First of all, those ops were certainly not off the book. Tunnel rats vietnam war this war book has much of the material used for the self published book no need for heroes. This tongueincheek expression was the motto of the tunnel rats, an informal name given to a group of infantry soldiers and combat engineers in the vietnam war with a very hazardous specialty. However, according to sapper jim marrett, a former tunnel rat, there was a surprisingly lower casualty rate than one might expect among the tunnel ratsmost war casualties occurred above ground. This is one of the best books on the vietnam war, mainly because it includes a. Chris masters, a great tv journalist, did this story for page 1 channel 10 more than 20 years ago in 1988. Viet cong guerrillas and special american forces known as tunnel rats. During the vietnam war, if a us tunnel rat got injured or. Authored by journalist frances fitzgerald, this account of vietnam, its history, and the effects of its war with the united states was on the bestseller list for more than ten weeks. The underground searchanddestroy soldiers of the vietnam war. The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system.
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. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through underground enemy bunkers would be the. After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their favorite books on the vietnam war. Why the viet congs tunnels were so effective in vietnam. Nick wright is the detective trying to solve the mystery of the double killing. The author was a plumber graduate of the army appentice school. Tunnel rats one specialized weapon they used was the snw quiet special purpose qsp 1 revolver, a modified. Their main mission is to cleanup the vietcong network of tunnels found in the cuchi district outside the south vietnamese capital of saigon. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read tunnel rat in vietnam. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through. The cold war had been drifting on for a number of years with the east and west ready to launch a tirade of nuclear warheads at each other.
Special us soldiers called tunnel rats would crawl through the systems to find the enemy. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some. If the tunnels were the secret weapon of the viet cong, the tunnel rats were the unsung heroes of the american forces. 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. The tunnels have become a major nuisance for the u. What specialized weapons were used by the, tunnel rats in. Their unofficial moto was non gratum anus rodentum in latin.
Australia fought side by side with the usa in vietnam from 1962 to 1973 as a counter to the communist tide that was sweeping through asia. We would like to thank all for their support whilst we transition to virtual operations. Sapper jim marett outside the ruins of a rubber plantation mansion in vietnam in 1970. Jack flowerss new book rat six is a riveting novel based. And realises that his past has come back to haunt him. 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. The tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, and a variety of other facilities. Tunnel rat in vietnam download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.
I could not imagine going through what they went through. The viet cong amassed around 250 kilometres of underground tunnels. Chi district of ho chi minh city saigon, vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The tunnel rats were american, australian and new zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the vietnam war. 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. Sep 05, 2011 chris masters, a great tv journalist, did this story for page 1 channel 10 more than 20 years ago in 1988.
Simple history merchandise get the simple history vietnam war book. Rottman, served in vietnam with the 1st cavalry division in the late1960s, and witnessed some of what tunnel rats did personally. During the vietnam war tunnel rat became a more or less official speciality for volunteer infantrymen, primarily from the united states, australia, and new. The pistols that were carried by the tunnel rats were varied, the. I would never have done it myself for all the tea in china. Non gratus anus rodentum is a latin phrase that, when translated into english, means not worth a rats ass. But his search places him in grave danger with a killer determined to protect the secrets of the tunnels. Another short osprey book that i read quickly for a section of my dissertation. Jun, 2017 by the time the vietnam war broke out, the viet cong had over 100miles of tunnels with which to spring deadly ambushes on american and south vietnamese forces before vanishing. The tunnels of cu chi is a war classic of unbearable tension and unforgettable heroes. Ironically, it has taken the communists to tell this nation about them.
Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. Click download or read online button to get tunnel rat in vietnam book now. Auburn author recounts life in vietnams harrowing tunnels. Other tunnel rats procured their own personal firearms to suit their own needs. 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. One of the more remarkable but littleknown campaigns of the vietnam war was fought. Extremely rare, tunnel rat patch tunnel rat, ferret cheesecloth backed tunnel rat ferret one of the most sought after of vietnam war patches this patch was worn by. Sandy has added extra historical information from his own archives and research which is now more so offered as a military history book. This title is focused on the warriors fighting in the holes, the elite tunnel rats from the u. During the vietnam war our government never anticipated that tunnel warfare would. Opinion my life as a tunnel rat the new york times. Training overall, tunnel rat soldiers received little, if any, specific training.
He would have been in country somewhere in the 6870 time frame. Tunnel rats in vietnam cherrieswriter vietnam war website. 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. Jack flowerss new book rat six is a riveting novel based his true story as the leader of the tunnel rats during the vietnam war. 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 for volunteer combat engineers and infantrymen from australia and the united states who cleared and destroyed enemy tunnel complexes. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. How aussie sappers led the way in the war on terror. This has already covered in the sister osprey title, viet cong and nva tunnels and fortifications of the vietnam war. Aug 28, 2018 a press release about the new book featured on this podcast was provided by prnewswire and made available via the benzinga website.
Later, similar teams were used by the soviet army during the soviet war in afghanistan, and the israel defense forces. The tunnel rats in the vietnam war the military history blog. 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 tunnel rats themselves were a rare breed of soldiers. 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. His hunt for a motive takes him to the tunnels in vietnam, where the american tunnel rats fought the dirtiest battle of the war against the viet cong. In the years since the vietnam war ended tunnel rats have.
Most useful for tunnel rats, however, was the experience gained in. In the midst of all the difficulties, the tunnel rats were largely successful. Vietnam war during the vietnam war tunnel rat became a more or less official specialty for volunteer. Originally called tunnel runners by the 25th infantry division, and ferrets by the australian army, the term tunnel rat became the official accepted name during the vietnam war for men who would descend into a pitch black, claustrophobic, dank hell, to play a. Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the c. What was the mortality rate of the vietnam era tunnel rats. Did the tunnel rats make much of an impact in the war. 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. A few silenced pistols made their way to vietnam and some of them were used by the tunnel rats. Here is another good book by osprey publishing, tunnel rat in vietnam. To that end, young is looking for former vietnam war tunnel rats who would be willing to be interviewed as part of the film.
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. A sappers war, published in 2012 and reprinted in pocket format in 2014, tells the story of the entire sapper involvement in vietnam, from before the tunnel rats arrival until the. Is there a recordlisting of men who served as tunnel rats. The tunnel rats by stephen leather goodreads share book. Later, similar teams were used by the soviet army during the soviet war in afghanistan. Some of the basic combat training bct soldiers undertook helped though. These were the terrifying dangers of being a tunnel rat in. 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. A sappers war, published in 2012 and reprinted in pocket format in 2014, tells the story of the entire sapper involvement in vietnam, from before the tunnel rats arrival until the very last convoy out of the country in 1975. Ive been through cu chi town before now, im going back in january so this time i think ill actually do the tour. 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.
Aug 27, 2018 jack flowerss new book rat six is a riveting novel based his true story as the leader of the tunnel rats during the vietnam war. Those who returned home came back to a divided country where the vietnam war was bitterly opposed and the soldiers who fought it faced hostility from their fellow citizens. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Many of the tunnel rats from austraila, new zealand, south vietnam, and america volunteered for the dangerous position. Some civilian handguns worked their way into the mix, but for most of the tunnel rats the big.
Between the claustrophobia and the physical dangers, this could drive the tunnel rats insane. Feb 20, 2012 tunnel rat in vietnam ebook written by gordon l. Astoundingly, given their great length, the tunnels were dug with bare hands or very simple tools during the french occupation in the 1940s, and further expanded during the american war better known in this hemisphere as the vietnam war in the 1960s. Living up to their motto of we make and we break, they created the legend of the tunnel rats. Whilst thankfully it had not yet turned hot, there were certainly sparks flying around the world. Account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam. There were numerous underground guerilla bases in south vietnam that had been built and supplied by forced labor from the surrounding villages. Rats tunnel in the war of vietnam learning history. I read this book, describing the us side and the sorrow of war. Thrilling, inspiring and action packed, this is the true story of the unsung heroes of australias war in vietnam. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam by tom mangold. In washington, a us senator receives photographs of the corpses. I believee alot of those guys are bothered by it today. 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 tunnel rats, those who survived, did not tell their own story. How our sappers in afghanistan took the fight to the insurgents using the lessons learned from vietnam. The tunnel rats were not spies or saboteur sent to north vietnam or neutral cambodia. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam kindle edition by mangold, tom. May 26, 2019 the tunnel rats used a host of specialized weapons that helped them to be effective at their job. We were looking for a conventional war and we were put into a very unconventional war. Soldiers who braved enemy tunnels 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. 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. It is a story about the first allied tunnel rats in the vietnam war jan 1966. They were the 1st to find the secret viet cong tunnels. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through underground enemy bunkers would. Jun 28, 1985 chased them through stinking ratholes to oblivion. 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.
Payne, a tunnel rat, bravely searches a tunnels entrance during vietnam war. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not. Operations of australian 3 field engineers 1rar viet cong. Dedicated to the men of 3 fld troop and 1troop, 2troop and 3troop 1 fld sqn rae, the aussie tunnel rats. The numerous spider holes as the tunnel entrances were sometimes called were conveniently located and well camouflaged nearly impossible to detect. Originally called tunnel runners by the 25th infantry division, and ferrets by the australian army, the term tunnel rat became the official accepted name during the vietnam war for men who would descend into a pitch black, claustrophobic, dank hell, to play a deadly game of hide and seek with the enemy. It went on to win a number of prestigious awards, including the pulitzer prize for nonfiction, national book award, and the bancroft prize. What specialized weapons were used by the, tunnel rats.
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. This vietnam war book records the digger history of a sapper in the 3 field troop royal australian engineers 1rar same unit as sappers war author. The vietcong had been using tunnel systems for many years against the chinese, japanese and french invaders. Bct included lessons on handtohand combat, chemicalwarfare defence, map reading, first aid, bayonet fighting, guard duty, and the use of hand grenades. This network connected villages, cities, and districts.
One of these was master sgt flo rivera who acquired and used a 9mm german luger. 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. Feb 20, 2012 gordon l rottman entered the us army in 1967, volunteered for special forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. Army brass decides to create a special unit called the tunnel rats. The tunnel rats used a host of specialized weapons that helped them to be effective at their job. Even today, the united states marine corps faces similar issues in fighting the taliban in the cavelike kyareses, or irrigation tunnels of afghanistan. Sep 03, 2018 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. Chi has been preserved by the government of vietnam, and turned into a war memorial park with two different tunnel display sites, ben dinh and ben duoc. Army sketch of the tunnels provides a sense of how the underground network worked. Vietnam war stories november 25, 2019 it was 51 years ago this thanksgiving that my buddy pat and i fell out of the sky in a ch47 shithook, and if not for the skill of the fearless crew i would not be here to write this little tale. The tunnel rats were american, south vietnamese, new zealand and australian soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the vietnam war 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. This led to the reluctant rise of the tunnel rats, american warfighters who specialized in the terrible tasks of moving through the underground bases, collecting intelligence and eliminating resistance. Feb 19, 2014 construction on these tunnels had begun back in the 1940s during the war of independence against the french, but by the 1960s the tunnel networks had been greatly expanded, such as the cu chi tunnel system near saigon that spanned 250 kilometres or 155 miles. However, the brave troops that were picked for the job were commonly the shortest grunts in the platoon for obvious reasons.
Green baggy skin aussie tunnel rats vietnam war books on. Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the vietnam war, and were the viet congs base of operations for the t. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Ultimately, shooting underground was a last resort.
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