The Tunnels of Cu CHI: A Harrowing Account of America's Tunnel Rats in the Underground Battlefields of Vietnam

By Tom Mangold, John Penycate, John Mangold, Tom; Penycate

Book Overview

At the height of the Vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground tunnels sprawled from Cu Chi Province to the edge of Saigon. In these burrows, the Viet Cong cached their weapons, tended their wounded, and prepared to strike. They had only one enemy: U.S. soldiers small and wiry enough to maneuver through the guerrillas' narrow domain. The brave souls who descended into these hellholes were known as "tunnel rats." Armed with only pistols and K-bar knives, these men inched their way through the steamy darkness where any number of horrors could be awaiting them-bullets, booby traps, a tossed grenade. Using firsthand accounts from men and women on both sides who fought and killed in these underground battles, authors Tom Mangold and John Penycate provide a gripping inside look at this fearsome combat. The Tunnels of Cu Chi is a war classic of unbearable tension and unforgettable heroes. Praise for The Tunnels of Cu Chi "A claustrophobic but fascinating tale." -- The Wall Street Journal "Chilling . . . what war really was and how it was fought." -- The New York Times "Gripping . . . highly recommended." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer "Remarkable." -- The Washington Post

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891418695
• ISBN13: 9780891418696
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.1" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Interesting, but definately slanted

You learn what it was like for the "heroic Viet Cong battling the huge American invaders" from their tunnel complexes. If you can stomach the authors' overt bias, then this is a good read.

Great book

Good book about the tunnels in vietnam. I didn't know much about these tunnels until this book. Those rats had big balls to go in there. Worth your money.

A good read

This is a very educational book on the Vietnam war - a topic most people have at best a fuzzy understanding of. The American tunnel rats were incredibly brave (and at least a tad crazy), fighting against the clever and dedicated Viet Cong enemy on their own turf - actually, under their turf, in tunnels rigged with booby traps and other dangers. I learned a lot about the war with perspectives from both sides of the conflict.

A fantastic book revealing much about the "enemy."

This is a great book which can compliment your viewing of Mickey Grant's 1 hour film shot in Vietnam titled, "The Cu Chi Tunnels." Tom's book also includes much about the "Tunnel Rats". The film deals much more with the Vietnamese side which has been so often not been revealed.

This is a good book for the familys of "Tunnel Rats"

As a Tunnel Rat that spent time in the tunnels in the Iron Triangle, the "Tunnels of Cu Chi" recounts many of the episodes that happened in the area. I used this book to explain the what part of my duties in VietNam was like. It tells the tale with out embelishment nor as a typical war story. I recommend it to all "Rats" familys to give them better understanding of what being a "Tunnel Rat" was like in VietNam.