"We're lucky, you know," he assures me as I stretch my legs back into service. Vinh Moc Tunnels (Vinh Moc hamlet, Kim Thach commune, Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri province) is a civil-military work during the Vietnam War of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam against the attacks from the Republic of Vietnam and the United States of America. In the end, the tunnels were about 155 miles long and was one of the most pivotal parts in the war. American bombs rained overhead as Ho Thi Giu was born . For the Americans, it was disturbingly close to Saigon, deep in South Vietnam, and infuriatingly difficult to destroy. . But despite these creatures stretching up to 4.6 metres (15 feet) and weighing roughly 2,590 kg (5,709 pounds), a single ground sloth would have spent much of its lifespan dedicated entirely to constructing tunnels as large and extensive as these . Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels, especially malaria, which was the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. Inside the site consists of air holes, wells, kitchens, etc. Outside the gate to the tunnels, refreshment and souvenir kiosks cater to tourists, hawking everything from snake wine (rice liqueur marinating baby cobras and green snakes in bottles whose labels promise potent curative powers) to ballpoint pens made from bullets. From my experience, if enough men are in an area, like a campsite, it keeps away snakes and mice. The tunnels are 5-7 meters deep and 1-1.2 meters wide. The Anti-Vietnam War Movement In 39 Photos. Now known as the Pool of Peace, it is large enough to house a 40 ft. deep lake. Read another story from us: Booby Traps of the Vietnam War. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Packed with emotive and rare photographs, this book not only analyzes the skills and tactics of these fascinating fighters, but also takes a look at their social origins to interpret how this affected their behavior as warriors. Captured US uniforms were put out to confuse the dogs further. Crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnel network just north of Ho Chi Minh City. These narrow, low-ceilinged, and at times claustrophobia-inducing tunnels were integral to the Viet Cong's success in the War in Vietnam. By 1966, the US had gotten neck deep into the Vietnam War and was freely deploying ground combat troops into Vietnamese territory. Unearthing history in Vietnam's war tunnels. Below ground, Vietnamese guerrillas sprung lethal surprises at every turn. We went into a gift shop and saw a small exhibit about the guns and bombs used in the war. Most travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City offer half-day tours for $4 per person. The Americans and Australians were continuously plagued with small scale surprise attacks by the Viet Cong as they advanced deep into the woods. Poisonous snakes and scorpions lurked in some, and rats, spiders, ants, and bats were determined to make the job even more difficult. There were even theaters inside the tunnels where performers entertained with song and dance and traditional stories. Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels on this 6-hour tour from Ho Chi Minh City. Photo credit, Besprechungsbunker / meeting room. By Tibor Krausz. Lest an enemy seek to break into the existing tunnel system and gain access to the fort, the tunnels were rigged with charges for easy collapse, traps for the unwary, and a labyrinthine design . The upper one was 3m deep from the ground floor, the middle one was about 6m while the bottom floor had a depth of 12 m from the ground. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. "In these pages, Le Ly Hayslip--just twelve years old when U.S. helicopters landed in her tiny village of Ky La--shows us the Vietnam War as she lived it. In order to combat highly armed American Soldiers and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War, guerrilla troops known as Viet Cong (VC) dug deep tunnels running underneath the ChuChi District. During the war in Vietnam, thousands of people in the Vietnamese province of Cu Chi lived in an elaborate network of underground tunnels. Tanks 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. They ravaged rice paddies, bulldozed huge swathes of jungle, and villages were evacuated and razed. Found inside – Page 77The tunnels were a key part of guerilla warfare during the Vietnam War (see pp48–9), and played a major role in ... While most tunnels were fairly small and simple, the major ones had three levels, and could be up to 33 ft (10m) deep. Thank you very much for all this information on these underground tunnels! Tourists entering tunnel system. He is President of the Vietnam Tunnel Rats Association, and in 2014 was awarded an Order of Australia Medal by the Governor General of Australia for his work with war veterans, in particular for his work with the Tunnel Rats. The tunnels were--until now--a footnote in my understanding of the Vietnam War. Only about 6,000 of the 16,000 cadres who fought in the tunnels survived the war. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and played a major role in North Vietnam winning the war. There were a variety of tunnel types: squad-size tunnels generally were less than 6-feet deep and 100-feet long; company-size tunnels were wider but not extensively compartmented; and battalion-size tunnels could burrow 50 feet underground and sometimes contain up to four different levels. Ronald A. Payne entering a tunnel in search of Vietcong with a flashlight and M1911 pistol. Y Not when they're big enough to fit a 40-storey building. By a strange twist of fate, the intense heat of the napalm interacted with the wet tropical air only to create cloudbursts that extinguished the fires. Sometimes while on the mission, a Tunnel Rat would meet a Viet Cong soldier, and would then have to engage in exceedingly close combat. A history of the four decades leading up to the Vietnam War offers insights into how the U.S. became involved, identifying commonalities between the campaigns of French and American forces while discussing relevant political factors. Several intelligence reports pointed to the presence of a key Viet Cong headquarters in a large underground bunker within the Ho Bo woods, about 2.5 miles west of the Iron Triangle and around 12 miles north of Cu Chi, Binh Duong Province. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and played a major role in North Vietnam winning the war. The name means 'great beast from America'. Today there is a small museum there, displaying the photographs and a captured aircraft. Constructed during Vietnamese War, Cu Chi Tunnels were used as residential and hideout spots. Still, Cu Chi's tunnels should remain on the itinerary of visitors to southern Vietnam. These soil tunnels were blocked, blown up, or flooded with water and sewage. The underground war of Vietnam had a subterranean aspect reaching far beyond the awareness of the American military brass conducting the war. I decided to visit the sites so as to better understand the Vietnamese side of the war and its history. In a bid to cripple Viet Cong military forces in Saigon, the United States military, in collaboration with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), sought to break all Viet Cong activities at their source. Even in times of peace, they continue to serve as an enduring tribute to the human will and Vietnamese peasants' wartime ingenuity. Buchanan reveals the stories of the women who defended the Trail against the sustained American bombing campaign - the most ferocious in modern warfare - and of the artists who drew them. On top of this, the Americans and Australians were continuously plagued with small scale surprise attacks by the Viet Cong as they advanced deep into the woods. We need to honor their great sacrifice. Some of them preferred their personal weapons such as .25 caliber automatic pistols and sawn-off shotguns. I wonder what sanitation systems they had? Even just walking around on the surface, bomb craters can be seen everywhere. Nor were there, I reckon, lanterns placed helpfully along the route every so often. Such tunnels served as storerooms during peacetime, but were garrisoned with troops instructed to listen for the sounds of tunneling during times of war. The construction of the tunnels first began in the late 1940s when the Indochina war with France was going on. An intense bombardment of the target region preceded the operation with the aim of neutralizing the strong defensive positions suspected to be guarding the headquarters. There's a light at the end of the tunnel -- literally, some three yards ahead. An LAPD homicide detective must choose between justice and vengeance as he teams up with the FBI in this "thrilling" novel filled with mystery and adventure (New York Times Book Review). The Vinh Moc Tunnel system existed in the north of Ben Hai river (known as parallel . Grinning, Tien lifts a manhole-size wood plank right before my feet. In Vietnam, a unit of American soldiers is running an underground reconnaissance using men known as the "Tunnel Rats", Colton Jones being one of these men. A total of 220 kilometers of tunnels divided in 3 levels to 6 meters, 8 meters and 10 meters deep underground, where they arrived to live more than 10,000 people. By June, 82,000 combat troops were stationed in Vietnam, and military leaders were calling for 175,000 more by the end of 1965 to shore up the struggling South Vietnamese army. Ultimately, this study is about a smaller Vietnam War than that which is commonly recalled. Paradise of the Blind is an exquisite portrait of three Vietnamese women struggling to survive in a society where subservience to men is expected and Communist corruption crushes every dream. They soon realized, from their various locations around Cu Chi, that the Viet Cong were making use of a massive network of tunnels in this region to spring ambushes on them. The tunnels were later gradually expanded when the United States escalated its military presence in South Vietnam to support a non-Communist regime in the early 1960s. Command and control centers were created. That morning, on a front of just over 14 kilometres, 19 huge mines, totalling 937, 450 lbs of explosive, were detonated in sequence beneath the German . Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. 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. They thought the Deep State agents were going to surrender, but once Alliance forces got there, they set off bombs and blow everyone up, including themselves. This paperback book combines the research and case histories of some of our bravest of the brave Tunnel Rats. A tourist walks through the Vinh Moc tunnel network, at the Vinh Moc commune in the central coastal province of Quang Tri. The entrance holes in the ground were barely wide enough for the shoulders. 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. Later, the U.S. bombed the tunnels, to no avail. The famed tunnels were successfully utilized by the Viet Cong during what the Vietnamese call the "American War." Many of the tunnels were bombed during the war, but the Cu Chi network is one of the best preserved and most stirring. Found inside – Page 104Some of the tunnel systems were literally scores of miles in length , such as that near Chu Chi , about 25 miles northeast of Saigon . Begun in the late 1940s , by the fall of Saigon in 1975 , there were some 125 miles of tunnels . The US government should have realized this was hopeless the moment they learned about these tunnels, and gotten the hell out. "My grandfather and father both helped build these tunnels," Tien tells me proudly. just want to say a big thanks for this fantastic source! But venturing into these tunnels was not something everyone could do. Different areas of the tunnel can be isolated as needed. While the US and ANZAC troops defended against these surprise attacks, they were bemused by the system of attacks these hostile units employed: suddenly appearing and then disappearing just as quickly as they came. The tunnels were extended. So, many Tunnel Rats decided they’d rather go without one. The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ . Throughout the course of the war, the tunnels in Ch Chi proved to be a source of frustration for the U.S. military in Saigon. The Cu Chi Tunnels were pivotal to the Communist's victory over the Americans and the South Vietnamese Armies as they allowed the Viet Cong to control a large rural area around Saigon. As a matter of fact, the US and Australian units had been practically walking above the Viet Cong. Newly Declassified Documents Reveal That A Top U.S. General Planned For Nuclear Attack During The Vietnam War. The Cu Chi tunnels was a systematic tunnel network created by the Viet Cong during the 1940's when the French occupied Vietnam as a hiding place and expanded in the 1960's when the Americans got involved for military purposes. The tunnels are also a powerful universal testament to the strength of the human will against overwhelming odds. 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. Whatever your take may be on the Vietnam War (or the American War, as the Vietnamese call it) and the causes for which it was fought, you have to credit the VC soldiers for their pluck and valor: At least 45,000 Vietnamese men and women died defending the Cu Chi tunnels. The secret tunnels, which joined village to village and often passes beneath American bases, were not only fortifications for Viet Cong guerillas, but were also the center of community life. The standard pistol was woefully unfit for this mission because the loud blasts from the muzzle were amplified by the walls of the tunnels and would deafen the Tunnel Rats momentarily after each shot. S2, Ep3. The tunnels are quite accessible for any one of a reasonable fitness, though the stairs can be steep and a little slippery. Vinh Moc (Vĩnh Mốc) is a tunnel complex in Quảng Trị, Vietnam.During the Vietnam War it was strategically located on the border of North Vietnam and South Vietnam.The tunnels were built to shelter people from the intense bombing of Son Trung and Son Ha communes in Vinh Linh county of Quảng Trị Province in the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. They were called Tunnel Rats—an unofficial designation for the volunteer combat engineers and infantrymen from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand who ventured into the labyrinth. During the Vietnam War the media flooded the world with images of soldiers and jungles. 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. Tien -- my rail-thin, lizard-nimble, 22-year-old guide -- has led me through 35 yards of a twisting, water-pipe-like tunnel whose claustrophobically low and narrow earthen sides facilitate only an undignified crouching crawl. This paperback book combines the research and case histories of some of our bravest of the brave Tunnel Rats. Why the Viet Cong's tunnels were so effective. About 130 yards more will take us down another 15 feet (just above the water table) and along the third level of a four-story labyrinth that once stretched for an estimated 150 miles, perhaps more. However, gas masks made it harder to hear, see and breathe within the narrow tunnels. The gesture was militarily useless by then because the USA was already on its way out of the war. •They were originally dug as hiding places for the Viet Minh, The bravery of these men led to the discovery of several Viet Cong facilities, including their headquarters. When the Americans became involved, it became a Vietcong stronghold. Posted On June 09, 2021 11:25:00. Wrong! The network reached several stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people who rarely saw daylight for years, coming out only at night to tend to their crops. But life in the tunnels was difficult. The position of the headquarters could not be confirmed. WASHINGTON D.C. (WCMH)-In 1966 Gary Rodgers was sure he wanted to serve his country in Vietnam. My thighs are aching and I'm crawling on all fours, caked in mud, with sweat pouring down my face. And the tunnels were rife with snakes, spiders, and biting centipedes. Photo credit. Sgt. Each tunnel was no more than 70cm wide and 90cm high, some even ran 30 feet deep underground. •The tunnels stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border •By the end of the war approximately 200km of tunnels were constructed. Operation Crimp was therefore generated as a search-and-destroy operation to eliminate it. The Tunnel Rats’ contribution to the war paved the way for the adaptation of the United States military to a new level of non-conventional warfare.
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