Vietnam tunnel rat

The film is based on the factual duties of tunnel rats during the Vietnam War. In a documentary for the film, Boll revealed the film did not have a script, and instead the actors improvised their lines. A group of US Army soldiers, vietnam tunnel rat, trained in underground warfarearrive at vietnam tunnel rat camp in the jungle of South Vietnam.

The Viet Cong were well known for their devious jungle ambushes and cruelly ingenious booby traps. Operation Crimp, undertaken by U. Jonathan O. Seaman, commander, 1st Infantry Division, was the overall allied leader. The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, operating as part of the rd, played a significant role in the operation. The mission, according to the After-Action Report written by Col. William D.

Vietnam tunnel rat

The tunnel rats were American , Australian , New Zealander , and South Vietnamese soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, "tunnel rat" became an unofficial specialty for volunteer combat engineers [1] and infantrymen from the Australian Army and the U. Army who cleared and destroyed enemy tunnel complexes. In the early stages of the war against the French colonial forces , the Viet Minh created an extensive underground system of tunnels, which was later expanded and improved by the Viet Cong. By the s, the tunnel complexes included hospitals, training areas, storage facilities, headquarters, and barracks. These diverse facilities, coupled with sophisticated ventilation systems, allowed VC guerrillas to remain hidden underground for months at a time. The men of the 3 Field Troop, an Australian combat engineering unit that served in Vietnam from to , have made a convincing argument that they were the first allied troops to enter the tunnels. Typically, a tunnel rat was equipped with only a standard issue M pistol or M revolver , [4] a bayonet , a flashlight , and explosives. Many tunnel rats reportedly came to dislike the intense muzzle blast of the relatively large. But these weapons were very few in number and wanted by a number of other special units. Personal weapons were used by the rats, ranging from. Besides enemy combatants, the tunnels themselves presented many potential dangers to tunnel rats. Sometimes they were poorly constructed and they would simply collapse. Tunnels were often booby trapped with hand grenades, anti-personnel mines, and punji sticks.

If he needed to fire, using a denied a tunnel rat of two crucial senses for critical seconds. After launching savage attacks against U, vietnam tunnel rat. A connecting tunnel is in the foreground.

Hi, my dad just passed away and an ex cop partner of his told us my dad was a "Tunnel Rat" during the war. My dad only mentioned a couple of vague hand to hand combat situations he and his guys got into but never mentioned anything about being a Tunnel Rat. One aspect of the Vietnam War that contributed to the difficulty in defeating the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army was their extensive use of tunnels and underground fortifications to avoid losses to massive American firepower. Both the VC and NVA built tunnel complexes when the terrain was suitable, the most infamous example being the extensive tunnels around the village of Cu Chi, near several bases of the 1st Infantry Division. The existence of the tunnels in many regions of South Vietnam required Army and Marine units to develop a capability to fight underground.

The Viet Cong were well known for their devious jungle ambushes and cruelly ingenious booby traps. Operation Crimp, undertaken by U. Jonathan O. Seaman, commander, 1st Infantry Division, was the overall allied leader. The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, operating as part of the rd, played a significant role in the operation. The mission, according to the After-Action Report written by Col. William D.

Vietnam tunnel rat

The Army faced two different threats in the Vietnam War, preventing it from focusing on exceptional performance in either conventional or unconventional warfare. The conventional forces of the North Vietnamese Army demanded respect from the U. At the same time, the unconventional insurgency of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam known as the Viet Cong presented a very real threat to Soldiers throughout the conflict. Tunnels were particularly useful in the insurgency and a series of tunnel networks provided the Viet Cong with manufacturing, resupply, and planning space within easy striking distance of their targets. Few Soldiers could fit into the tunnels and follow the guerillas into their lairs. While ordinary Soldiers occasionally went into the tunnels the Army recognized the need for a select group of experts to solve this unique problem. Aside from helicopter pilots and Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, few conventional non-special operations Soldiers would place themselves so consistently in danger in Vietnam. III Corps estimated one such tunnel network had been made over the course of up to 20 years and had small, well-camouflaged entrances.

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Some even had theaters and music halls. Six days after Operation Crimp commenced, allied forces withdrew and the operation ended. The tangled web of tunnels was replete with command, control, and communications nodes as well as medical and living facilities. The truth is that there were tunnels everywhere in Vietnam that the water table allowed it. The Viet Cong were well known for their devious jungle ambushes and cruelly ingenious booby traps. Early on, Soldiers tried destroying the tunnels with conventional explosives, with mixed results. We invite you to continue the conversation with community members on History Hub, but should you have follow up questions for the staff at Archives II or would like more information available records from the 1st Infantry Division or other divisions, please email us at archives2reference nara. Soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions in Vietnam. Commanders opted to land at a less exposed location. Both the VC and NVA built tunnel complexes when the terrain was suitable, the most infamous example being the extensive tunnels around the village of Cu Chi, near several bases of the 1st Infantry Division.

These American, Australian and New Zealander soldiers infiltrated and sabotaged the intensely-claustrophobic labyrinth of underground tunnels used by the Vietcong to launch surprise attacks and set up ambushes. Most of these subterranean tunnels were dug by hand and only covered a short distance, but over the course of the war which lasted until , when the French were defeated and expelled from the region the network of tunnels was greatly expanded.

There was a scene in the film Platoon that can give you a small idea what tunnel warfare looked like. Dogs sent down could not avoid any booby traps. We hope this assists you with your research! After launching savage attacks against U. Tunnels were particularly useful in the insurgency and a series of tunnel networks provided the Viet Cong with manufacturing, resupply, and planning space within easy striking distance of their targets. Tunnel rats often carried a gas mask to protect against poison gas traps, but many decided to leave even that above-ground. Kinostar Vivendi Entertainment. Enemy troops spent most of their time underground in areas where heavy artillery shelling occurred. Observing a lack of ground cover, he speculated there might be an extensive VC defense position nearby. The Americans were stunned by the vast expanse of the network. Two medics attending the wounded were killed. Get Involved Learn how. In addition to lists of spies passing information to the Viet Cong, the tunnel rats often uncovered maps, orders, and battle plans which helped save more American lives. They suffered eight killed and 30 wounded, while the American units had 14 killed and 76 wounded. Toggle limited content width.