BY: Emily Amey Vietnam War ~ Vietcong ~Guerrilla Warfare
Thesis Statement The VC used Guerrilla Warfare and Booby Traps to their advantage, making US soldiers paranoid, which caused the US to drop from the war.
Underground Tunnels The underground tunnels under Cu Chi town were almost 200 miles long. The Vietcong used these to move around unseen underground. They had hidden trap doors to get in and out of these tunnels. Soldiers were paranoid because there were also small holes that the VC were able to shoot through. US soldiers could be hit randomly at anytime. ("Battlefield; Vietnam" )
Underground Tunnels The Viet Cong were able to appear and disappear rapidly, causing havoc inside these headquarters. The Americans never knew when or how. It was a huge fear factor. (Kaderli)
This quotes explains how the small spider holes were great to quickly appear and disappear from no where. The US solders where very paranoid about where the VC might appear next
Underground Tunnels If US soldiers actually got in to these secret tunnels they were most likely abandoned. ("Battlefield; Vietnam" ) Before the VC abandoned the tunnels though they would fill them with booby traps.
Booby Traps These were used as surprise attacks, that didn’t involve shooting or a VC present. They were placed where US soldiers wouldn’t be able to see them, yet would still set them off. Not all booby traps were used to kill soldiers. Most were just to slow them down and injure who ever stepped on them.
This was the simplest and cheapest of the traps. Its called the Side-closing punji trap. It was a small hole with sharp bamboo or metal rods, that impaled the foot of who ever stepped on it. (5 th Battalion)
This is called the door trap. Two lengths of Bamboo with the cross section heavily spiked and is suspended above the door or opening via a trip wire. When the wire is tripped the trap swings down impaling the victim (5th Battalion)
This trap is called the Whip Trap. It is similar to when a tree branch is pulled back and when you let go it snaps back in to place. The only (and Major) difference is that this has sharp bamboo spikes on the end. It is set with a trip wire like most other of the traps. (5th Battalion) This idea of a Whip Trap is also used from the air. They would use huge balls of mud and stick the sharp bamboo in it, they would then hang it from a tree connected to the trip wire, to swing into who ever pulls the wire.
All the traps before this were simple and would hurt but most likely wouldn’t kill you, these are going to do a lot more damage… This trap hade many names one was the punji pit. It was camouflaged with the ground, and when a solders stepped on one side he fell. He fell straight on to the sharp bamboo sticks. These hole were very deep and he was in able to get help
Venus Fly Trap : Consists of a rectangular frame work with overlapping barbs emplaced in a pit, on trails or a rice padi. It can be made from a metal container which is sunk in the ground until the top is flush and then covered with grass or leaf camouflage, The barbs inflict injury especially when the victim attempts to withdraw his legs out of the trap with overlapping barbs emplaced in a pit, on trails or a rice padi. It can be made from a metal container which is sunk in the ground until the top is flush and then covered with grass or leaf camouflage, The barbs inflict injury especially when the victim attempts to withdraw his legs out of the trap (5th Battalion)
Booby Traps As you saw in the slides, VC were very smart in where they places and made the traps. US solders were paranoid because they were afraid of hitting a trip wire and setting a trap off or falling in to one of the traps. Solders were fearful everywhere the went because the traps could be hidden any where.
The VC The VC didn’t have to worry about hitting the traps because they had markers that showed what trap it was and where the trip wire was hidden. (5th Battalion)
Fear The VC had an advantage in the war because they knew the land, they were about to know the best places for traps and secret tunnel openings. They were not afraid of anything. On the other hand US soldiers were afraid. They had no idea where the next trap might be or where the VC might appear from next.
Death 11% of deaths and 15% of wounds were caused by booby traps and mines 11. 2% of wounds were caused by punji stakes
Overall Overall Booby Traps and the underground tunnels didn’t cause a huge number of deaths, it caused a lot of fear and paranoia in solders. If they weren't worried so much on where they step next they would have had a greater chance of staying in the war and even winning it.
Work Cited Primary Booby Traps: Vietnam War. N.d. Photograph. 5th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment Secondary "Guerrilla Tactics: An Overview." Battlefield; Vietnam. n. page. Web. 10 Jun Horvitz, Leslie Alan, and Christopher Catherwood. "Tiger Force." Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide. New York: Facts On File, Inc., Modern World History Online. Facts On File, Inc. ItemID=WE53&iPin=EWCG526&SingleRecord=True (accessed June 10, 2012). Kaderli,. "Cu Chi Tunnels." n. page. Web. 10 Jun