62 light tank carried infantry across the river from the floating bridge
In the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam on February 17, 1979, the 55th Army in the Guangxi direction, continuously fought a series of beautiful battles such as interspersing Banran, breaking through Tan Mou, detouring Nalong, attacking and annihilation, and blasting the "French Fort", based on the combat plan formulated before the war, the 55th Army in Guangxi continued to fight a series of beautiful battles such as interspersing Ban Ran, breaking through Tan Mou, detouring Nalong, attacking and annihilation, and blasting the "French Fort". The troops pointed directly at the city of Langshan. On February 28, the Central Military Commission ordered the Guangxi troops to capture the Beishi District of Lang Sang City in the second phase of the battle. The main force of the 55th Army and the 43 Army, one of the , fought in concert with the support of powerful artillery fire on March 1. At 11 noon on March 2, they completely occupied the northern city of Lang Son and controlled the area north of the Qiqiong River, and then entered defense.
Our army's Type 63 armored vehicle drove past the Soviet-made M30 122mm howitzer that overturned the Vietnamese army, but the Vietnamese authorities were not willing to admit defeat. On the one hand, they launched a propaganda machine and said that "Lang Son is still in control of the Vietnamese army", trying to deceive domestic and foreign public opinion. On the other hand, they requested the Soviet Union to provide weapons assistance and dispatched the transport aircraft to emergency airlift the elite 304th Division and other troops that invaded Cambodia back to Hanoi , and at the same time began to mobilize in its country to organize defense to prevent our army from entering the hinterland of Vietnam. In order to expand the results of the war, our General Staff further cracked down on the Vietnamese authorities in public opinion. Based on the intention of the Military Commission, the General Staff solicited the opinions of the Guangzhou Military Region . Is it possible to break through the Qiqiong River and occupy the southern city of Lang Son to create a favorable situation that threatens the Red River Delta .
The reply from Guangzhou Military Region is simple and clear: We are completely sure to capture the entire Lang Son! So the Military Commission immediately issued instructions to "Strive for greater victory in self-defense counterattack". The front command of the Guangzhou Military Region ordered the 55th Army to cross the Qiqiong River and seize the Nanshi District; at the same time, the 43rd Army ordered the 43rd Army to cross the river and launch an attack on Mimai Mountain to restrain the Vietnamese army south of Lang Son and cooperate with the 55th Army.
0 Our infantry
55, riding on Type 62 light tanks, was determined to concentrate the troops of 6 battalions and launched an assault on the Lang Son Nan city south of the Qiqiong River in the early morning of the 4th to annihilate the remnants of the 3rd Division and the 337th Division of the Vietnamese Army. In response to the defense deployment of the Vietnamese army, our army planned to attack the Qiqiong River Bridge and seize the bridge before the Vietnamese army exploded. We also organized some troops to carry out forced crossings at four points along the Qiqiong River to attract the attention of the Vietnamese army and prevent it from judging the main attack direction of our army as soon as possible. The troops participating in the attack began to prepare on March 3. In order to confuse the Vietnamese army, our army pushed some tanks, 152mm howitzers, 85mm cannons, 37mm anti-aircraft guns and large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns to the north bank of the river to occupy the launch position, and prepare for the attack.
Some of our army's participation in the war were equipped with laser rangefinders, which greatly improved the shooting accuracy
At 6:50 am on March 4, 1979, the artillery and tanks of the 55th Army concentrated their firepower to bombard the Vietnamese positions in the southern city of Lang Son. The protagonist of this article, the 4th Company of the 55th Army Tank Regiment was also ordered to occupy the launch position along the river bank on the east and west line of the Qiqiong River Railway Bridge, and participated in the firepower attack on the targets on the southern bank of the Qiqiong River. After the 10-minute fire support, the infantry of the 489th Regiment of the 163rd Division left the shelter and prepared to carry out a forced ferry.
At this time, the Vietnamese tanks, anti-aircraft guns, anti-aircraft guns and howitzers deployed on the 391 highlands, 428 highlands and the nameless highlands west of Qiqiong River were well concealed, and did not suffer major losses in our army's artillery attacks. After our infantry began to attack, these tanks and artillery immediately blocked and fired at our army on the north shore in an attempt to block our army's attack. For a time, the Vietnamese army's tank guns, , howitzers and anti-aircraft shells were raining. In the face of the fierce firepower that the enemy was prepared, our infantry had to lie down one after another.
0 T-34-85 medium tank equipped by the Vietnamese army
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000The Vietnamese military strictly camouflaged several positions in advance, and covered them with camouflage net on the side of the north bank of the Qiqiong River. They also dug bunkers for tanks and cannons, revealing only the tank's turrets. Most of the gun body of cannons was also in the bunker, and the artillery and tanks were also covered with camouflage nets. These measures successfully deceived our army's artillery observers. These positions were not calibrated before the war, so they did not suffer losses in the shelling.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 The terrain on the north shore is low and the city is open. Whether it is tanks or artillery, our army must occupy the position on the open and uncovered land, and then fire at the Vietnamese tank artillery at an elevation angle. The Vietnamese army can fully develop firepower in concealed in fortifications and launch attacks on our army according to pre-calibrated firing meters. Even if they are outnumbered in the end, the Vietnamese army can calmly retreat. How to look at
, this is a battle that can make sure you make money and never lose money. But the Vietnamese army underestimated a new small equipment installed on the Type 62 light tank of the 4th Company.
Type 62 light tanks equipped by our army
4 Company were equipped with a batch of Type 62 light tanks that were equipped with a relatively advanced gadget from our army at that time, which was a dual-lens laser rangefinder. The ranging accuracy was much higher than before with the optical scope , and the range measurement speed was fast and the error was extremely small. After the driver aimed the laser rangefinder at the target, he could instantly read the exact distance of the target on the screen, greatly shortening the reaction time. The rangefinder on the main gun of the type 4 light tank
62 light tank 4th company commander Wang Tingyun and instructor Liang Feiliu immediately ordered the entire company to search after discovering the infantry's pause. Soon they discovered the flames and smoke of enemy artillery shooting on several high grounds. After further confirmation, it was discovered that there were tanks and artillery of the Vietnamese army. The two of them immediately ordered the entire company to launch a battle formation and quickly annihilate the enemy. In order to maximize the firepower, the 4th Company allocated the firepower. Five tanks, including vehicles No. 411, 401, 402, 403, and 407 on the right side of the Qiqiong River Bridge, attacked the howitzer and anti-aircraft gun positions of the Vietnamese army on the nameless highland west of the 428 Highland; four tanks, including vehicles No. 404, 405, 406, and 408 on the left side of the bridge, attacked one tank company of the Vietnamese army directly in front and on the left and on the 391 and 428 Highlands.
Tank No. 411 of the 4th Company of the 55th Army Tank Regiment on the streets of Lang Son,
411, and five tanks, including 5 tanks, lowered the vehicle speed and aimed the turret at the Vietnamese artillery position after receiving the order. The turret began to use a laser rangefinder to measure the distance. After measuring the distance, the turret adjusted the firing angle of the artillery according to the reading and loaded high-explosive grenades. Since the Type 62 light tank did not have the two-way stabilizer of the artillery, it did not have the ability to shoot while traveling, and could only stop and shoot. So the commander ordered the driver to stop for a short time, and then each vehicle fired a volley according to the unified order of the platoon leader. The first volley covered the Vietnamese artillery positions! The shells were basically at a distance of less than 10 meters for several Vietnamese gun positions. In the scope, it was obvious that the Vietnamese gunners were killed and injured, and the rest of the personnel also began to waver. However, the Vietnamese anti-aircraft artillery , which was stubbornly resisting, began to aim the barrel of the 55 37mm anti-aircraft gun (the one that our army helped to Vietnam to resist the United States) at our tank for direct aiming. Tracers dragged bright ballistics toward the 4th company from the nameless high ground, and frequently exploded near the Type 62 tank, forcing the crew to close the hatch and continue fighting. The fatal weakness of the
55 37mm anti-aircraft gun
62 light tank is that the armor is weak, the front of the vehicle body is only 35 mm, the thickest armor on the front of the turret is only 50 mm, and the weakest top and bottom armor is only 12.5 mm.Once the Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns are counterattacked, the Type 62 tank may not be able to withstand the direct fire of the 37mm anti-aircraft gun!
Therefore, each car then quickly changed its shooting position and started to measure the distance again. In about 10 seconds, it shot a second round of volley! This time, the volley accurately hit an anti-aircraft gun position. high-explosive bomb detonated a large amount of ammunition piled up by the Vietnamese army in the gun position. The 37mm anti-aircraft gun shells exploded one after another like a volcanic eruption, completely lifting out the semi-concealed gun position with various parts and broken arms of the human body.
Then, each car quickly fired a third round of volleys. This time, the volleys destroyed almost all the remaining artillery of the Vietnamese army. The explosions of the explosive ammunition occurred one after another. The gun position of an anti-aircraft gun was directly exploded, and the entire anti-aircraft gun was pushed down from the high ground by huge air waves.
The 7th Company of the 16th Artillery Regiment of the Vietnamese Army in the Battle of Lang Son was shooting at our army
Five tanks who were determined not to give the Vietnamese army a breathing opportunity made the fourth volley on the nameless highland. This volley completely ended the artillery position of the Vietnamese Army’s nameless highland. As the last cannon was blown up, a few surviving Vietnamese gunners stumbled down and fled to the south without looking back.
When our army destroyed the Vietnamese artillery positions, the other four tanks also fought fiercely with the Vietnamese tanks. Vietnamese tanks only exposed turrets in the shelter, making it even harder to deal with. However, with the help of skilled techniques and laser rangefinders, our tankers have far better shooting accuracy than the Vietnamese T-34 tank . During the shooting, although the Vietnamese tanks desperately fired at the fourth line, the Type 62 tank relied on its flexible maneuverability to change the place, causing the Vietnamese tanks to frequently shoot air. Only a few rounds of near-lost bombs exploded on the side of the Type 62 tank, destroying some parts and headlights outside the car. On the contrary, our tanks were bullets and bite flesh, and almost every shot could hit the enemy target. One after another, the Vietnamese T-34 tanks were hit by the 85mm armor-piercing bombs fired from the Type 62 light tank and then exploded. Some tanks even detonated the entire turret to be blown away, completely falling into the point of passive attack.
Our soldiers took a photo with the destroyed Vietnamese T-34 tanks
After the remaining 5 tanks annihilated the Vietnamese artillery positions, the 4th Company's advantage further increased. The Vietnamese tanks on the 391 and 428 high grounds were cross-fired by our tanks, and the vehicles kept reporting the results of the enemy tanks hit to the company commander. The Vietnamese tanks, which had lost more than half of the shot, could not hold on, and began to cast smoke screens, and even the camouflage net was not enough to take it off, so they hurriedly reversed and prepared to exit the cover and escape. However, the 4th Company did not give Vietnamese tanks any chance. Before the smoke screen completely obscured the Vietnamese tanks, nine tanks fired continuously, exploding most of the Vietnamese tanks on two high grounds, and only 2 to 3 Vietnamese tanks escaped by chance.
55 Army infantry quickly pursued the fugitive enemy from the T-34-85 tanks and cars discarded by the Vietnamese army
shows that our army's Type 62 light tanks drove through the destroyed Vietnamese T-34 tank model scene
After the 4th company of tanks destroyed the Vietnamese tanks and artillery positions, our 489th Regiment then successfully broke through the Qiqiong River under the cover of tanks and artillery, and rushed into the Nancheng District of Lang Son with his brothers. After the battle, our army boarded the Vietnamese tanks and artillery positions while cleaning the battlefield. It was confirmed that the 4th Company destroyed 4 Vietnamese 37mm anti-aircraft guns, 1 122mm howitzer, and 11 T-34-85 tanks in this battle. There were no casualties in the 4th Company, and only some of the external equipment of the tank were damaged. This tank battle was the only tank battle in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam. Our army fought a beautiful 11-0.
Our army broke through the Qiqiong River Bridge
Although the Type 62 light tank won a complete victory in this battle, during the entire counterattack battle , due to weak armor and unfavorable terrain, the Type 62 light tanks suffered great losses. The 420 Type 62 tanks participating in the battle were damaged by 500 times, and almost every tank suffered certain damage. After the full repair of our repair personnel, more than 40 Type 62 tanks finally suffered permanent losses, accounting for about 10% of the total number of Type 62 tanks participating in the battle.The problems exposed by the
62 tank in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam prompted the Military Commission to approve the military department to improve the 62 from 1980 to 1981, mainly to strengthen protection and improve fire control, and to install side skirts and a large laser rangefinder for the tank. This is the 62-1 light tank.
62-1 light tank
But the Type 62 tank is light tank after all, and there is little room for improvement. The Type 62 will no longer be produced in 1982. In 1989, the Military Commission decided to officially stop production of the Type 62, and the remaining tanks were successively retired after their service life expired.
The first generation famous car , this is the end of this.
Type 62 light tank model produced by trumpeter
Type 62 light tank in the military museum
seized Vietnam T-34-85 tank
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-