Their motto was the tongueincheek latin phrase non gratus anus rodentum not worth a rats arse in the early stages of the war against the french colonial forces, the viet minh created an. Originally created during the first indochina war which had pitted the viet minh against the french, this extensive network of tunnels grew from a fairly basic system to a highly complex underground labyrinth in the 1960s. We were trained at the australian armys school of military engineering, located 20. The tunnel rats were not spies or saboteur sent to north vietnam or neutral cambodia. 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 describe the experience of being in. The tunnels have become a major nuisance for the u. There were numerous underground guerilla bases in south vietnam that had been built and supplied by forced labor from the surrounding villages. 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.
The viet cong amassed around 250 kilometres of underground tunnels. 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. The underground searchanddestroy soldiers of the vietnam war. During the vietnam war, tunnel rat became an unofficial specialty for volunteer combat engineers and infantrymen from australia and the united states who cleared and destroyed enemy tunnel complexes. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading tunnel rat in vietnam warrior book 161.
Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through underground enemy bunkers would be the. Sorry to say i havent read it, but its author did serve in vietnam. Training overall, tunnel rat soldiers received little, if any, specific training. He served in the 5th special forces group in vietnam in 196970 and subsequently in airborne infantry, longrange patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. Decorated veteran billy heflin shares what it was like for him to be a tunnel rat in the vietnam war. 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. There are two more videos tunnel rats 2, vietnam and tunnel rats 3, vietnam. In a documentary for the film, boll revealed the film did not have a. However, tunnel rats were responsible for a large portion of weapons successfully seized from the viet cong. Jan 14, 2016 tunnel rats were us, australian and newzelander soldiers who went inside viet congvc tunnels to kill any vc inside, gather any intel, recover arms and finally demolish the tunnels by planting explosives. During the vietnam war, tunnel rat became an unofficial specialty. This title will be based on the personal accounts of those who served in this unique role and will describe the specialist training and equipment, not to mention the tactics and combat experiences, of those who fought an underground war against the viet cong in vietnam. German army uniform officer dark gray rider pants large.
Opinion my life as a tunnel rat the new york times. This title will be based on the personal accounts of those who served in this unique role and will describe the specialist training and equipment, not to mention the tactics and combat experiences, of those who fought an. The vietnam war tunnel rats were a group of soldiers from the united states, australia, and new zealand whose job it was to search out underground tunnels to flush out or kill any viet cong, gather intelligence, recover arms, and then destroy the tunnels. 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. This network connected villages, cities, and districts. Au official newsletter of the vietnam tunnel rats association inc it was viet cong soldier duong van manh who first discovered how to lift m16 mines fitted with antilift devices from the 11km long barrier minefield laid by 1 field squadron in 1967. Named after the tunnel rats in the vietnam war, the mixedgender, multiracial collective consists of some seventeen individual members and incorporates four affiliated groups, lpg, future shock, foundation, and new breed, which have recorded both within tunnel rats and independently. Another short osprey book that i read quickly for a section of my dissertation.
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. 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. Tunnel rats tunnel rats in vietnam us army training. Tunnel rat in vietnam warrior book 161 and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. When tunnels were discovered, tunnel rats were sent in to kill hiding enemy soldiers and destroy the tunnels. Some tunnel rats used silencers with their pistols to reduce the bark when fired. By the way this is not the official website of the vietnam tunnel rats association which is au. Rottman, 9781849087834, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Feb 20, 2012 tunnel rat in vietnam ebook written by gordon l. See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam and vietnam war photos. I share the full movie for those willing to watch it. By 1969, subterranean combat in the tunnels of south vietnam had been refined by time and experience. The tunnel rats were american, australian, and new zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the vietnam war.
These were the terrifying dangers of being a tunnel rat. The underground war of vietnam had a subterranean aspect reaching far beyond the awareness of the american military brass conducting the war. These unsung heroes of the vietnam war were american, australian, and new zealand soldiers specially trained as combat engineers, who carefully crawled through the cramped viet cong underground to perform perilous covert search and destroy missions. For the most part, the job of tunnel rat was a catchall name for the work that we did as combat engineers. Here is another good book by osprey publishing, tunnel rat in vietnam.
Jun 28, 1985 american officers in vietnam viewed the short, wiry combat engineers as swat teams to be summoned whenever a suspicious hole was found in the ground. American officers in vietnam viewed the short, wiry combat engineers as swat teams to be summoned whenever a suspicious hole was found in the ground. I am a veteran and i am trying to help a fellow veteran who served in vietnam as a tunnel rat his army records from that time are missing. Sep 28, 2015 this tunnel rat made it back home alive. The tunnel rats were american, australian and new zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the vietnam war. Though americans, australians, and new zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed.
Today in the zero bunker, g gives us a vietnam war story from an actual tunnel rat. Even with these difficulties, the majority of tunnel rats were very successful. Rottman, served in vietnam with the 1st cavalry division in the late1960s, and witnessed some of what tunnel rats did personally. Tunnel rats videos tunnel rats in vietnam us army training film 1969.
Tunnel rats in vietnam cherrieswriter vietnam war website. 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. 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. In a documentary for the film, boll revealed the film did not have a script, and instead the actors improvised their lines. Soldiers who braved enemy tunnels in the vietnam war.
During the vietnam war our government never anticipated that tunnel warfare would. Feb 19, 2014 soon a volunteer force was created called the tunnel rats who were trained in searching the tunnels, but much of the training was on the job as nobody had any real experience in the field. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of. The tunnel rats gently prodded for potentially armed mines in order to disarm them and prayed that they survived with both their legs. Later, similar teams were used by the soviet army during the soviet war in afghanistan, and the israel defense forces.
Chris masters, a great tv journalist, did this story for page 1 channel 10 more than 20 years ago in 1988. The training of tunnel rats is also covered from basic training boot camp, advance individual training as infantrymen or engineers, followed by tunnel warfare selection and training in demolitions, boobytrap awareness. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. They came to be known simply as tunnel rats with the unofficial motto non gratum anus rodentum not worth a rats ass. Payne entering a tunnel in search of viet cong with a flashlight and m1911 pistol. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read tunnel rat in vietnam.
Consisting of a number of men formally trained to enter the tunnels, radio operators to communicate with them, a medic and a pair of former viet cong who could act as translators, the team. During the vietnam war our government never anticipated that tunnel warfare would be so prominent or important in waging ground combat. He would have been in country somewhere in the 6870 time frame. Tunnel rats were us, australian and newzelander soldiers who went inside viet congvc tunnels to kill any vc inside, gather any intel, recover arms and finally demolish the tunnels by planting. This us army training film shows how tunnel rats detect and. They were infantrymen who volunteered to go down the tunnels of south vi. In the early stages of the war against the french colonial forces, the viet. The training of tunnel rats is also covered from basic training boot camp, advance individual training as infantrymen or engineers, followed by tunnel warfare selection and training in demolitions, boobytrap awareness, chemical employment, countermine warfare and tunnel exploitation. Living up to their motto of we make and we break, they created the legend of the tunnel rats. Tunnel rats, also known as 1968 tunnel rats, is a 2008 germancanadian war suspense film written and directed by uwe boll. Simple history merchandise get the simple history vietnam war book. Mar 21, 2018 tunnel rats in vietnam us army training film 1969. Tunnel rats tunnel rats in vietnam us army training film.
Chops and i were some of the original tunnel rats and all our training was ojt. Most useful for tunnel rats, however, was the experience gained in. For a soldier during the vietnam war, one of the most dangerous of obstacles was faced by a select few soldiers known as tunnel rats. By the time of operation crimp, these tunnel complexes included hospitals. These were the terrifying dangers of being a tunnel rat in vietnam if fighting the welldefended viet cong on their home turf wasnt dangerous enough, imagine having to crawl your way through a series of extremely tight and narrow underground tunnels to capture or kill them. 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. Tunnel rats in vietnam us army training film 1969 us. Their unofficial motto was non gratum anus rodentum. First of all, those ops were certainly not off the book. A tunnel rat might therefore choose to enter the tunnels wearing a gas mask donning one within was frequently impossible in such a confined space.
Some of the basic combat training bct soldiers undertook helped though. The tunnel rats were american, australian and new zealander soldiers who performed underground search and special missions in vietnam. Army brass decides to create a special unit called the tunnel rats. Rats tunnel in the war of vietnam learning history. Tunnel rats would often carry soviet pistols which they found. Tunnel rats is a west coast underground hip hop collective founded in 1993 in whittier, california. Vietnam war during the vietnam war tunnel rat became a more or less official specialty for volunteer. The tunnel rats in the vietnam war the military history blog. Its the part of the job people want to hear about they want to know what it was like to descend into the vietcong s subterranean pathways, storehouses. The tunnel rats, those who survived, did not tell their own story. I was a freshly minted private at an air port on my way to my first duty station and this guy who was a bit smaller than me, im not a big guy, 5. 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 vietnam tunnel rats association has reserved the australian war memorial last post ceremony for 18 february this year.
During the vietnam war, if a us tunnel rat got injured or. The vietnam tunnel rats association has reserved the australian war memorial last post ceremony for 18 february next year. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, and a variety of other facilities. The tunnel rats knew what worked for them and were exceedingly conservative in adopting any new hardware or weapons. Is there a recordlisting of men who served as tunnel rats. But many tunnel rats were devoid of any formal training and though they were sometimes successful in securing intelligence, an enemy hospital, or stores of weapons. During the vietnam war, if a us tunnel rat got injured. Their unofficial moto was non gratum anus rodentum in latin. Gordon l rottman entered the us army in 1967, volunteered for special forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. Jun, 2015 the tunnel rats were american, australian and new zealander soldiers who performed underground search and special missions in vietnam. The tunnel exploration kit was abandoned in service, most tunnel rats wanted nothing to do with it, and it was quickly withdrawn.
Feb 20, 2012 gordon l rottman entered the us army in 1967, volunteered for special forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. Their main mission is to cleanup the vietcong network of tunnels found in the cuchi district outside the south vietnamese capital of saigon. Bct included lessons on handtohand combat, chemicalwarfare defence, map reading, first aid, bayonet fighting, guard duty, and the use of hand grenades. This tunnel rat made it back home alive local news. Feb 20, 2012 buy tunnel rat in vietnam warrior by gordon l rottman isbn.
That excellent website is predominantly by and for aussie vietnam. 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. 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. Whenever a tunnel was found either the tunnel rats were sent in or a call for volunteers from front line troops would go out. The film is based on the factual duties of tunnel rats during the vietnam war. The tunnel rats of the 1 st infantry division, the only one with any kind of formal training, was especially successful.
Read online tunnel rat in vietnam pdf book by on juggernaut books. The vietcong had been using tunnel systems for many years against the chinese, japanese and french invaders. Sapper jim marett outside the ruins of a rubber plantation mansion in vietnam in 1970. Consisting of a number of men formally trained to enter the tunnels, radio operators to communicate with them, a medic and a pair of former viet. One particular favourite pistol of tunnel rats was the. Sep 05, 2011 there are two more videos tunnel rats 2, vietnam and tunnel rats 3, vietnam. Tunnel rat in vietnam warrior book 161 kindle edition by rottman, gordon l. The tunnel rats by stephen leather goodreads share book. 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.
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