Tunnel Destruction 1969 US Army Training Film; Vietnam War Tunnel Rats

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• published: 04 Nov 2014
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more at http://quickfound.net/links/military_news_and_links.html "SHOWS HOW TUNNEL TEAMS DESTROY ENEMY EARTHEN TUNNELS EMPLOYING CS, GRENADES, CONVENTIONAL MILITARY EXPLOSIVES, SPECIAL PURPOSE CHARGES, AND THE XM242 LIQUID EXPLOSIVE DEMOLITION KIT." US Army Training Film TF5-4131 Reupload of a previously uploaded film, in one piece instead of multiple parts. US Army Training Film playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0C7C6CCF1C0DEBB3 Public domain film from the National Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_rat The tunnel rats were American, Australian and New Zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Later, similar teams were used by the Red Army during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Vietnam War In the course of the war, the Viet Cong created extensive underground complexes. Whenever troops would uncover a tunnel, tunnel rats were sent in to kill any hiding enemy soldiers and to plant explosives to destroy the tunnels. A tunnel rat was equipped with only a standard issue .45 caliber pistol, a bayonet and a flashlight, although most tunnel rats were allowed to choose another pistol with which to arm themselves. The tunnels were very dangerous, with numerous booby traps and enemies lying in wait. Often there were flooded U-bends in the tunnels to trap gas. Guards manned holes on the sides of tunnels through which spears could be thrust, impaling a crawling intruder. Not only were there human enemies, but also dangerous creatures, such as snakes (including venomous ones), rats, spiders, scorpions, and ants. Black-Bearded Tomb Bats (Taphozous melanopogon) and Lesser Dawn Bats (Eonycteris spelaea) roosted in the tunnels and were a harmless nuisance if awoken. Due to the confined space, the tunnel rats disliked the intense muzzle blast of the comparatively large .45 caliber round, which would often leave them temporarily deaf, and it was not uncommon for them to use whatever handgun they might find. The Soviet-made pistols the enemy carried were particular favourites, but they were rare, and the soldiers would often have someone at home send them a civilian pistol or revolver. Among the favorites were the smaller German Luger or less-common double action Walther pistols, both chambered in 9 mm. Many of these were brought home by American troops returning from World War II. Others would trade their pistols for revolvers used by other personnel. Many used improvised suppressors on their pistols to further reduce the noise. A particularly favored weapon was a specially modified Smith & Wesson Model 29 known as the "quiet special purpose revolver". Unlike the standard Model 29, which fires a .44 Magnum cartridge, the quiet special purpose revolver instead shot a .410 shotgun shell. This cartridge was far less loud than the .45 caliber. In addition, the revolver lacked as much recoil as the M1911, was lighter, more useful in a tight, claustrophobic space such as a tunnel, and very compact as well. Tunnel rats were generally, but not exclusively, men of smaller stature in order to fit in the narrow tunnels. Mangold and Penycate claimed that the tunnel rats were almost exclusively White or Hispanic soldiers, and the majority of American Latinos were Puerto Rican or Mexican American. Such tactics came to prominence following their successful application in January 1966 during a combined US-Australian action against the Củ Chi tunnels in Binh Duong Province, known as Operation Crimp. Afghanistan Afghanistan has an extensive series of historic tunnels used for transporting water, the kariz, and during the 1979--1989 Soviet war in Afghanistan, such tunnels were used by Mujahideen fighters. The Soviet 40th Army had their own tunnel rats, who were tasked with flushing people out of the tunnels, then going through the tunnels to disarm booby traps and kill those who remained. Meanwhile, the United States Marine Corps and the Royal Marines are involved in similar work during the current ongoing war in Afghanistan...