Guerrilla Warfare Tunnels • Tunnels were a crucial aspect of Vietnamese tactics. They ensured communication & supplies were maintained. • The clay soil was perfect to support both the tunnels & rooms, whilst also absorbing some impact from bombs. • They also provided refuge for the Vietcong (and villagers) from bombing raids, whilst simultaneously providing the ideal base from which to launch surprise attacks. • The tunnels housed arms stores, hospitals, bomb shelters, briefing rooms, kitchens and even theatres to stage politically-motivating plays. •
The tunnels had been first built in the 1940s as protection against the Japanese, latterly expanded in the Indo-Chinese war with the French in the 1950s. • The Cu Chi tunnels, 75km NW of Saigon stretched 250 kilometres from Saigon to the Cambodian border. • The Americans had no knowledge of the tunnels, only discovering them after a year of fighting. Improvised Weapons • Bamboo sticks, rusty nails, wood and wire in the hands of the VC could quickly be made into deadly weapons such as the infamous punji trap. • Working in small teams meant that setting booby traps were a crucial part of guerrilla warfare. • Having set the traps – often using unexploded American bombs – the Vietcong could wait for enemy patrols. • Any soldiers captured would be tortured or killed, and the psychological effect on the Americans was enormous. Ambushes • Ambushes were another key tactic and were often used in combination with booby traps. • These allowed small groups to attack US patrols and were sometimes coordinated to take larger numbers. • Having successfully ambushed an American unit, the Vietcong would then disappear into the countryside or tunnels. • The ‘hit and run’ tactics made it difficult for the Americans to know who or where the enemy was, let alone defeat. Ho Chi Minh Trail • Supply routes from North Vietnam were vital for the guerrilla war to be maintained. • US planes often bombed the thousands of routes and this had some effect. • However, the Communists combated this by creating the Ho Chi Minh trail that stretched for 600 miles and went through neighbouring Laos and Cambodia. • Again, the US bombed the route but a combination of factors ensured that it never closed: • ‘dummy routes’ to confuse aerial photography • Cover from dense tropical forest and work around the clock to repair any damage
•
The maintenance of the HCM trail was extremely important to the Vietcong victory.