Aid to Vietnam and Resist the United States (Episode 3) Repair in the Line of Fire-(I)
Fireline Repair-(Part I)
In order to ensure the smooth operation of the railway, all units worked together to strengthen the air defense force, and continued to make emergency repairs day and night.
The first battle of Songhua Bridge, Kefu encounter, rush to repair the turnaround, defend the Beijiang Bridge, rebuild the mixed track, Longbian Siege, blood spill Meihua Bridge, rush to build the same section and so on.
This battle and repair have composed a song of victory and triumph, depicting a thrilling picture.
The first battle of Songhua Bridge
September 20, 1965
At 11:30 a.m. on September 20, 1965, US planes dispatched more than 4B and F-105 sorties to attack the Songhua Bridge in the area under the jurisdiction of the 6th Regiment and 2nd Battalion of the 1st Detachment for the first time, dropping more than 40 bombs, blowing up the No. 1 pier, damaging the rest of the piers and damaging the bridge line by more than 130 meters. The 2nd Battalion sent people to reconnoiter the scene. Pan Chengzhong, chief of staff of the regiment, rushed to the scene from the 7th Company and formulated a plan for emergency repairs on the basis of the emergency repair plan. The 7th Battalion and 2nd Battalion were the main ones to repair the bridge, the 6th Company was the main attacker, the 5th Company cooperated, the 8th Company and 1 platoon rushed to repair the bridgehead line, the 7th Company was the battalion reserve, and the 1st Battalion was the regimental reserve. The regiment set up a command post for emergency repairs, and transferred more than 30 heavy workers and carpenters from the 9th, 13th, and 14th companies to participate in the battle; It is equipped with 7 cars to support the transportation of materials.
At 12:45, the clean-up of the scene began, and two unexploded ordnance were removed. At 15:30, the repair was urgent, and the task was required to be completed within 24 hours. According to the division of labor, the participating companies according to the division of labor: leveling the foundation, erecting sleeper stacks, falling beam top leveling, cutting and welding repair, traversing steel beams, buckle rails, rod reinforcement, repair of bridge head and bridge deck line, after the heroic struggle of the participating commanders and fighters, rushed through the Songhua Bridge 1 hour and 15 minutes in advance. Achieved victory in the first battle.
Blood-stained plum blossom bridge
August 13, 14, 1967
August 13th and 14th are the two days of the life-and-death battle for the Meihua Bridge. The US military dispatched several groups of bombers to carry out a frenzied bombing of all the targets of the 9th Regiment of a detachment, and almost all the strands of the six stations including Tongmo were blown up, the Qiluo Bridge and the Meihua Bridge were blown up, and the steel rails and steel beams on the bridges were twisted and deformed, and some of them were thrown to the bank of the river by the blast waves.
Rushing to repair the Meihua Bridge, with the 12th Company as the main attack, and the 9th Company cooperated. After the No. 13 bridge was bombed, a platoon suddenly exploded in the water during the process of cleaning up the scene, and seven people, including squad leader Zhang Zhongqi and deputy squad leader Hu Changxian, died heroically, and many soldiers were injured. In the early morning of the next day, the carpentry squad of the 12th Company was erecting a row at the No. 2 pier, and the enemy planes attacked the Meihua Bridge and dropped extremely destructive instantaneous bombs, sub-mother bombs, and timed bombs, etc., and the earth around the bridge shook in an instant, and the water column of the bomb explosion in the river went straight into the sky, and the sound was deafening. The 11 comrades-in-arms of the carpentry class who were working in the water died heroically on the spot.
The mission is more important than everything, the bridge is destroyed and people die, but the transportation cannot be stopped. The chief inspected and commanded on the spot, and called on the troops to learn from the 18 heroes who had sacrificed their lives! Avenge the martyrs with practical actions! Within 10 days, they must complete their tasks and ensure that the steel transportation lines are unimpeded.
Inspired by the heroic spirit, the commanders and fighters worked day and night continuously, and the leading cadres took the lead! After 10 consecutive days and 10 nights of rush repairs, the Meihua Bridge was opened one day ahead of schedule, and a collapsed bridge stood tall in the river!
Dragon's Edge Battle
August 11, 1967
The Long Penh Bridge, which spans the Red River, is the transportation choke point to Hanoi. The main bridge is 1680 meters long, with a total of 2 sets and 18 piers, and the middle is connected to the railway, and the two sides are highways. The water under the bridge is deep and rapid, and the terrain is open, which is an easy target to bomb and difficult to repair.
At 4 p.m. on August 11, 1967, enemy planes bombed the Longbian Bridge in multiple groups, planes, and directions. The bridge was severely damaged, the cantilevers fell into the water and the piers were blown up. On the same day, the unit organized forces to conduct on-site surveys and underwater diving reconnaissance.
After many discussions between the detachment and the Vietnamese side, it was determined that the Vietnamese side rushed to repair 8 to 13 holes, and the detachment rushed to repair 14 and 15 holes. The detachment decided that the 10th Regiment would organize 3 companies to rush through for 40 days. Guo Yanlin, political commissar of the detachment, and Xiao Chunxian, director of the detachment, came to the scene to command.
At 17:30 on 12 September, the troops were put into emergency repairs, and it was decided that the operation time would be changed from "two shifts" to "three shifts." The troops mainly worked at night, and organized a small number of personnel to raid key processes during the day. It not only ensures continuous operation, but also enables the troops to maintain abundant energy: strengthen coordination and do a good job of coordination. There was a tense and fierce fighting atmosphere at the bridge repair site.
On the morning of September 20, Zhang Tianyao, a soldier of the 12th squad of the second company of the 10th regiment, was using the winch to hang the beam, at this time, the US plane was in the air, the winch suddenly lost control, the wire rope reversed rapidly, and a 15-meter-long, 3-and-a-half-ton I-beam was hung at one end, and there were two barges put together under the steel beam, and 14 comrades were working on board. If the wire rope continues to slide, it will cause serious casualties. At the moment of the first shot, Zhang Tianyao grabbed the wire rope on the winch with both hands, and desperately supported it with his body to stop the wire rope from reversing and the I-beam from slipping.
In a hurry, his left leg was caught in a sliding wire rope and pulled into the winch and was wrenched. At this time, he was still pulling the wire rope to death, and 14 comrades-in-arms were saved, and the barge was saved, but Zhang Tianyao fainted.
The commanders and fighters raced against time, fought for 18 days and nights, and rushed through the Longbian Bridge in advance. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Van Dong went to the bridge repair site to visit and express his condolences to our officers and men who were repairing the bridge. The Central Military Commission commended the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 10th Regiment for participating in the war.
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Consultants: Zhang Suolong, Luo Xudong
Chief Planner Zhang Rengan
Written by: Railway soldiers' comrades-in-arms aided Vietnam to resist the United States
55th Anniversary Special Activity Group
Coordinator Zhang Rengan
Commentary: Bai Baocun, Wang Xihua
The opening inscription Miao Jianrong
Reference: Aid to Vietnam to Resist the United States Database
Video production Zhang Rengan
Original link: Aid to Vietnam and Resist the United States (Episode 3) Fire Line Emergency Repair-(I)
Edit: Sunflower