The Situation

For more than 30 years prior to the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954, the people of Southeast Asia had struggled for independence from France. At the time of the French defeat, representatives of the major powers and of the Indochinese people met at Geneva, Switzerland and divided Indochina into North Vietnam and South Vietnam, creating Laos and Cambodia at the same time. South Vietnam became a republic while North Vietnam, under Ho Chi Minh, became a Communist nation. Concurrently, the U.S. sponsored the creation of an eight-nation Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) to protect Cambodia, Laos, and South Vietnam from the spread of Communism.

North Vietnam soon declared its intention to reunite with South Vietnam, by military means if necessary, and to begin supporting a terrorist campaign within South Vietnam operated by local Communist Viet Cong guerrillas. Later, North Vietnam also began supporting Communist Pathet Lao guerrillas in Laos. To meet the growing threat inside South Vietnam, the U.S. began to expand its military assistance, a program which originally began in 1950 when the French requested help from the U.S. to fight the Indochinese insurgents, many of whom were not communists.

What started as a small U.S. assistance program to train the South Vietnamese to protect themselves grew into a massive military and naval effort by the US with four major areas of combat operations. These were South Vietnam, North Vietnam, the northern portion of Laos (The Plain of Jars), and southern Laos (The Panhandle). A fifth area of action, Cambodia, developed later.

The Basics

The 25^th Infantry division had set up on the West side of what was called the Iron Triangle, along with the 196th light infantry, and others. Unfortunately, the 25^th set up on top of a complex of tunnels that had been started in World War II, and expanded during the war with the French. The tunnels were expanded during the U.S. stay even further ---  into Cambodia. The tunnels were utilized for:  supply lines, housing for over 5000 people, VC political and military headquarters, two hospitals, and a complete communications center, .

The East and North of the Triangle was the responsibility of the 173rd Airborne, parts of the Royal Australian army, and the 1st Infantry Division.

The north end of the Iron Triangle fell between Ben Suc on the West, and Lia Khe on the East, and the Triangle was defined by the Saigon River on the west and highway 13, which extended north, into Cambodia, on the east. Highway 13 fell between War Zone 'C' and War Zone 'D'.

My feelings --- I equate the lack of being told about the tunnels by the Vietnamese, as being equal to the denial by the Germans of knowing about the concentration camps around their towns. Some how it just does not make sense that no one but the enemy knew about them --- but these people were supposed to be our allies. It cost the lives of many American Soldiers to find the tunnels that were found.

During the conflict, no one could imagine the extent of the complex. So vast and complete were the tunnels that any incursion into the Iron Triangle, even with overwhelming odds, proved to be ineffective. The opposing soldiers simply faded away ---  into the tunnels, as we were to eventually discover.

Because there was so much enemy activity on the west side of the triangle, around the town of Cu Chi,  it was considered a war zone, and designated the Cu Chi District.