Tunnel Rats Bashny.Net

Tunnel rats (Eng. Tunnel Rats) - the name of the units in the armed forces of the United States, Australia and New Zealand during the Vietnam War, created specifically for the action of underground tunnels dug by Vietnamese guerrillas.



Specialty "tunnel rats" was considered extremely dangerous. In addition to the threat of the enemy were numerous traps arranged in a dead-end corridors special tunnels. Sometimes the guerrillas to protect tunnel complexes used animals (scorpions, snakes). Stay in the tunnels was heavy load on the psyche; if a soldier came a nervous breakdown, it is no longer allowed under the ground.



The American "tunnel rats" there were unofficial emblem, motto and unwritten rules (for example, any dead soldiers under the ground at all costs had to be pulled to the surface).



Tunnels of Cu Chi were built during the 25 years since the late 1940s. They were improvised response poorly equipped army of peasants ultramodern technology, helicopters, artillery, bombers and chemical weapons of its enemy.



The Viet Minh built the first hidden passages and tunnels in hard red earth Kuti, ideal for the construction of tunnels during the war against the French. Dug tunnels were mainly used for communication between villages and as a refuge during sweeps territory of the French army.



Americans and Australians have tried to "pacify" the area around Cu Chi, who became known as the "Iron Triangle". They began a large-scale ground operations, involving tens of thousands of soldiers, but could not find the tunnels. To destroy the Viet Cong hiding and supply routes, rice fields were treated with chemicals, a huge area of ​​jungle was cleared by bulldozers and villages were evacuated and demolished. Americans also sprayed chemical defoliants over the area of ​​the air, and then, a few months later, set fire to the dried vegetation with gasoline and napalm. However, the interaction of heat with moist tropical air led to the formation of storm clouds, which put out the fire. Vietcong remained safe in their tunnels.



Unable to win this battle of chemicals, the US Army began to send people into the tunnels. These "tunnel rats" that are often drawn into a firefight underground, high losses suffered terribly.



When Americans began to use the Eastern shepherd trained to find the smell and the location of the hidden inputs guerrillas Vietcong began using pepper to knock them off the scent. The guerrillas have also become an American toilet soap to wash, fragrance which causes the dog association other. Captured American uniforms, which had the familiar smell of body, fed on American food, was used to further bring down the dogs off the scent. Most important is that the dogs were not able to determine the trap. Were killed or maimed so many dogs that frightened army trainers refused to send them to the tunnels.