The Tunnels of Cu Chi (45 page)

This enormous crater from just one B-52 bomb shows why. After 1969, B-52s, freed from bombing the North, “carpet-bombed” Cu Chi and the Iron Triangle in South Vietnam. The tunnels' infrastructure could not survive this kind of onslaught. But it had taken nearly five years for the tunnels to be smashed. And when they were—it came too late for the Americans. The tunnels had already made their vital military contribution, and the Americans had decided to quit Vietnam.

Those who served in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division:

Robert F. Batten

Lieutenant General William E. Depuy

Major Randy Ellis

Jack R. Flowers

Arnold Gutierrez

Al Hylton

Bernard Justen

Richard Keogh

Colonel Jim Leonard

Pedro A. Rejo-Ruiz

Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Sinn

Lieutenant Colonel David E. Sullivan

Rick Swofford

Herbert Thornton

Terry Valentine

Walter D. Wadsworth

William G. Wilson

Theodore Wood

Those who served in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Division:

Lieutenant Colonel John Adams

Robert Baer

Lieutenant Colonel James Bushong

John C. Fairbank

Larry Larochelle

Gilbert Lindsay

Harley J. Mooney

Lieutenant Colonel James Muir

Major Jack Pryor

Harold Roper

Thomas A. Ware

General Fred C. Weyand

Major General Ellis W. Williamson

Those who served in Vietnam with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade

Lieutenant General Richard T. Knowles

William H. Pelfrey

Those who served in MACV intelligence roles:

Dr Bruce A. Mazat

Jan R. Shrader

Others:

Al Chang, journalist

Macdonald Valentine, former Vietnamese Ranger

In Australia:

Those who served in Vietnam with the Royal Australian Engineers:

Major Denis Ayoub

Christopher Carroll

Graeme Clarke

Les Colmer

Jim Duffield

Colonel Alex MacGregor MC

Bill Unmeopa

In the United Kingdom:

Colonel Robert Scott L/RAMC

Brigadier Sir Robert Thompson KCB CMG DSO MC

In France:

Wilfred Burchett

In Vietnam:

Military officers based in Ho Chi Minh City who fought in Cu Chi district during the war:

Colonel Do Tan Phong, former F-100 guerrilla

Lieutenant Colonel Duong Long Sang

Colonel Huynh Cong Cuoc, former Dac Cong

Major Nguyen Duc Y, former Dac Cong

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Phuong Nam

Major Nguyen Quot

Captain Nguyen Thanh Linh, former commander of Cu Chi guerrillas

Lieutenant Colonel Phan Van Tan, former Dac Cong

Major Tran Duc Tho

Military officers based in Ho Chi Minh City who fought in the Iron Triangle during the war.

Lieutenant Colonel Do Chieu Hau

Colonel Nguyen Quang Minh, chief military historian

Colonel Dr Vo Hoang Le

Captain Vo Minh

Civilians living in Ho Chi Minh City:

Mai Chi Tho, Party Chairman

Mai Van Tho, writer

Pham Sang, former entertainer

Vien Phuong, writer

Officials of Cu Chi district:

Bay Lap, theater director

Dr Hoang Minh Duc, director of Cu Chi hospital

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Thanh Tan, district chief

Dr Vo Van Chuyen, Cu Chi hospital

Former guerrillas in Cu Chi district:

Do Van Chot, Nhuan Duc village

Duong Long Quan, Phuoc Hiep village

Le Van Nong, An Nhon Tay village

Luong Huu Thi, Phu My Hung village

Major Nam Thuan, Phu My Hung village

Nguyen Van Anh, Nhuan Duc village

Nguyen Van Tho, Phuoc Hiep village

Pham Van Nhanh, Trung Lap village

Mrs Vo Thi Mo

Vo Van Duc, Nhuan Duc village

Villagers in Cu Chi district:

Mrs Dang Th Lanh

Ho Van Nien, Tan Thong Hoi village

Mrs Huynh Thi Bia, sister of the late Huynh Van Co

Mrs Le Thi Tieu, Tan Thong Hoi village

Mrs Nguyen Thi Yen Chau, Phuoc Hiep village

Mrs Tran Thi Day, Tan Thong Hoi village

Mrs Truong Thi Thuc, Phu My Hung village

Officials of Song Be Province (which covers the Iron Triangle):

Ho Trung Hieu

Huynh Van Thu

Captain Nguyen Huu Tan

Colonel Tran Van Chau

Tran Van Kha

Former guerrillas of the Iron Triangle:

Huynh Van Minh, Phu An village

Huynh Van Moi, An Dien village

Nguyen Minh Chanh, Ben Suc village

Pham Van Chinh, Ben Suc village

Villagers of the Iron Triangle:

Mrs Nguyen Tha Trang, Ben Suc village

Mrs Tran Thi Quit, Ben Suc village

Documents listed by chapters:

Combat Operations After-Action Reports (MACV/RCS/J3/32):

    3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Div., dated 15 February 1966 (Crimp) and 3 March 1966 (Buckskin);

    HQ 173rd Airborne Brigade, dated 23 February 1966.

    173rd Airborne Brigade: Commander's Combat Note No. 91—

    Operation Crimp, dated 22 January 1966.

    173rd Airborne Brigade: Operations Report Lessons Learned

    1–66, Operation Crimp, dated 22 March 1966.

    After-Action Report of Royal Australian Engineers.

Captured Viet Cong documents translated by the Combined Document Exploitation Center:

Tunnels Manual, captured 28 September 1967 (Log no. 09–2421–67); “Techniques of Constructing and Camouflaging Underground Tunnels” (Log no. 01–1749–68); and many other captured VC documents.

Prisoner interrogation reports form the Combined Military Interrogation Center:

Captive Nguyen Truong Nghi (alias Tam Nghi and Nguyen Viet), CMIC No. 1389, dated 17 August 1967;

Captive Ngo Van Giang (alias Ba Van), CMIC No. 1890, dated 12 March 1968;

Captive Do Xuan Pho, CMIC No. A-917, dated 25 March 1967;

Captive Nguyen Van Binh, CMIC No. A-963, dated 1 April 1968.

ARVN briefing on “Experiences Gained from Operations against Viet Cong Subterranean Warfare,” given at the Gia Long Palace on 20 September 1963 (translation is MACV doc. no. 01290).

MACV: Lessons Learned No. 56: “Operations Against Tunnel Complexes,” dated 18 April 1966.

U.S. Army Weekly Combat Intelligence & Security Review
, 6 February 1968, pp. 20–31, “The Enemy Below.”

Army Concept Team in Vietnam: Evaluation of Tunnel Exploration Kit, dated 6 January 1967.

Army Concept Team in Vietnam: Final Report—Tunnel Weapon, dated 12 January 1970.

ARVN booklet (7610–66–024–0789): English edition, “Mines and Booby Traps Used by the Viet Cong in South Vietnam,” dated November, 1965.

Combat After-Action Report of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, dated 5 October 1966.

Secret communication from COMUSMACV to Dept. of the Army (No. 09903): Subject, VC use of rats, dated 24 March 1967.

Handbook for US Forces in Vietnam
, December 1968.

Extensive references to the files of the
Tropic Lightning News
.

Oplan 58–66 (Operational Plan for Cedar Falls), HQ II Field Force Vietnam, Long Binh, dated 12 December 1966.

Combat Operation After-Action Reports (RCS: MACV-J3-32): II Field Force Vietnam (undated);
3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, dated 10 February 1967;
2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, dated 16 February 1967;
173rd Airborne Brigade, dated 25 February 1967;
1st Engineer Battalion, dated 2 March 1967;
25th Infantry Division Quarterly Operational Report (RCS CSFOR-65) ending 31 January 1967, dated 20 February 1967.

Col. Robert Scott of the British Royal Army Medical Corps advised on this chapter.

“Report on the Medical Services in MR IV,” by Dr Vo Hoang Le, dated 1 October 1967, captured on 14 October 1967 and translated by the Combined Document Exploitation Center (Log no. 10–1708–67).

“Medical Causes of Non-effectiveness among VC/NVA Troops,” issued
by the Combined Intelligence Center, Vietnam: ST 67–084 (17 November 1967) and ST 69–11 (31 July 1969).

Combat After-Action Report of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, dated 10 February 1967.

After-Action Report of the 248th Psychological Operations Company, dated 23 January 1967.

PSYOP Policy
, booklet issued by JUSPAO on 18 December 1968.

Joint Thai-U.S. Combat Development Test Center: Evaluation of Tunnel Detection Probe, dated July 1963.

USMACV Operations Report, Lessons Learned 9–66, dated 22 November 1965: “Employment of the Mity [sic] Mite Portable Blower.”

U.S. Army Report, 1966: “The Employment of Acetylene in the Destruction of Viet Cong Tunnels.”

Army Concept Team in Vietnam: Evaluation Report of Large Capacity Tunnel Flushers, dated 25 November 1966.

Telex from the Pentagon to U.S. Army HQ Tan Son Nhut about CS gas, dated 13 January 1967.

Telex from U.S. Army HQ Tan Son Nhut to the Pentagon requesting Large Capacity Tunnel Flushers, dated 6 February 1967.

HQ U.S. Army Vietnam: Combat Lessons Bulletin No. 5, dated 8 February 1967: “Engineer Operations in the Iron Triangle.”

White House Fact Sheet on Tunnel Denial, dated 30 March 1967.

Telex from the Pentagon to U.S. Army HQ Long Binh requesting the testing of Seismic Tunnel Detectors, dated 14 March 1968.

Army Concept Team in Vietnam: Field Evaluation of Seismic Tunnel Detector, dated 14 June 1968.

Debriefing Report of Major General Charles M. Duke, commander of U.S. Army Engineer Command Vietnam, to the Chief of Engineers, dated 20 June 1968.

1st Engineer Battalion Tunnel Rat After-Action Report, dated 11 October 1968, describing liquid explosive test.

MACV brochure: “Hole Huntin'—Techniques to Detect, Neutralize and Destroy Enemy Tunnels in Vietnam,” by Major Ben G. Crosby, dated 20 December 1968.

Army Concept Team in Vietnam: Evaluation of Tunnel/Cache Detector—Portable Differential Magnetometer, dated 21 August 1970.

Citation for award of Army Commendation Medal for action on 8 February 1969 to 1st Lt Jack R. Flowers, dated 7 April 1969.

Citation for award of Bronze Star for action on 26 March 1969 to 1
^st
Lt Jack R. Flowers, dated 1 June 1969.

1st Engineer Battalion: Unit Historical Reports for 1967 (24 March 1968) and 1968 (4 January 1969); Quarterly Evaluation Reports, 31 March & 20 June 1969.

Tunnel Rat After-Action Reports: 26 July, 27 July, 9 November 1968; 10 April, 20 April, 21 July, 22 July, 1 August, 17 August 1969.

1st Engineer Battalion: Quarterly Evaluation Report, 15 December 1969; Tunnel Rat After-Action Reports: 20 September, 14 October, 15 October, 20 October, 18 December 1969; 2 February 1970.

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——.
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——.
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55 Days—the Fall of South Vietnam
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