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z6L+ dred kilometres long in the region of oF cRlilclsM Cu Chi alone; similarly, only a just, revolutionary cause could motivate o men and women to endure the hard- o- ship of living and f ighting underground for months and years The Tunnels of Cu Chi at a time. Tom Mongold ond John Penycote The region of Cu Chi was long a Hodder .l985& Stoughton stronghold of the NLF. Because of lII London its proximity to Saigon the U.S. (olso ovoiloble in French: army spared no effort in trying to Les tunnels Chi de Cu .l985) control the area. A huge U.S. base Albin Michel; Poris housing an Army division was con- structed near the village of Cu Chi. There are few examples of Huge expanses of land were heroism more telling than that of the bulldozed, burned and sprayed with EI= Vietnamese people's just struggle pesticides. The authors report that I against U.S. aggression. One of the wells in the area were systematically J. merits of Mangold and Penycate's poisoned by U.S. soldiers who threw work The Tunnels of Cu Chi is to the corpses of dead animals into l- rekindle memories (for those of us them. Villagers were herded by force old enough to remember) or present into the in f amous ' 'strategic a first picture of the unbelievable hamlets." Those who escaped were courage, self-sacrifice and ingenuity considered fair game for attack by that the men and women of Vietnam artillery fire and bombs or the Cobra demonstrated. To a certain extent helicopters that flew low to the such a picture shines throughdespite ground machinegunning everything the intentions of the authors, who that moved. Pilots returning to their attempt a "balanced" and "two- bases were encouraged to drop any sided" account ofa war whose reac- remaining explosives or napalm on tionary character on the part of U.S. Cu Chi. Yet despite this incredible imperialism and just character on barbarism the U.S. imperialists were the part of the oppressed who took never able to "pacify" Cu Chi and up arms makes any such al- it remained a strong hold of the tempt at bourgeois objectivity revolutionary forces throughout the derisory. war. In fact, at the height of the U.S. The Tunnels of Cu Chi is a lively presence, in 1969, the NLF was able account based mainly on interviews to carry out a daring raid inside the with the participants of the war Cu Chi base, destroying a great deal waged by the National Liberation of military equipment. Front (NLF) against the U.S. army Cu Chi is located on the southern in one particular area of Vietnam edge ofthe plain that extends from near Cu Chi, located less than forty the Mekong River Delta in the south kilometres from what was then to the highlands to the north and Saigon, the capital of the puppet west. Except for some forests, the South Vietnamese regime. As its ti- region does not have any particular tle implies, the book examines in favourable geographical features for particular the "tunnel warfare" waging guerrilla war. It does have a waged by the NLF in the area which concentration of the peasantry. The bordered a region known to the authors refer to Cu Chi (at the U.S.during the war as the "Iron beginning of the war) as a "densely Triangle. " Tunnel warfare is a form populated agricultural area" con- of combat that is suited to the weak sisting of both rice fields and rubber in their struggle against a stronger, and coconut plantations. highly armed and technically Tunnel warfare was a key means superior force. The ability to con- by which the NLF utilised the duct tunnel warfare depends upon positive factors (above all, the sup- the overall character of the war port of the population and, linked to itself: without relying upon the this, the sense of self-sacrifice of its masses the NLF would never have fighters which resulted from the fact been able to construct a network of that they were fighting for a revolu- tunnels that were almost three hun- tionary cause) to neutralise the t-e :' + CONICAL AIR-RAID !P SHELTER AMPLIFYING ATRIHN]5; SOUND OF ,,DIEN 'Io#5'*Y,[HCAMOUFLAUGE " BAMBOO MEETING APPROACHING BIEN PHU" EAST STAKE TRAP HALL PLANE KITCHEN Book illustration negative factors - the overwhelm- became aware of the importance of at reminding the soldier of the ing superiority of the U.S. in the tunnels in the NLF war strategy "American Way of Life" he was weaponry and technology. While and therefore tried to come up with supposed to protect. Usually the the tunnels might seem to be a defen- new weapons and methods to Americans would be transported sive measure (and they certainly did neutralise them. Most of their high back to the base by helicopter after have that aspect), they were above tech weapons proved completely un- a busy day of burning villages and all a means and method l'or combat- suited to this kind of warfare murder. ting the enemy. because of their unwieldiness. Tunnel warfare also led to a close Even the term "tunnel" is In the last analysis, as Mao hand-to-hand combat that favoured somewhat of rnisnomer. In fact, pointed out, people not weapons, those fighting for a revolutionary they were really labyrinths of firing determine the outcome in war and line. One story, not recounted in the posts, dormitories, kitchens, storage all the technology available to the book, illustrates this. A Black GI rooms, even hospitals and con- U.S. could not change the fact that descended into a tunnel when he ference rooms all constructed at dif- their soldiers were thoroughly hated heard the unmistakable sound of a ferent levels underground and con- by the people, demoralised and in- bullet being chambered. He turned nected to one another and to the capable of acting out of any noble his head expecting to get a final surface through an ingenious system interest. While the men and women glimpse of the person who was of passageways and trap doors. In of the NLF endured incredible hard- about to kill him. He found himself Cu Chi, some tunnels reached ship living in caverns, the American face-to-face with an NLF fighter within a kilometre of the U.S. base soldiers enjoyed a comfort never who told him in English, "our fight itself and played a vital role in the before seen in history of warfare. is not with you Black man." This GI daring attack referred to earlier. Their base at Cu Chi was equipped never picked up a rifle again! Other tunnels joined networks hous- with movie theatres and swimming The tunnels were dug using hand ing NLF command centres. pools and supplied by daily convoys shovels and simple baskets to Bit by bit the imperialist army of lorries filled with amenities aimed evacuate the dirt.The latter wasno 66 tn= (J- simple matter as evidence of fresh blem throughout the war, even this left leaderless and often demoralised soil would invite certain U.S. attack. barbaric weapon was resisted to a when the immense sacrifices of the E The peasants of the area who did large degree by the system of tight offensive failed to achieve quick vic- 4 most of the tunnel construction also seals leading from one passageway tory as had been promised. It seems L' had to carry and distribute the dirt to another and ingenious methods of that the Tet Offensive was part of an t! a considerable distance from the using water to filter the air. overall strategy aimed at seeking a o tunnels themselves. The entrances to An even more deadly challenge to negotiated settlement (which finally the tunnels were disguised with tunnel warfare came from the B-52 occurred). With this kind of a z foliage or sometimes (before the carpet bombings the U.S. began political line it is not surprising that, o U.S. had devastated the area) would conducting systematically around in the last few years of the war, the O. exit into a barn. There would always Cu Chi in April 1969, when it ceased Vietnamese leadership put increas- be multiple ways out of the tunnel in using these B-52s to bomb the ingly less emphasis on mobilising the UI case the enemy stumbled upon an North. These bombs blasted enor- masses of peasants and encouraging entrance. The tunnels were con- mous craters that did destroy many them to continue along the path of =ut structed using only earth and clay, of the tunnels that the U.S. had been arming themselves with the weapons - sometimes reinforced with bamboo. unable to wipe out in five years of of the enemy. F Nevertheless the walls were so hard war. Despite the tragic fact that the many of the U. S. soldiers were con- The Tunnels of Cu Chi makes no heroism and sacrifice of the Viet- vinced they were made of cement! pretext of being an overall history of namese people was increasingly Their strength, their depth the Vietnam War, but in passing betrayed by a centrist and ultimately underground (sometimes several makes some interesting observations revisionist political line on the part metres) and their intricacy made about some of the war's broader of the Vietnamese leadership, the them very difficult to destroy. military and political features. The Vietnam War remains not only a Simply throwing a handgrenade in authors attempt to draw a firm line source of inspiration for today's the tunnels caused little or no of distinction between the NLF and revolutionary communists but also damage and the NLF would soon be the "North Vietnamese," which a treasure chest of experience, able to return.

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