485:, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. The Ben Duoc site contains part of the original tunnel system, and the Ben Dinh site, closer to Ho Chi Minh City, has tunnel reconstructions and some tunnels have been made larger to accommodate tourists. In both sites, low-power lights have been installed in the tunnels to make traveling through them easier, and both sites have displays of the different types of booby traps that were used. Underground conference rooms in which campaigns such as the Tết Offensive were planned in 1968 have been restored.
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soldiers 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. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or
American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels, especially
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ventured into the tunnels, which they searched exhaustively for four days, and found ammunition, radio equipment, medical supplies, food, and signs of considerable Viet Cong presence. One of their number, Corporal Robert "Bob" Bowtell, died when he became trapped in a tunnel that turned out to be a
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American soldiers used the term "Black Echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food, and water were scarce, and the tunnels were infested with ants, venomous centipedes, snakes, scorpions, spiders, and rodents. Most of the time,
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The
American War in Contemporary Vietnam – Page 89 Christina Schwenkel – 2009 "As described in an English language brochure: 'The Củ Chi Tunnels represent the will, intelligence and pride of the people of Củ Chi and symbolise the revolutionary heroism of Vietnam." After the war, most of the tunnels
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Throughout the war, the tunnels in and around Củ Chi proved to be a source of frustration for the U.S. military in Saigon. The Viet Cong had been so well entrenched in the area by 1965 that it was in the unique position of being able to control where and when battles would take place. By helping to
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pits. The two most common responses in dealing with a tunnel opening would be to flush the entrance with gas, water or hot tar to force the Viet Cong soldiers into the open or to toss a few grenades down the hole and "crimp" off the opening. Those approaches proved ineffective because of the design
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From its mistakes and the
Australians' discoveries, U.S. command realised that it needed a new way to approach the dilemma of the tunnels. A general order was issued by General Williamson, the Allied Forces Commander in South Vietnam, to all Allied forces that tunnels had to be properly searched
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covertly move supplies and house troops, the tunnels of Củ Chi allowed North
Vietnamese fighters in their area of South Vietnam to survive, help prolong the war and increase U.S. costs and casualties until the eventual withdrawal in 1973, and the final defeat of
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during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North
Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American and
435:" Củ Chi and the rest of the Iron Triangle. Towards the end of the war, some of the tunnels were so heavily bombed that some portions actually caved in, and other sections were exposed. But the bombings were not able to destroy most parts of those tunnels.
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The operation did not bring about the desired success. For instance, when troops found a tunnel, they would often underestimate its size. No one was usually sent in to search the tunnels, as it was so hazardous. The tunnels were often rigged with explosive
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The 75-mile (121 km)-long complex of tunnels at Củ Chi has been preserved by the government of
Vietnam after reunification, and turned into a war memorial park with two different tunnel display sites, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. The tunnels are a popular
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shortly after
Operation Crimp, MacGregor referred to his men as "tunnel ferrets." An American journalist who had never heard of ferrets, used the term "tunnel rat," and it stuck. After his troop's discoveries in Củ Chi, MacGregor was awarded a
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The tunnels of Củ Chi were noticed by U.S. officials, who recognized the advantages that the Viet Cong held with the tunnels and so launched several major campaigns to search out and destroy the tunnel system. Among the most important were
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uncovered the Viet Cong district headquarters of Củ Chi, containing half a million documents concerning all types of military strategy. Among the documents were maps of U.S. bases, detailed accounts of PLAF movement from
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bombers dropping 30-ton loads of high explosive onto the region of Củ Chi, effectively turning the once lush jungle into a pockmarked moonscape. Eight thousand troops from the
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dead end. However, the
Australians pressed on and revealed for the first time the immense military significance of the tunnels. At an international press conference in
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if they breached the tunnels. The tunnels also contained ventilation shafts to release smoke from fire and any poisonous gases pumped into the tunnels by the
American
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Despite the revamped effort at fighting the enemy on their own terms, U.S. operations remained insufficient at eliminating the tunnels completely. In 1967, General
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A trap door on the jungle floor leads down into the Củ Chi tunnels. Closed and camouflaged, it is almost undetectable.
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Part of the tunnel complex at Củ Chu, this tunnel has been made wider and taller to accommodate tourists.
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whenever they were discovered. It began training an elite group of volunteers in the art of
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Tunnel Rats by Jimmy Thomson with Sandy MacGregor (Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2011)(
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Above-ground attractions include caged monkeys, vendors selling souvenirs, and a
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of the tunnels and the strategic use of trap doors and air filtration systems.
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by Jimmy Thomson with Sandy MacGregor (Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2012)
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forces, and helped to counter the growing American military presence.
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By 1969, B-52s were freed from bombing North Vietnam and started "
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The tunnels contained various bamboo traps made by the
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698:Vietnam War
617:Tom Mangold
390:tunnel rats
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167:Vietnam War
1404:Categories
1153:Casualties
1124:War crimes
1107:Land mines
942:Resolution
828:Background
513:References
343:booby trap
334:activity.
161:(Saigon),
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635:Website
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535:2013
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