but they could not win or lose.
Come sing the triumph song
At 5:00 p.m. on March 30, 1954, the Vietnamese People’s Army launched a second attack on the Dien Bien Phu fortress group. The artillery calibers of the Vietnamese people’s army pounded on the positions of the Eastern hills, including C1 hill. Battalion 215, Regiment 98, Battalion 316 quickly approached the target, used torpedo ammunition, and after 5 minutes, the door was cleared and opened through 7 layers of barbed wire fence. At the battle, comrade Vu Lang – Regiment Commander of the 98th Regiment called to ask for the artillery to stop firing, taking advantage of the moment when the firepower of the French army was paralyzed, the Battalion Commander, 215th Battalion – Bui Huu Quan gave orders to the army. assault troops. In order to organize an effective attack, company captain Le Van Di had the initiative to dig a 20m-long underground trench going under the ground from the battlefield of the Vietnam People’s Army straight to the French flagpole. From this tunnel,
With just a quick charge, after 10 minutes, the 38th Company captured the fortification on the top of the hill, Platoon leader Nguyen Thien Cai planted the flag “Determined to fight, determined to win” on the top of the flagpole. The battle lasted 45 minutes, the Vietnamese People’s Army annihilated and captured the entire Company of 140 French soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 4th Moroccan Infantry Regiment to hold and temporarily own the fortress. C1.
At the Headquarters, regiment commander Vu Lang phoned and asked company captain Le Van Di to have his forces retreat to the foothill 200m, leaving only one reserve platoon for Vietnamese artillery on D hill to fire on the battlefield. of the French army before the 811 company charged. After considering comrade Le Van Di for a reserve platoon to retreat 200m, the rest of the unit remained firmly attached to the battlefield, with the reason that the Vietnamese battlefield was firmly built and strong enough to endure. destructive power of artillery shells. If you go back too far, you will miss the opportunity to fight, there is no longer an element of surprise, moreover, the French artillery in Hong Cum then has enough time to intercept, which will certainly cause casualties to the Vietnamese army, and at the same time, the French army will have to fight back. France in C1 has enough time to consolidate to fight back. By the night of May 1, 1954, after 32 days and nights of defensive fighting on fortress C1, The 98th Regiment of the 316th Battalion had completely mastered the high point of C1, creating conditions for your units to attack and destroy the remaining strongholds of the eastern wall. Thanks to the bold and wise decisions of comrade Le Van Di, he contributed to the victory at Doi C1 fortress, opening the door to the center of the Dien Bien Phu fortress corporation.
The C1 hill relic is one of the component monuments of the special national monument of Dien Bien Phu Battlefield, one of the heroic proofs of the great victory of the Vietnamese army and people in the resistance war against Vietnam. French. The victory at the C1 hill monument along with the victories in the eastern hills of the 2nd wave of attacks were the premise leading to the victory of Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954. After more than 66 years, the C1 Hill relic remains a resounding relic of the heroic Vietnamese army and people.
Source: Collected internet.