On the cold winter night of 1979, as the Spring Festival approached, most families gathered to celebrate this traditional holiday, but for the reconnaissance detachment of the 42nd Division, it was a dangerous and tense moment of the beginning of the mission. Dressed in Vietnamese military uniforms, they crossed the border and penetrated deep into the heart of the enemy on a critical intelligence-gathering mission.
This is not an ordinary military exercise, but a real dodge that is a matter of life and death, where every step must be taken with care, and any small mistake can lead the entire team into a fatal situation. Walking on the edge of life and death is part of their duty and a testament to their courage.
Meticulous preparation: formation of the reconnaissance team and assignment arrangement
In January 1979, as tensions escalated along the Sino-Vietnamese border, the Chinese military decided to take action in the face of a potentially future conflict. Against this backdrop, the Chinese military has deployed a series of targeted military reconnaissance missions in order to accurately grasp the deployment status of the Vietnamese army and information on the geographical terrain in order to prepare for the upcoming military operation.
During the planning phase of the reconnaissance operation, the Chinese military top brass urgently convened several meetings to discuss and determine the specific plan for the reconnaissance. The reconnaissance mission focused on detailed topographic surveys and monitoring of enemy movements in a series of key areas along Vietnam's northern border. In these areas, the terrain is varied, from hills to mountains to dense forests, which is extremely challenging and communication conditions are complex. This requires scouts not only to have extremely high survival and stealth capabilities, but also to have excellent terrain judgment and the ability to adapt quickly.
In the end, the commander of the 42nd Division ordered the elite forces of the reconnaissance company to go deep into the Cao Nuo area of Vietnam to conduct secret reconnaissance. In order to ensure the concealment and success of the operation, the members of the operation were required to wear Vietnamese army uniforms so that they could better blend in with the local environment while carrying out their missions.
During this preparatory stage, the 42nd Division selected 18 of the most capable members from the reconnaissance company to form a special operations group, including Tan Boda, staff officer of the reconnaissance section, and Xiang Yongcheng, company commander. Not only are the physical and tactical skills of this special operations team extremely demanding, but also the members need to have good language skills and an understanding of the local culture in order to better operate behind enemy lines.
Before setting off, the reconnaissance group underwent a series of special training, including intensive learning of the Vietnamese language, the daily behavior and habits of the Vietnamese army, and survival skills behind enemy lines. These trainings are designed to ensure that they are able to minimize the risk of exposure during their mission.
The main task of this operation was to reconnoiter in detail the terrain and road conditions in the area from Longtang Mountain to Panlao and Shuitou, as well as the deployment of enemy troops and defense facilities in the areas of Kuzhou and Panlao. This information is critical to the upcoming military operation and requires accurate, detailed, first-hand information from reconnaissance teams.
Trek: The implementation process of reconnaissance operations
On the night of January 26, 1979, the reconnaissance detachment set out from Long Bao Farm in the sheltered and quiet night in the uniform of the Vietnamese army. Their destination was a key area on Vietnam's northeast side of Ko Nao, a well-planned reconnaissance mission whose goal was to scout in detail the enemy's military presence and terrain conditions. The team members wore Vietnamese military uniforms to avoid arousing the suspicion of the enemy when carrying out their missions.
The reconnaissance team chose an imperceptible trail that winds through dense jungle and rugged terrain. The darkness of the night provided additional cover for their movements, but it also increased the uncertainty and difficulty of their journey. The equipment they carry is limited to the most basic survival tools and a small amount of communication equipment to ensure light and efficient movements.
In the process of advancing, due to the limited line of sight at night and the complex and changeable terrain, the reconnaissance detachment accidentally deviated from the originally planned route. This error caused them to fail to reach Heights 615 at the scheduled time, which was the key observation point they had planned to reach before dawn. By the time the detachment realized that the course had deviated, it was already dawn, and they had to speed up their pace, hoping to correct the direction as soon as possible. After passing through a series of small hills and dense forests, the detachment finally crossed the Bazi River, which was the natural limit of their access to the unnamed plateau on the northeast side of the Gono River, at full dawn.
After arriving at the Bazi River, the reconnaissance team made a short stop by the river to make the necessary rest and equipment checks. They cleaned the equipment of dirt and plant residues while reconfirming the remaining routes. After making sure that all the team members were ready, the detachment continued on and headed north along the river.
In the early morning of 29 January, the reconnaissance detachment finally arrived at the target location, the unnamed high ground on the northeast side of Gauno. The terrain is open and offers excellent views for comprehensive observation and assessment of the surrounding area. The detachment quickly deployed temporary observation points on the high ground and began to monitor the Kuzhou and Panlao areas below using telescopes and other reconnaissance equipment.
From this position, the team members were able to clearly observe the enemy's movement and defensive layout. They recorded the distribution of enemy forces, noted the location of a number of important military installations, and the use of roads and passages. In addition, the detachment marked in detail the enemy's posts and patrol routes, and this information was essential for assessing the enemy's defense capabilities and developing a follow-up action plan.
During this observation, the members of the detachment were extremely vigilant, refraining from using any equipment that might attract attention or making loud noises. Whenever an enemy patrol approaches an observation point, they will quickly hide and will not continue their reconnaissance mission until it is certain that it is safe and unnoticed.
Enemy Analysis and Camouflage Penetration: Effective Reconnaissance Strategies
The reconnaissance detachment succeeded in drawing a detailed map of the enemy's key areas and recorded in detail the characteristics of the enemy's defenses at the temporary observation point on the unnamed high ground northeast of the Kono through several days of continuous observation. The detachment noted that the enemy had deployed fortified defenses at important road intersections and easily accessible mountain passes, where multiple levels of sentinel posts and checkpoints were set up to control key traffic arteries and prevent any potential threats.
In addition, forward defenses such as trenches and bulletproof nets, as well as concealed gun emplacements, were documented by the scouts. They use small cameras and hand-drawn sketches to record this critical information, ensuring that they can provide a detailed report to the High Command when they return. The detachment also observed that although the enemy's defensive facilities in these key areas were relatively complete, the rigor of daily vigilance and patrols was insufficient, indicating that the enemy was lax in its daily management.
In order to further investigate and confirm this discovery, the reconnaissance detachment adopted camouflage measures, and the members wore Vietnamese army uniforms, and some members even removed collar badges and cockades to make themselves look more like local Vietnamese soldiers. This camouflage tactic greatly helps them to move freely in the enemy-controlled zone without arousing the suspicion of the enemy.
Using this camouflage, the reconnaissance detachment was able to approach a number of key defensive facilities that would be inaccessible under normal circumstances. During a special operation, they approached a command center of enemy forces located in the Panlao area. The members of the detachment quietly bypassed the outlying sentinel in the darkness of the night, using the low bushes and undulating terrain as cover, and managed to reach the vicinity of the command center. Here, they recorded enemy vehicles, material storage, and communications equipment types, which were critical to understanding the enemy's logistical support and command capabilities.
During the continuous reconnaissance, which lasted three days and four nights, the members of the detachment barely rested, and they moved cautiously in the depths behind enemy lines, always taking care to avoid the enemy's main patrol routes. At night, they use starlight and faint moonlight to navigate, and during the day they hide in dense forests or caves, avoiding daylight activities to reduce the risk of detection.
In the process, the reconnaissance detachment also noted the weakness of the enemy's defenses at some non-strategic locations, particularly around some remote villages, which were guarded by only a few soldiers and poorly equipped. This discovery provides valuable clues for assessing the overall enemy situation and developing strategies for future military operations.
Successful Retreat: Tactical Intelligence and Timing
At 14 o'clock on January 29, the reconnaissance detachment completed the continuous reconnaissance mission on the unnamed heights on the northeast side of the high ground and began to implement the retreat plan. Due to the large amount of important information it carried, the detachment retreated with great caution, and every step had to be made to ensure that no trace was left and that it did not attract the attention of the enemy.
The detachment retreated south according to the original route, using the cover of terrain and vegetation along the way to avoid appearing in open areas. The retreat route was carefully planned in advance, mainly along low-lying areas and river valleys with high currents, and these natural terrains helped to conceal their movements.
During the retreat, the detachment was in the bushes near a village and unexpectedly encountered a group of Vietnamese villagers. Villagers are hurrying on remote paths to make their way to a nearby market. The members of the detachment immediately took covert action and took advantage of the surrounding environment to hide. The team members quickly lay down in the bushes and waited for the villagers, quietly observing the movements of the villagers to ensure that they were not detected.
After confirming that the villagers were just ordinary people and had no military background, the reconnaissance detachment continued to keep a low profile, quietly bypassing the village from the other side and continuing to retreat. However, in the second half of the retreat, the detachment again encountered a group of villagers, this time on a narrower mountain road. Faced with this situation, the members of the detachment quickly took cover again, taking advantage of the cover of the terrain and waiting for the villagers to leave.
Although these two encounters with the villagers did not lead to conflicts, they greatly tested the reaction speed and concealment ability of the detachment members. Fortunately, due to the full camouflage and concealment, and the fact that the activities of the villagers during the Spring Festival were mainly concentrated in their homes and during the festival celebrations, the actions of the detachment did not arouse any suspicion.
Having successfully avoided the villagers, the detachment picked up its pace and quickly evacuated along a remote road. At night, they take advantage of the sparse street lights to maintain a fast and quiet pace. In order to ensure the safety of the retreat, the detachment also set up several temporary observation points in order to monitor movements in the rear at any time.
Eventually, the detachment reached a safe area in the early hours of 30 January and returned to the station without incident. Although the retreat process was full of uncertainties and risks, the detachment successfully avoided direct contact with the enemy forces and did not cause any unnecessary alarm by virtue of careful planning and efficient execution.
The success of the reconnaissance operation was not only due to careful planning and professional execution by the crew, but also to the reduction in the activities of local residents during the Spring Festival, which provided the detachment with additional concealment and freedom of movement. Through this operation, the detachment brought back critical intelligence and made an important contribution to subsequent military operations.
- LONG Zhiyong,LIN Rusheng.Reconnaissance heroes in the self-defense and counterattack war against Vietnam[J].Weapon Knowledge,2016,0(9):80-83