Relying on their senses of touch and hearing, they used their fingertips to search for booby traps in pitch black darkness. The Cu Chi Vietnam Tunnels. Post an update “The most dangerous part would be psyching up to get into the tunnel,” Carl Cory says, a former 25th Infantry Div Tunnel Rat. The area, a Viet Cong stronghold, was heavily defended and used as a base for attacks on the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon. Found inside – Page 73The guerilla warfare during the American soldiers knew of the JGAS Vietnam War (see pp44-5), and [mum tunnels, ... s. ; is ,. as tight and constricted Ingenious booby traps, using as possible so that the eveiytbi ng from bamboo and ... Austrian Alps - The Perfect Snowboarding & Skiing… Steve was a smaller guy and “unfortunately” just the right size to go down some of those holes. Later tunnels were dug with U-bends in them, like drainpipes. Found inside – Page 176We questioned the mamasans and papasans in our best broken Vietnamese language. We checked for spider traps, tunnels, and weapons. We asked where their rice was stored but did not get any cooperation or useful information. He was 3rd Marines up North, Sniper Platoon leader. In DEAD CENTER, Kugler demonstrates the importance to a sniper of patience, marksmanship, bush skills, and guts--while underscoring exactly what a country demands of its youth when it sends them to war. PLEASE DO NOT GO INSIDE THE BEN DUOC CU CHI TUNNELS. Accompanied by our guide, you will crawl into the tunnels to enjoy a close exploration, which will lead you to experience how hard and strenuous was for the valiant Vietnamese soldiers to end the war. Where is Cu Chi tunnels from HCM City? Just 40 kilometres from Saigon, around an area known as the Iron Triangle in the Cu Chi district, lay the most complex Viet Cong tunnel system in South Vietnam. 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The tunnels of Cu Chi were a tunnel system located almost directly between the free capital city of The Republic of Vietnam, Saigon, and the Ho Chi Minh trail which the communists used to bring men and supplies from Communist North Vietnam into the "battlegrounds" of South Vietnam. Looking for the Vietcong . The Vietcong wore no uniform and could not be found in any particular location. Where: These traps were put into the tunnels that were into . Some tunnels were up to 13 meters deep. Today, tourists can crawl through parts of the tunnels that are regarded as safe, eat a meal that would have been familiar to a Viet Cong soldier, see the booby traps, and fire an AK-47 on a firing range. The Viet Cong used this to their advantage to scare, and even kill, American soldiers. From the beginning, the Viet Cong knew that they didn’t have the means to defeat the United States. I strongly recommend it. The tunnels were used to covertly transport troops and supplies, launch surprise attacks, and set booby traps. Look at the fucking water one. THE FIRST TUNNEL RATS This is the thrilling, hilarious and inspiring true story of a ragtag band of Aussie Army Engineers who redefined the word heroes ... and reinvented larrikin too. But Mangold and Penycate learned that the Viet Cong vividly remembered and respected the Americans who chased them through the underground maze armed only with pistols, knives, flashlights and courage. Visitors to Vietnam can now crawl through some of the safer areas of the tunnels, view command centers and booby traps, fire an AK-47 rifle on a firing range and even eat a meal featuring typical . With all those physical dangers to consider, the courageous troop still needed to maintain a clear and precise mental state of mind and not let the fear get the best of him. Possibly one of the worst booby traps US soldiers faced was the mace. In the early stages of the war against the French colonial forces . In addition, the tunnels had multiple levels that were interconnected and tunnels with traps. Today, some of the tunnels used in the war still exist, preserved and maintained by the Vietnamese government. At the most, there were 100 Tunnel Rats. Cú Chi.jpg. Praise for The Tunnels of Cu Chi “A claustrophobic but fascinating tale.”—The Wall Street Journal “Chilling . . . what war really was and how it was fought.”—The New York Times “Gripping . . . highly recommended.”—The ... The Tunnel Rats, while few in number, were certainly some of the bravest – and some might say craziest – soldiers who fought in Vietnam. The tunnel rats were American, Australian and New Zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Found insideIn reality, the tunnels were more complex, with many entrances and booby traps. also risked tunnel collapse, ... living in a network of tunnels Bunkers became a standard part more than a mile long, safe from of Vietnamese homes, ... The Viet Cong made a system of passages in the Vietnamese wilderness so as to dodge the American troops, however how comparable would are they were to tunnels as portrayed in the film Platoon? As we continued along our tour, our guide showed us weapons hidden beneath the earth, such as the clipping armpit trap pictured above. In Hardhats, Hippies, and Hawks, Penny Lewis challenges this collective memory of class polarization. Along with an unknown number of traps set by the Viet Cong, they also made over 75 miles worth of tunnels underground. Status update. "Booby Trap Boys" is a true account of 13 months in the life of a Marine Machine Gunner in Vietnam, and his struggle upon coming home to understand and finally deal with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. No, there were other, more frightening threats lurking in the darkness too. When a Tunnel Rat entered a tunnel, enemy soldiers waiting for him in the tightly cramped spaces were not the only thing he had to worry about. Also got stuck in a traffic jam in a later tunnel, would have lost it if I hadn't been right under the blower brining outside air into the tunnel. Booby-traps were placed all over the Vietnamese jungle, in irregular locations thus making many soldiers feel anxious and fearful. Jack Flowers is glad that the story of the Tunnel Rats has been told. A tunnel rat checks out a possible ventilation shaft. During the 1960s, the Vietcong greatly expanded the network of tunnels, which eventually covered a distance of almost 155 miles and linked Vietcong bases from around Saigon to as far away as the Cambodian border. However, according to Sapper Jim Marrett, a former Tunnel Rat, there was a surprisingly lower casualty rate than one . The Mace. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Their missions were not only perilous and terrifying because of the darkness, extremely cramped spaces, and the labyrinth-like maze of tunnels they had to infiltrate, but also because of the additional hazards they would encounter in the inky blackness underground. Great account of a hair raising war to go to war. He had the worst PTSD of any vet I met. I salute them. Found inside – Page 80... but make up for it with bizarre networks of tunnels, foot-traps, crossbows and booby traps. American field officers say that as the Vietnam war goes on, guerrillas are increasing and improving their unconventional arms. e guerrillas ... Found inside – Page 14Tunnel rats encountered many traps and explosives in tunnels, and so this training was especially valuable for them. Most infantry AIT training centers were rated “Vietnam-oriented.” The exception was Fort Dix, which trained personnel ... Still amazing men to do that job!! To combat these tunnels, the Americans began training "tunnel rats", soldiers of small stature. Or perhaps, the Tunnel Rat would be met by a tripwire that would open a box filled with scorpions. Anyway, I salute these guys and all the troops on the ground in Vietnam. Viet Cong tunnels. Perhaps the bravest soldiers ever, to do what they did, and face what they faced. If the Tunnel Rat didn’t check the ceilings with a flashlight, he risked being bitten in the face or neck by the snake. Sgt. Cu Chi Tunnels: WOW SO HISTORICAL - See 25,441 traveler reviews, 17,507 candid photos, and great deals for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at Tripadvisor. This was usually a lot easier said than done. My brother was a Tunnel Rat and he still suffers from serving in that manner today. Tunnel systems and traps The Vietcong had a hidden system of tunnels stretching over 200 miles. These tunnels allowed them to disappear at any time and remain hidden as long as they need. During the Vietnam war the Vietcong made a tunnel network under Vietnam which they used for communication and supply routes. Those tunnels were the nerve center of the Viet Cong military. Found insideIn the winter of 1967, Marines used dowsing rods to locate tunnel systems built by the Viet Cong. ... Here engineers had constructed a replica of a Vietnamese village, complete with tunnels and traps, waterways and bridges, ... My husband, Tom Gamble was a Marine Scout Sniper. With danger lurking around every corner, the Tunnel Rat not only had to dodge the various savage booby traps set by the Viet Cong, but typically only carried 6-7 rounds of ammunition with him even though the tunnels were commonly used to house up to a few dozen enemy combatants.. With all those physical dangers to consider, the courageous troop still needed to maintain a clear and precise . Jim Marett served as a Tunnel Rat in Vietnam with 2 Troop 1 Field Squadron RAE from June 11 th 1969 to June 11 th 1970. Read another story from us: Booby Traps of the Vietnam War. •The normal rate of advance was about 1 cubic meter per person per day, but varied with the digger's health, age, the climate and the soil. The Cu Chi tunnels, northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, were part of a much larger underground tunnel network used by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War. American "tunnel rats" had to be specially trained to navigate and disarm these traps. Seems not too much is said by those that did the real fighting. Snakes were also hidden by the Viet Cong in soldier's packs, and sometimes tied into the branches of trees by their tails at face height. The casualty rate for Tunnel Rat units was around 33 percent – a high number even for the Vietnam War – but knowing what these soldiers had to do, it’s a surprise that the rate wasn’t even higher than that. Wow, thank you all for your courage and service. The communist forces of Vietnam were largely successful, and for a lot of reasons. He’s been dead 10 year’s (April) Dark Sunrise Vietnam removes readers from the easy chair and places them with two Marine Corps Divisions in Vietnam. Photo: Jorge Láscar / Flickr / CC-BY 2.0 According to statistics compiled by the Australian Ministry of Defence (Australia had men in Vietnam for almost the entire conflict), 11% of all deaths and 15% of all wounds in Vietnam were due to booby traps (this is for all Allied troops, including . Saigon was the capital city of South Vietnam and the tunnels served as a means to move supplies, communications, troops, and equipment, while also providing the ability to perform sneak attacks. 8. United States Air Force in Southeast Asia. Documents the Air Force's support of the ground war in South Vietnam from 1965 to early 1968. They built air-raid shelters, latrines, hospitals, kitchens, conference centers, sleeping rooms, and print shops. Definitely not “Shoveling shit in Louisiana”, but I bet sometimes, they wished they were back in “The World”, doing that instead. This site is part of the Fallen Never Forgotten Network. Many kinds of booby traps made by vietnam fighter at cu chi tunnels explained by local tour guide The Tunnel Rats, those who survived, did not tell their own story. The Tunnel Rats went into the holes with no idea of what they might encounter below the ground. Perhaps they would be met by a snake tied to a length of bamboo with a piece of string. I’ve seen the tunnels but never had to go in one. The war involved a fratricidal conflict between the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the non-communist Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), and extended to neighboring Laos and Cambodia; however, it was also a proxy war in a . After Saigon fell in 1975, Vietnam preserved the Cu Chi tunnels as war memorial parks. The standard-issue .45 pistols were disliked by the Tunnel Rats because of their muzzle blast which, in the extremely confined space of the tunnel, could leave one deaf. TRAPS AND CREEPY CRAWLIES: Going down into a tunnel system was a very risky business fraught with danger. These tunnels are now known as the Cu Chi Tunnels. I read Jack Flowers book about the Engineers tunnel rats. You guys wether drafted or not,it must have been terrible. Resilient Cu Chi Tunnels of Vietnam, Lessons2All The Cu Chi Tunnels played a major role in the Vietnam War. Stephen (Shorty) Menendez was a Tunnel Rat in Vietnam. He takes you deep into those enemy tunnels, making you taste the acrid gunsmoke and feel the cold black earth. Shorty's below-ground battles are nothing less than incredible. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, © MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2021 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, âTen Weeksâ Episode 10: The Final Week, This video shows the ingenuity behind the Viet Cong tunnel systems, American troops tried to find Viet Cong tunnels using witching rods, How assault vehicles destroy IEDs without locating them. The tunnel is equipped with simple field hospital, strategy room, dormitories, weapons storage, kitchen, military traps, and etc. •The tunnels were mostly excavated by hand methods with 2 people rotating digging and 2 to 3 people who removed the cuttings. The Vietcong often modified their practices as they learned about the training and implementation of Tunnel Rats by U.S. and Australian forces—specifically increasing the number of booby traps throughout their tunnel systems. Written by a Vietnam veteran with first-hand experience of such traps, this is an engaging look at one of the most frightening aspects of guerrilla warfare. Ben Duoc Cu Chi Tunnels. The descriptions and examples of various types trap devices commonly used by the guerrilla defenders in southeast Asia are explained. © 2021 CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website. Their motto was the tongue-in-cheek Latin phrase Non Gratus Anus Rodentum ("not worth a rat's ass").. 4. If the tunnels were the secret weapon of the Viet Cong, the Tunnel Rats were the unsung heroes of the American forces. Found inside – Page 53According to Colonel Harry G. Summers , a Vietnam War veteran and historian , Hamburger Hill led President Nixon to end all major U.S. ... Other dogs patrolled the perimeters of army bases or sniffed out mines , traps , and tunnels . ” >, It hard enough for me to talk about that insane war. At the height of the Vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground tunnels sprawled from Cu Chi Province to the edge of Saigon. A booby trap with bamboo spikes - Cu Chi tunnels. Click here to add your reply. •The earth removed from the tunnels was used in the basements of local The Tet Offensive of 1968 was planned in the tunnels and when the operation was launched, the tunnels were home to thousands of Viet Cong soldiers. 4 Donald P. Sloat just before posthumously awarding him the Medal of Honor in the East Room of the White House, Sept. 15, 2014. Old images Cu Chi from 1965 -1967. Rambo is literally on a farm, armed with old-fashioned lever-action rifles and homemade traps. Their mission was deadly in its simplicity: using a small-caliber revolver, they were to kill, capture, or entomb the Viet Cong. Vietnam; Ben Duoc Cu Chi Tunnels. I was in Vietnam 1968-69 at FSB Patton 1 & 2 near Trung Lap NW of Cu Chi. I swear I don’t know how the Hell those guys could do that!! My husband was a tunnel rat in Nam. Not only were these tunnels small inside, they were also loaded with boobie traps. Harvested from their native forests, durable bamboo sticks sharpened like arrow heads were staked, sharp end up, in crude dugouts. Often, the soldiers chosen for the task came from Australia, New Zealand, South Vietnam, and America were under 5'7″. The deployment of 3 Field Troop (3 Fd Tp), Royal Australian Engineers to Vietnam under the command of Alec (Sandy) MacGregor was part of a . Found inside – Page 77The tunnels were a key part of guerillawarfare during the Vietnam War (p41), and played a major role indefeating American ... Ingenious booby traps, using everything from bamboo and ironstavesto explosives, madethetunnels potential ... Steve was a country dude and I was a city boy and I really respected him for being able to handle that tough job. Tunnel warfare in Vietnam was born during the opening phase of the war when the Viet Minh created an extensive system of subterranean tunnels in order to wage a guerilla war against the forces of Colonial France. Rice and water were stored in the tunnels, Artillery captured from the Americans was stored there as well. Those who returned home came back to a divided country where the Vietnam War was bitterly opposed and the soldiers who fought it faced hostility from their fellow citizens. Cuchitunnels1sm.jpg 400 × 251; 29 KB. Generally, these troops, who mostly hailed from America, New Zealand and Australia, were under five foot six tall and slim in build. During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong (VC) main forces and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) were forced to hide weapons and supplies underground and to dig protective shelters to counter massive US firepower. The tunnels and entrances were dug relatively small, made to be a maze and armed with booby traps to prevent the Americans from going in. Củ Chi tunnels Vietnam－クチトンネル B299598.JPG. The "Tunnel rats" were tasked with clearing and closing the tunnels. Usually armed only with a pistol or a knife and a flashlight. Death Trap; Vietnam forum. The story of an extraordinary campaign in the Vietnam War - fought in a 200-mile labyrinth of underground tunnels and chambers. I was in ARMY also. Part of the original tunnel system has been preserved as a tourist attraction where visitors can go down into the narrow tunnels and see exhibits on the defense precautions and daily life of the. In addition, they would carry a knife or bayonet, and sometimes a gas mask – although in the tight space of the tunnel, it would often have taken too long to put on to be useful in the event of a gas attack. Ronald A. Payne entering a tunnel in search of > Vietcong with a flashlight and M1911 pistol. Just big enough for one man with a grass cover to hide and cause havoc and set up ambushes.” Vietnam Veteran Jim Wodecki. Rivers stood out as a most professional soldier. The tunnel rats encounter On Reddit, a terminally-ill Vietnam veteran recounted a story of his time in Vietnam that he was going to take to his grave but opted to put it on r/nosleep instead . The Viet Cong tunnels at the Ben Duoc-Cu Chi War Memorial can be visited on a day tour from Ho Chi Minh City. He said “ What else were they going to do with a skinny Mexican kid” He would never talk about it. For the uninitiated, Army Tunnel Rats were troops who would crawl into NVA and Viet Cong tunnels to eradicate the troops that hid there below the surface. They were also some of > the most courageous soldiers to fight in Vietnam. Visitors are given a guided tour of the tunnel system that includes entrances, traps, kitchens, conference rooms, and even a shooting range. Marrett reportedly spent weeks in the bush locating and disarming mines, "During that period 36 of us were killed and around 200 were wounded, giving us a casualty rate of 33 percent, high even by Vietnam War standards. We visited recently and went . See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam, war. But the tunnel sweeps were largely unsuccessful. Cool comments here, was nice to hear from real vets. After Saigon fell in 1975, Vietnam preserved the Cu Chi tunnels as war memorial parks. tunnels, traps and small entrances hidden underground. Both French colonial rule and the American intervention in Vietnam failed, but why?Find out inside! Discover a timeline telling the story of the conflict and explore the battles, technology and tactics of combat. The Viet Cong were also famous for their extensive use of tunnels and traps. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Once caught, the American soldiers were led to a slow, painful death. The Tunnels, the Australian story reproduced from the book "No Need For Heroes" The Aussie's who discovered the Viet Cong's tunnels by Sandy MacGregor as told by Jimmy Thompson. With danger lurking around every corner, the Tunnel Rat not only had to dodge the various savage booby traps set by the Viet Cong, but typically only carried 6-7 rounds of ammunition with him even though the tunnels were commonly used to house up to a few dozen enemy combatants. This is the story of the Australians who discovered the Viet Cong's secret tunnels. fight in Vietnam. 29 Sad, lonely & Tough Images from the Vietnam War, Death of a Donut Dollie – The Ginny Kirsch Murder. Tanks in the Vietnam War. Examples of this would be the Side Closing Panji, A spike board, the Grenade…. The casualty rate for Tunnel Rats was 33 percent; a high rate even for the Vietnam War. Photo by the author. “But,” he says, “Why did we do it? Cu Chi Tunnels: An average experience - See 25,442 traveler reviews, 17,507 candid photos, and great deals for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at Tripadvisor. One tunnel complex was under the PX at Marble Mountain by DaNang base. The Americans were determined to level the playing field, and this was where the Tunnel Rats came in: to neutralize the advantage that the subterranean tunnel system offered the Vietcong. . In their 1985 book, The Tunnels of Cu Chi, BBC reporters Tom Mangold and John Penycate told the story of the American Tunnel Rats, a saga they learned about for the first time from the Viet Cong, who admired the Tunnel Rats as the best soldiers among the American forces. The tunnel network was extended over an area of 250 kilometers during the Vietnam War. Rambo's tunnels hold his personal Vietnam. Unfortunately I read the 2nd part before the first. Mar 28, 2016 - Explore Debbi Miller's board "Vietnam War Tunnel Rat" on Pinterest. Therefore, it became one of the important parts of Viet Cong fighting troops' strategy and also the home for thousands of soldiers. Vietnam fighters were dismissed as farmers with little training and cheap weapons. Booby-traps of Vietnam Rolling Trap Booby-trap Markers -when you stepped on it you were injured -when you tried to escape it you were injured -round logs with punji stakes through them Cartridge Trap By Brody Sevart Grenade Trap -cartridge set in ground in bamboo -bullet slightly The tunnels extended at least 300 kilometers! Compared to these guys, my time flying combat missions over Laos and the Gulf of Tonkin, was easy. During the war in Vietnam, thousands of people in the Vietnamese province of Cu Chi lived in an elaborate network of underground tunnels. Fighting a war that you weren’t allowed to win,I salute every single one of you. But they also knew that, even if they couldn’t win by conventional means, they could keep their fight alive as long as they could disappear from one raid and reappear to execute another. The Mace. The Vietcong were great fans of booby traps, and were gruesomely inventive in the manner in which they designed and constructed them – and the booby traps they set for Tunnel Rats were no less inventive than those they used above ground. My buddy Steve Clark from Indiana was a tunnel rat for Charlie Company 1/35 4th Infantry Division. There were hospitals, armouries, sleeping quarters, kitchens and wells underground. Operation Crimp (8-14 January 1966), also known as the Battle of the Ho Bo Woods, was a joint US-Australian military operation during the Vietnam War, which took place 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Cu Chi in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam.The operation targeted a key Viet Cong headquarters that was believed to be concealed underground, and involved two brigades under the command of the . Lots of time over Laos, were we never were. HANOI, Vietnam - HANOI, Vietnam - A small exhibit showing a cutaway of the Cu Chi Tunnels complext during the Vietnam War at the Vietnam Military History Museum. Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam. Thus, many Tunnel Rats carried non-standard firearms, like .38 Special revolvers with sound suppressors, .25 automatics, and even sawn-off shotguns. I am from England but have a fascination with the Vietnam war. The Cu Chi Tunnels are a network of underground tunnels, carved out by hand, located 55 miles northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).About a two hours' drive from the former South Vietnam capital, Cu Chi Tunnels today comprise a popular Saigon tourist destination that provides visitors with an evocative look at Vietnam War history.. No grimy, insect-ridden hellholes here; the Vietnamese .
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