How the Cu Chi tunnels were discovered and destroyed by the enemy

The Cu Chi tunnels were a network of underground passages that the Viet Cong used during the Vietnam War to hide, transport supplies, and launch guerrilla attacks. They stretched for over 200 kilometers and had multiple levels, trapdoors, and booby traps. The tunnels were a key factor in the Viet Cong’s resistance and survival against the superior firepower of the US and South Vietnamese forces.

The US and South Vietnamese forces tried various methods to locate and destroy the tunnels, such as sending scout dogs, defoliants, explosives, and tunnel rats. Tunnel rats were specially trained soldiers who entered the tunnels with only a flashlight and a pistol to search for enemy fighters and explosives. They faced many dangers, such as snakes, spiders, scorpions, gas, flooding, and ambushes. Many tunnel rats were killed or wounded in action.

The most effective way to destroy the tunnels was by using the B-52 bombers, which could drop massive amounts of bombs over a large area and cause the tunnels to collapse. However, this method also caused extensive damage to the environment and civilian casualties. The US military estimated that they destroyed over 45 kilometers of tunnels by bombing, but the Viet Cong were able to repair some of them and continue using them until the end of the war.