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Tunnel rats were generally men of smaller stature (165 cm (5 ft 5 in) and under), who were able to maneuver more comfortably in the narrow tunnels. Tom
Mangold and John Penycate, authors of one of the definitive accounts of tunnel warfare during the Vietnam War, reported that the U.S.
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also roosted in the tunnels, although they were generally more of a nuisance than a threat. Tunnel construction occasionally included anti-intruder features such as U-bends that could be flooded quickly to trap and drown the tunnel rat. Sometimes poison gases were used. A tunnel rat might therefore
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troops uncovered a great number of enemy tunnels while patrolling or conducting larger operations. The men of the 3 Field Troop, an
Australian combat engineering unit that served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966, have made a convincing argument that they were the first allied troops to enter the
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245:(donning one within was frequently impossible in such a confined space). According to U.S. tunnel rat veterans, however, most tunnel rats usually went without gas masks because wearing one made it even harder to see, hear, and breathe in the narrow dark passages.
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era suppressed High
Standard HD .22 automatics made their way into Tunnel Rat hands. But these weapons were very few in number and wanted by a number of other special units. Personal weapons were used by the rats, ranging from .25 caliber automatics to
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therefore fielded their own tunnel clearance and demolition units, which were given the task of clearing the tunnels of enemy combatants, disarming booby traps, and destroying the underground complexes. According to contemporary accounts, the
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tunnels. Tunnel rats were given the task of destroying them, gathering intelligence within them, and killing or capturing their occupants—often in conditions of close combat. Typically, a tunnel rat was equipped with only a standard issue
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injuries and diseases due to soldiers' exposure to the chemicals on the ground, or that leached from topsoil into the tunnel environment. While in the tunnels, soldiers were breathing air heavily saturated with Agent Orange.
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149:. By the 1960s, the tunnel complexes included hospitals, training areas, storage facilities, headquarters, and barracks. These diverse facilities, coupled with sophisticated ventilation systems, allowed VC
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Besides enemy combatants, the tunnels themselves presented many potential dangers to tunnel rats. Sometimes they were poorly constructed and they would simply collapse. Tunnels were often
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By
Mangold and Penycate's account, the tunnel rats first garnered public attention in January 1966, after a combined U.S. and Australian operation against the
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The
Tunnels of Cu Chi: A Harrowing Account of America's Tunnel Rats in the Underground Battlefields of Vietnam
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Sgt. Ronald H. Payne moves through a tunnel in search of Viet Cong with a flashlight and M1911 pistol.
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An
Australian tunnel rat looking into a Viet Cong tunnel discovered during Operation Crimp, Vietnam.
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unit, is charged with many of the same missions that tunnel rats performed during the
Vietnam War.
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created an extensive underground system of tunnels, which was later expanded and improved by the
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Sgt. Ronald H. Payne entering a tunnel in search of Viet Cong with a flashlight and M1911 pistol.
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This article is about the team of soldiers involved in underground missions. For other uses, see
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In the years since the
Vietnam War ended, tunnel rats have suffered from a high percentage of
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564:. Digger History: an unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Forces.
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features an extensive series of historic tunnels used for transporting water and the "
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who cleared and destroyed enemy tunnel complexes. Their motto was the tongue-in-cheek
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During the
Vietnam War, "tunnel rat" became an unofficial specialty for volunteer
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Soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions in
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427:"Historical Vignette 062 - How Army Engineers Cleared Viet Cong Tunnels"
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Military units and formations of the United States in the Vietnam War
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Viet Cong and NVA Tunnels and Field Fortifications of the Vietnam War
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Military units and formations of Australia in the Vietnam War
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Marett, Jim (February 9, 2018). "My Life as a Tunnel Rat".
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later were tunnel rats during their rotation through the
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Many tunnel rats reportedly came to dislike the intense
656:""Taliban Secret Weapon: Ancient Irrigation Trenches""
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Military units and formations of the New Zealand Army
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673:"Israel's 'tunnel rats' brace for new guerrilla war"
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605:Grau, Lester W.; Ali Ahmad Jalali (November 1998).
153:to remain hidden underground for months at a time.
823:is available for free viewing and download at the
810:is available for free viewing and download at the
797:is available for free viewing and download at the
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628:""Taliban using ancient well and tunnel system""
249:tunnel rats were almost exclusively soldiers of
523:"Weapons Lab: Small Arms Development at USALWL"
861:Military units and formations of South Vietnam
630:. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
224:with hand grenades, anti-personnel mines, and
204:and other non-standard weapons. "A few of the
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457:Thomson, Jimmy with Sandy MacGregor (2011).
407:Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip
461:. Melbourne, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
137:In the early stages of the war against the
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751:More of the Deadliest Men Who Ever Lived
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402:Mines on the Italian front (World War I)
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543:Beneath the Bamboo: A Vietnam War Story
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241:choose to enter the tunnels wearing a
81:Later, similar teams were used by the
505:"Tunnel Weapon: The Bang in the Dark"
360:were involved in similar work in the
690:Mangold, Tom; John Penycate (2005).
578:Mangold, Tom; John Penycate (2005).
281:Video showing Củ Chi Tunnels complex
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236:also posed threats to tunnel rats.
70:soldiers who performed underground
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384:"), a formation within Israel's
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807:STAFF FILM REPORT 66-18A (1966)
794:STAFF FILM REPORT 66-17A (1966)
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447:(New York: Random House, 1986).
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558:"The Tunnel Rats of Viet Nam"
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343:, such tunnels were used by
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503:Kevin Dockery (June 2002).
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257:descent, many of whom were
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21:Tunnel rat (disambiguation)
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527:Small Arms Defense Journal
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640:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
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200:revolver equipped with a
730:Rottman, Gordon (2012).
711:Rottman, Gordon (2006).
336:." During the 1979–1989
297:. The "Diehards" of the
192:of the relatively large
132:Non Gratum Anus Rodentum
749:Kirchner, Paul (2009).
787:Australian Tunnel Rats
303:1st Engineer Battalion
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139:French colonial forces
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734:. Osprey Publishing.
732:Tunnel Rat in Vietnam
715:. Osprey Publishing.
693:The Tunnels of Cu Chi
675:, Mar 8, 2012 Reuters
662:on November 16, 2001.
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91:Israel Defense Forces
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74:missions during the
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291:Bình Dương Province
696:. Presidio Press.
584:. Presidio Press.
362:war in Afghanistan
341:war in Afghanistan
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72:search and destroy
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753:. Paladin Press.
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540:Jones, Jonathon.
529:. 25 August 2014.
354:U.S. Marine Corps
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215:sawn-off shotguns
194:.45 caliber round
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190:muzzle blast
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167:M1911 pistol
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841:Vietnam War
459:Tunnel Rats
330:Afghanistan
325:Afghanistan
293:, known as
198:.38 Special
158:Vietnam War
156:During the
116:infantrymen
106:Vietnam War
89:and by the
85:during the
83:Soviet Army
76:Vietnam War
52:tunnel rats
835:Categories
413:References
345:Mujahideen
183:explosives
179:flashlight
151:guerrillas
60:Australian
313:in 1969.
299:U.S. Army
230:scorpions
208:-ordered
147:Viet Cong
143:Viet Minh
124:U.S. Army
118:from the
636:cite web
614:Engineer
562:Viet Nam
396:See also
372:SAMOOR (
255:Hispanic
251:European
243:gas mask
122:and the
56:American
683:Sources
386:Yahalom
175:bayonet
130:phrase
101:History
757:
738:
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388:elite
382:weasel
374:Hebrew
368:Israel
338:Soviet
232:, and
181:, and
141:, the
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610:(PDF)
334:kariz
162:ANZUS
128:Latin
54:were
755:ISBN
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717:ISBN
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642:link
586:ISBN
463:ISBN
378:סמור
238:Bats
234:ants
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