These were the terrifying dangers of being a tunnel rat. I must apologize, as it isnt about tunnel rats, but since you seemed to accept recommendations on interesting books with unique perspectives on the vietnam war, i highly recommend. There is a pretty good book out there called the tunnels of cu chi. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required.
Pete rejoruiz, a cubanborn tunnel rat, is shown popping out of a north vietnamese tunnel. Feb 09, 2018 sapper jim marett outside the ruins of a rubber plantation mansion in vietnam in 1970. Jan 01, 2012 another short osprey book that i read quickly for a section of my dissertation. Opinion my life as a tunnel rat the new york times. Inside the eerie 75mile network of 2ft high vietnamese tunnels. Ultimately, shooting underground was a last resort. For them, thats what they do and only they will do it, normal infantry within australian rank would not go into tunnel system, and they are the only unit tagged with tunnel rat acronym. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. More the tunnel rats who paid the supreme sacrifice in vietnam are resting in peace in capital cities and remote towns across australia and in one case malaysia, where our first kia is buried. Tunnel rats pursuit of vietcong soldiers deep underground. Tunnel rats as a unit is indeed exist for australian force in vietnam, they are the men of 3 troop, 1st field sqn, royal australian engineer. The tunnel rats were american, australian and new zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the vietnam war.
These brave soldiersmarines were called tunnel rats. The story of an extraordinary campaign in the vietnam war fought in a. The tunnel rats by stephen leather books hachette australia. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read tunnel rat in vietnam. Those were the guys who wriggled their way through the ridiculously narrow tunnels the viet cong used to transport personnel and weapons, set boobytraps, and all that. Dc wings over vietnam the missions 5of8 spookies spectres and shadows duration. Would recommend this book over the movie tunnel rats. During the vietnam war, tunnel rat became an unofficial. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Feb 20, 2012 buy tunnel rat in vietnam warrior by gordon l rottman isbn.
But his search places him in grave danger with a killer determined to protect the secrets of the tunnels. Their unofficial motto was non gratum anus rodentum. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was. The tunnel rats were not spies or saboteur sent to north vietnam or neutral cambodia. Direct, nonstop flights take less focused on tunnel rats, our. Military slang during the vietnam war some of the photos can be harsh or unpleasant. Tunnel rats and dogs soldiers, and a tunnel rat preparing to detonate an explosion in the tunnel. Viet cong and nva tunnels and field fortifications of the vietnam war. Jul 22, 2008 years ago i read a great book about the tunnel rats who served in vietnam.
Its a great story about the vietnam war and a group of veterans who are getting killed off one by one in a vicious style, ending. This is a very educational book on the vietnam war a topic most people have at best a fuzzy understanding of. The tunnel rats faced trap doors which contained deadly spikes underneath, snakes were hung from the ceiling so they would hang down ready to attack anyone passing by and some also contained holes in the side of the tunnel wall, on the other side would be a viet cong soldier holding a spear ready to impale any intruders. Payne, a tunnel rat, bravely searches a tunnel s entrance during vietnam war. Eightyfive percent rural, the few large cities and towns. I was working as a stockbroker there and the book had become a labor of love as well as a catharsis to get the whole experience out of my system. Payne entering a tunnel in search of viet cong with a flashlight and m1911 pistol.
While the book has lots of photos of tunnel rats in vietnam and while rottman describes what the men went through, he never mentions the name of any individual who served as a tunnel rat. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam kindle edition by mangold, tom. The guerrilla force in south vietnam, the viet cong, had an extensive network of tunnels that had been built over 25 years during the countrys. The american tunnel rats were incredibly brave and at least a tad crazy, fighting against the clever and dedicated viet cong enemy on their own turf actually, under their turf, in tunnels rigged with booby traps and other dangers. The underground war of vietnam had a subterranean aspect reaching far beyond the awareness of the american military brass conducting the war. Researching our first tunnel rats book, id been to the places where australian sappers army engineers had been stationed and it had. His hunt for a motive takes him to the vietnam, where the american tunnel rats fought the dirtiest battle of the war against the viet cong. Wikipedia commons in 1946, the viet minh were the viet cong resistance fighters who began digging the tunnels and bunkers to combat the french, whom they would eventually defeat. There were numerous underground guerilla bases in south vietnam that had been built and supplied by forced labor from the surrounding villages. Tunnel rats, as american soldiers who worked in the cu chi tunnels during the vietnam war were known, used the evocative term black echo to. One specialized weapon they used was the snw quiet special purpose qsp1 revolver, a modified. He was one of those soldiers known as tunnel rats, men who would enter alone into the small caves and tunnels where the viet cong either hid or initiated ambushes upon the americans.
Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through underground enemy bunkers would be the. We will use this occasion to honour our 36 comrades who lost their lives while serving as tunnel rats with 1 troop, 2 troop and 3 troop of 1 field squadron 35 kia and with 3 field troop 1 kia. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the viet cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize. The tunnel rats were american, south vietnamese, new zealand, and australian soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the vietnam war.
Living up to their motto of we make and we break, they created the legend of the tunnel rats. Press button download or read online below and wait 20 seconds. Rat six was completed in palm beach, florida around midnight on september 23, 1975. Malcolm young of firefly films, a film and television production company in singapore, is developing a documentary about the vietnam war that will look at the system of tunnels the viet cong had in south vietnam and the role of the american tunnel rats. The vietnam war with walter cronkite morley safers vietnam duration. The vietcong had been using tunnel systems for many years against the chinese, japanese and french invaders. A second murder in bangkok links the deaths to a group of vietnam veterans who worked as tunnel rats, one of whom is about to become vicepresident of the usa and cannot have their secret revealed, so he sends a mercenary to take care of any revelations. There was a tunnel to the right, and one to left, and i could see that each side doubled back, making an mshaped tunnel complex. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of. This is an odd omission in a book that showcases the unique, extremely dangerous, tensionfilled job that tunnel rats did in the war. American soldier using a knife to probe the floor of a viet cong tunnel in the iron triangle north of saigon, south vietnam. While tracking down specific statistics on fatality rates among the tunnel rats is not easy, it is not a stretch to venture that they had one of the most dangerous jobs you could undertake as a soldier in. Account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam.
Aug 06, 2017 vietnams littleknown underground war and the men and women who fought it. Sappers war aussie tunnel rats vietnam war books on war. The tunnel rats gently prodded for potentially armed mines in order to disarm them and prayed that they survived with both their legs. The vietnam tunnel rats association has reserved the australian war memorial last post ceremony for 18 february next year. In a documentary for the film, boll revealed the film did not have a script, and instead the actors improvised their lines. Feb 19, 2014 the tunnel rats faced trap doors which contained deadly spikes underneath, snakes were hung from the ceiling so they would hang down ready to attack anyone passing by and some also contained holes in the side of the tunnel wall, on the other side would be a viet cong soldier holding a spear ready to impale any intruders.
Tom mangold and john penycate, authors of one of the definitive accounts of tunnel warfare in the vietnam war, reported that u. First of all, those ops were certainly not off the book. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through underground enemy bunkers would be the least of our worries. The bravery of these five tunnel rats in vietnam was suitably recognised with the awarding of the prestigious military medal. If there were vent holes that we had not seen from outside, the concussion from the grenades explosions wouldnt necessarily have killed an occupant, i realized. Tunnel rats music is a unique collaboration of three individuals from different decades whose paths crossed at a bluegrass jam, changing their journey forever. There are plenty of airlines flying into saigon, so dont grab the first airfare you find.
The tunnel rats encounter on reddit, a terminallyill 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 rnosleep instead. The tunnel rats in the vietnam war the military history blog. Special us soldiers called tunnel rats would crawl through the systems to find the enemy. Our common love for music and desire to help others provided the energy and diverse input resulting in vietnam. During the vietnam war, if a us tunnel rat got injured or. Is there anyone out there who knows the correct latin phrase. Viet cong guerrillas and special teams of us infantrymen called tunnel rats. Tunnel rats, also known as 1968 tunnel rats, is a 2008 germancanadian war suspense film written and directed by uwe boll. Tunnel rats were us, australian and newzelander soldiers who went inside viet cong vc tunnels to kill any vc inside, gather any intel, recover arms and finally demolish the tunnels by planting explosives. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam by tom mangold due to covid19, orders may be delayed. See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam and vietnam war photos.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the tunnels of cu chi. Rottman, served in vietnam with the 1st cavalry division in the late1960s, and witnessed some of what tunnel rats did personally. Another short osprey book that i read quickly for a section of my dissertation. The tunnel systems could often be huge, and would be filled with all kinds of tricks and traps, not to mention people trying to kill you. Mar 14, 2017 decorated veteran billy heflin shares what it was like for him to be a tunnel rat in the vietnam war. It was a very stressful, nerve racking job, pushing the rat s mental state to its limits. Some civilian handguns worked their way into the mix, but for most of the tunnel rats the big.
While tracking down specific statistics on fatality rates among the tunnel rats is not easy, it is not a stretch to venture that. The tunnel rats used a host of specialized weapons that helped them to be effective at their job. The life of the tunnel rat was not to be envied, unless you are the most committed of adrenaline junkies and have a death wish. During the vietnam war our government never anticipated that tunnel warfare would. War is a disgrace, is cruelty, misery, tears and death.
Download tunnel rat in vietnam or read tunnel rat in vietnam online books in pdf, epub and mobi format. Tunnel rats motto the firearms forum the buying, selling. The bodies are brutally mutilated, an ace of spades impaled upon their chests. The story of a marine grunt in the first battle of khe sanh april 1967 duration. Tunnel rat in vietnam download pdf book or read online. Pretty good read with actual pictures from the era. All proceeds go to the vietnam tunnel rats association to help cover the costs of producing and posting out our fascinating newsletter holdfast. Tunnel rats were generally men of smaller stature 56 and under, who were able to maneuver more comfortably in the narrow tunnels. South vietnam and their allies looked to tunnel rats to combat the effectiveness of the cu chi tunnels. No dead tunnel rats were left in a tunnel, dead or wounded they were all dragged out with commo wire, ropes, or by a comrade using a firemans crawl. Tunnel rat in vietnam warrior book 161 and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle.
In 1965, soon after the first us combat troops had arrived in vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the viet cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. Small villages dot this land, worked by peasants, who have lived there for centuries. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Viet minh forces initially developed a complex system of underground tunnels to combat the french colonial invasion of vietnam known as the cu chi tunnels.
Simply click a cover to open that issue of our newsletter enjoy the read. Jan 28, 2018 documentary on tunnel rats in vietnam. In a documentary for the film, boll revealed the film did not have a. Click download or read online button to get tunnel rat in vietnam book now. They dig several feet down and then suddenly the earth in. The vietcong used elaborate tunnel systems to store food and ammunition as well as housing medical and combat facilities. Sorry to say i havent read it, but its author did serve in vietnam. By the way this is not the official website of the vietnam tunnel rats association which is au. Epilogue acknowledgements and a little bit of history.
They were the 1st to find the secret viet cong tunnels. The book goes into detail about the cuchi district of south vietnam, telling. With 56 bookings in already our tunnel rats tour back to. See more ideas about vietnam war photos, vietnam war and vietnam. The author was a graduate of the royal military college, duntroon, as a young captain sandy macgregor commanded 3 field troop in vietnam, where he won the military cross. Obviously researched, gleaning background info from more than one source. Later, similar teams were used by the soviet army during the sovietafghan war and by the israel defense forces in campaigns in the middle east. What was the mortality rate of the vietnam era tunnel rats. The adventure is peppered with tales of insubordination, boozing.
Stereophonic blasting, tunnel rats and the soviet afghan. Loosely translated, it was supposed to mean not worth a rats ass. One of the hidden trap doors leading to the cu chi tunnel system. Their unofficial moto was non gratum anus rodentum in latin. The description of that final descent into a viet cong tunnel is the climax of the book rat six, written by flowers, that documents his service in vietnam and the littleknown story about. The largest tunnel systems in south vietnam some under us bases could be as vast as 200 kilometers 125 miles long and were built to withstand bombings, explosions, poison gas etc.
The tunnel rat tells the other marines where on the surface the man is beneath and start digging to get down to him from the top. They had an amusing latin motto which i am trying to remember. The life of a tunnel rat in the vietnam war the northern daily. That excellent website is predominantly by and for aussie vietnam. I seem to remember a book my friend read in high school about 20 years ago that was about or had a section on the tunnel rats, i can picture the cover but i cant see the name in my minds eye.
Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. In washington, a us senator receives photographs of the corpses. A few silenced pistols made their way to vietnam and some of them were used by the tunnel rats. Sapper jim marett outside the ruins of a rubber plantation mansion in vietnam in 1970. Tunnel rats in vietnam cherrieswriter vietnam war website. Have a look around this website and the books this is a great slice of genuine australian history featuring 67 forgotten heroes of the vietnam war. We would like to thank all for their support whilst we transition to virtual operations. This vietnam war book records the operations of sappers in the 3 field troop royal australian engineers 1rar.
Chops and i were some of the original tunnel rats and all our training was ojt. The vietnam war provides the vital clue to a brutal murder in this powerful thriller of buried secrets and retribution. Did not try and raise a us v aussie issue regarding who was first of the tunnel rats. Tunnel rats ofvietnam vietnam s littleknown underground war and the men and women who fought it sgt. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through. What specialized weapons were used by the, tunnel rats.
The film is based on the factual duties of tunnel rats during the vietnam war. He liked it as it was lighter, but ammunition was hard to get since we only had. Here is another good book by osprey publishing, tunnel rat in vietnam. Us fighters sent tunnel rats small soldiers into the deadly warrens. Auburn author recounts life in vietnams harrowing tunnels. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Tunnel rat in vietnam download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.
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