50 years ago, Air-Defence Division 361, also known as Hanoi Air-Defence Division, together with the people and armed forces in the North defeated the strategic air strike with B-52 bombers by the U.S. over Hanoi, Hai Phong and surrounding areas, making the resounding Victory of “Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air”. This is considered the pride and spiritual motivation for present generations of cadres and soldiers to follow traditions and be determined to build Division 361 strong, keeping pace with the missions.

In late December 1972, Air-Defence Division 361 – one of the main units in the Service of Air Defence-Air Force to protect our Capital City Hanoi together with the people and armed forces in the North bravely struggled and defeated the U.S. strategic air strike, gaining the great and unparalleled victory in the history. This is the glorious feat of arms over all fields by our people and armed forces in the Ho Chi Minh era. Initially, this is the victory of the Communist Party of Vietnam's (CPV) lucid guidelines; and of the will to dare to fight, know how to fight and be determined to defeat the American invaders with our intelligence, bravery and the spirit of self-motivation, creativity and overcoming difficulties. Moreover, this is the inheritance and proof of the Vietnamese military traditions, the guidelines of people’s war and the art of forces employment in the people’s air-defence posture defeating the enemies’ invading intention, etc.

During 12 days and nights of bravely fighting, the Northern people and troops shot down 81 aircrafts of all kinds, including 34 “super flying fortresses” B-52, the Air-Defence Division 361 shot down 29 aircraft including 25 B-52 (16 of them were totally crashed), destroyed and took alive many pilots. In this fierce struggle appeared many examples of brave heroes, many individuals and groups who had heightened the spirit of unity, bravery, intelligence, creativity and overcoming difficulties to accomplish the missions. With its excellent achievements in the resistance war against the U.S., especially in the air-defence operation at the end of 1972, the Division and 18 groups and 22 individuals were awarded the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces. This is the pride, the glorious traditions and the firm belief in the process of construction, struggle and growth for the Air Defence-Air Force soldiers in general and Division 361 – Hanoi Air-Defence Division in particular.

Presently, with the high demands for the cause of safeguarding the Homeland, protecting the airspace and the key targets, the Division’s missions are being changed with more challenging requirements. In order to well accomplish the assigned tasks, the Division’s Party Committee and Commands have clearly grasped the guideline of “being active, determined, safe and effective” with the action motto of “unity, democracy, model, discipline and definitiveness”, effectively concentrated on three breakthroughs: (1) Renovating and improving the quality of combat readiness, airspace management, military training with the focus on the training of using and mastering the technical equipment, competitions and exercises with live firing. (2) Making huge changes in the awareness, responsibility and knowledge for all-level cadres, especially the ones in charge of offices and units to meet the demands for the tasks. (3) Improving the quality of regularity building, discipline management and internal political management, making sure the safety in all activities.

Assembling surface-to-air missile at Regiment 64 (photo: phongkhongkhongquan.vn)

In order to successfully accomplish these breakthroughs, making the ground for building the completely strong unit, the Division needs to direct and guide the implication of many synchronous solutions; including several contents as follows:

Firstly, usually grasp the CPV’s political and military guidelines and improve the leading and commanding ability for the party committees at all levels. It is vital to improve cadres and soldiers’ awareness of CPV’s guidelines, viewpoints and military thoughts; the enemies’ plots, demands and missions of the units; be proactive to renovate the education methods to suit the mission requirements and each taker; make sure the cadres and soldiers have firm political spirit, completely believe in the CPV’s guides, the Vietnamese military art, the Air Defence-Air Force’s fighting techniques and the equipped weapons and equipment. Strictly following the real situations and the assigned missions, the Division’s Party Committee needs to enhance its management on all activities to build the unit which is strong in politics, thoughts, morality, organisation and cadres, making the ground for the improvement of general quality and combat ability. At the same time, the Division needs to promote the roles and responsibility of the party committees, political commissars, junior political commissars, commanders, political agencies, cadres, party members and the public organisations in grasping and implementing the missions; well carry out the education, grasp the missions requirements, build the cadres and soldiers’ morale, responsibility, model and self-awareness in doing their missions.

On bringing into play the values of the Victory of “Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air”, the Division needs to enhance the education on the traditions of the Service, Division, contributing on the improvement of cadres and soldiers’ awareness, responsibility and belief in the Air Defence-Air Force soldiers’ weapons, equipment and fighting techniques. It is necessary for the Division to successfully launch the determined-to-win emulation movement and effectively implement the Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW, dated 18/5/2021 by the Politburo on continuing to implement the Direction No. 05 on promoting the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and style; build the scientific methods and working manners, meeting the requirements for the missions in the new situation.

Secondly, improve the quality of training, combat readiness to meet the requirements for modern wars. This is the core and thorough mission and the motivation to directly improve the general quality and the fighting capability. Based on the investigation of the superiors’ resolutions and directions on training, the Division builds the specialised resolutions and specifies into criteria for agencies and units to carry them out. In order to breakthrough the improvement in training quality, the Division directs units to promote the renovation from the training directions and administration to the contents, organisation and training methods. In training, it is compulsory to follow the “basic, practical, firm, safe, economical” motto and appreciate the synchronous, professional and focused training. It is necessary to conduct training which is similar to the real struggle, promote the training on fully handling conventional weapons and equipment; quickly train new and modern weapons and equipment; enhance the training for cadres, fighting crews on practising the fighting techniques, night and field training, and on building soldiers’ health in all situations; also improve the education quality of foreign languages, IT, etc. to meet the mission requirements.

The Division usually holds vocational courses to improve the training ability, knowledge and combat skills for all-level cadres, especially the commanding officers, administration officers and the ones who are directly training soldiers. The Division also makes more investments in and encourages the initiatives, technical innovations, and the application of IT into the tasks of military training and exercises; reinforces the training on changing combat readiness statuses, gives specialised training for fighting crews on individual plans, the capability of manoeuvre and combined operations in quickly and secretly deploying combat formations, takes advantage of the experience impartation and creatively applying the Division’s fighting methods in the Air-Defence Campaign at the end of 1972 into present operation conditions in order to improve knowledge and combat capability for the Division. In training, it is requested to make soldiers clearly understand that modern wars are totally different from the ones in the past in terms of 5 battlefields: universe, cyberspace, airspace, sea and land; with many modern facilities and smart weapons, etc. applied to widen the battlefields, strengthen the weapons’ power with high accuracy, etc. causing heavily damages for the other sides. Consequently, it is a must to update the news, build many combat plans; be ready to effectively manage the new air-striking methods from the enemies.

Thirdly, usually educate soldiers about their organisation skills, discipline and self-awareness of complying with laws and assigned regulations. On being located in a large area with many small-scale and scattered units, the Division strictly implements “4 concentrations, 5 preventions” which have been determined by the Division’s Party Committee; focuses on educating soldiers to self-consciously comply with laws and assigned regulations from the Service and Division; vocationally provide them with knowledge, management experience and train cadres, especially the ones in charge of platoons and companies. The Division requires its cadres to heighten their responsibility and modelling roles before the juniors in all activities, in the on-duty and combat readiness particularly to make positive changes from soldiers’ manners to regulation observance, avoid the serious violations and lower the conventional violation rate in the units.

Fourthly, well assure the technical and logistic work for the missions of training, combat readiness and building the completely strong and “exemplary and typical” unit. The Division needs to prioritise the synchronous support for weapons, equipment and technical means with the highest technical standard; effectively carry out the Campaign of “Managing and using weapons, technical equipment well, safely and economically and assuring the traffic safety”; promote the research, manufacture, maintenance and the expiry extension of old weapons and equipment. Besides, there needs to actively receive the technology transference on mastering new and modern weapons and equipment, making sure the Division could successfully accomplish its all assigned tasks.

At the same time, the Division needs to well support the logistic and financial work for all tasks. Initially, it is necessary to reinforce the construction of the documents on combat, logistics, timely and effectively support the missions of combat readiness, training and exercises; focus on the full assurance of logistic stores. Additionally, the Division should promote the emulation movement of “The Military Logistics following Uncle Ho’s sayings”; bring into play the spirit of self-reliance and self-strength to overcome difficulties, improve the production and prevent the wastes; well take care of soldiers’ health and prevent the diseases in all offices and units.

In the conditions of coping with many difficulties, carrying out the combat tasks of managing the airspace while training the new weapons and equipment, Division 361’s cadres and soldiers have inherited and brought into play the historical values and the lessons from the Victory of “Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air”, always deserved the traditions of the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces who are ready to take and successfully accomplish all assigned missions.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN VAN DAY, Division Commander