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Why did the Viet Cong dig tunnels?
The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters.
How deep were the Viet Cong tunnels?
There were a variety of tunnel types: squad-size tunnels generally were less than 6-feet deep and 100-feet long; company-size tunnels were wider but not extensively compartmented; and battalion-size tunnels could burrow 50 feet underground and sometimes contain up to four different levels.
How did Vietnam tunnels not collapse?
US Army troops learned that the desiccated clay cemented with iron oxides could withstand 16 kg charges including hand grenades and other explosives without collapsing. Most of the time, the explosives only damaged the first level of the tunnels system.
Where did the Viet Cong hide?
There were hospitals, armouries, sleeping quarters, kitchens and wells underground. These tunnel systems could hide thousands of Vietcong which helped them fight their guerrilla war. It would be the job of US ‘tunnel rats’ to search these tunnels.
How were Cu Chi tunnels dug?
Tunnels were often dug by hand, only a short distance at a time. At its peak during the Vietnam War, the network of tunnels in the Cu Chi district linked VC support bases over a distance of some 250 kilometers, from the outskirts of Saigon all the way to the Cambodian border.
How many soldiers were bitten by snakes in Vietnam?
The United States Archives and other sources suggest that between 25 and 50 American soldiers a year were bitten by snakes during the war in Vietnam. Some 10,786 American soldiers died of non-combat causes, including 9,107 by accidents and 938 due to illness.
How many POWs are still in Vietnam?
Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War
| Vietnam | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Original Missing | 1,973 | 2,646 |
| Repatriated and Identified | 729 | 1,062[1] |
| Remaining Missing | 1,244 | 1,584 |
Was there a Tet offensive in 1969?
Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, one year after the original Tet Offensive. Most attacks centered on military targets near Saigon and Da Nang and were quickly beaten off.
Where did the tunnels in Vietnam come from?
The Underground Tunnels of Cu Chi, Vietnam. During the war in Vietnam, thousands of people in the Vietnamese province of Cu Chi lived in an elaborate network of underground tunnels. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals,…
How did the Cu Chi tunnels help the Vietcong?
In turn, the Vietcong and the Communist North began rapidly expanding their tunnel systems. The investment in the tunnel systems would pay off for the Vietcong and the North as they would aid in the defeat of South Vietnam. How Were the Tunnels Used? The Cu Chi Tunnels played a major role in the Vietnam War.
When was the war fought in the tunnels?
The war fought in the tunnels was almost a whole other conflict in its own right. Vietnam’s tunnels were dug well before the war actually started. While the war began in 1955, the tunnels began being dug by Communist forces in the mid to late 1940s, with renovations occurring to tunnels already dug in the early 1960s.
What did people do in the underground tunnels?
Hidden beneath the destroyed villages were underground schools and public spaces where couples were married and private places where lovers met. There were even theaters inside the tunnels where performers entertained with song and dance and traditional stories. But life in the tunnels was difficult.