What did Viet Cong eat?

Vietcong rations were mainly rice, typically cooked at night under good fire discipline. Our enemies also carried ready-to-eat parched rice.

What did the Viet Cong eat during the war?

The only contribution made by the villagers is rice, of which there is a glut in the Mekong Delta—an area that is, in any case, practically controlled by the insurgents. For the rest of their food supplies, the Vietcong cultivate manioc, bananas and papaya trees and catch all the fish they need in the rice swamps.

What did NVA soldiers eat?

What did NVA soldiers eat? We did get food supplies but it was very limited – usually rice and dried fish or fish paste. We picked wild vegetables on the mountain, and some of my friends were killed on these missions. I was very impressed with the American food boxes (C-rations) because they had chocolate and coffee.

How did the Viet Cong survive?

Tunnel systems and traps

The Vietcong had a hidden system of tunnels stretching over 200 miles. There were hospitals, armouries, sleeping quarters, kitchens and wells underground. These tunnel systems could hide thousands of Vietcong which helped them fight their guerrilla war.

What is the Viet Cong most known for?

The Viet Cong called for the unification of Vietnam and the overthrow of the American backed South Vietnamese government. The Viet Cong's best-known action was the Tet Offensive, an assault on more than 100 South Vietnamese urban centers in 1968, including an attack on the U.S. embassy in Saigon.

Vietcong Guerilla (Vietnam war)

Do the Viet Cong still exist?

In 1976, the Viet Cong was disbanded after Vietnam was formally reunited under communist rule. The Viet Cong tried to create a popular uprising in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War with their 1968 Tet Offensive but were able to seize control of just a few small districts in the Mekong Delta region.

Who did the Viet Cong fear the most?

TIL That during the Vietnam War, the most feared soldiers by the Vietcong were not US Navy Seals but Australian SASR. The VC referred to SEAL's as "The men with Green faces" whereas SASR known as "The Phantoms of the Jungle. A much more dangerous arena.

How brutal were the Viet Cong?

In October 1961 a U.S. State Department study estimated that the VC were killing South Vietnamese civilians at a rate of 1,500 per month. In October 1964, U.S. officials in Saigon reported that from January to October 1964 the VC killed 429 Vietnamese local officials and kidnapped 482 others.

What did Viet Cong call American soldiers?

The name comes from the shorthand of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam – ARVN. Number-One GI– A troop who spends a lot of money in Vietnam. Number-Ten GI – A troop who barely spends money in Vietnam. Ok Sahlem – Term American soldiers had for villagers' children who would beg for menthol cigarettes.

What made the Viet Cong so difficult to fight?

The Vietcong had an intricate knowledge of the terrain. They won the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese people by living in their villages and helping them with their everyday lives. Their tunnel systems, booby-traps and jungle cover meant they were difficult to defeat and hard to find.

Why did Vietnam hide in trees?

The trees hid the Ho Chi Minh trail from American planes so the Viet Cong could transport food, medical supplies, and aid without constant air attacks. On the ground, the Viet Cong knew how to use the jungle cover for camouflage and laying traps.

What was in a box of C rations?

C-Rations were developed in 1938 as a replacement for reserve rations, which sustained troops during World War I, and consisted chiefly of canned corned beef or bacon and cans of hardtack biscuits, as well as ground coffee, sugar, salt and tobacco with rolling paper — not much in the way of variety.

How long do C rations last?

The revised C-Ration was now intended for feeding combat troops continuously, up to three weeks (21 days).

What were greenies in Vietnam?

Kiley says that the Green Berets, or “Greenies,” were a secretive unit that operated largely outside of the normal command-and-control structure of other military personnel in Vietnam, often going out on clandestine, weeks-long excursions into the jungle.

Why did marines take salt pills?

The were essentially that, "Salt Pills". At the time they were given as a supplement when it was suspected that sodium levels would be dipping low due to heavy perspiration in the tropical environment. It was a common practice to provide them to workers in hot factories and athletes at the time.

What did K rations consist of?

Two original samples (one version used pemmican biscuits, a peanut bar, raisins, and bouillon paste; the other used pemmican biscuits, a small D ration bar, canned processed meat, and lemon beverage powder) evolved into the one-package breakfast-dinner-supper combination later adopted as standard.

WHAT DID number 10 mean in Vietnam?

The name comes from the shorthand of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam – ARVN. Number-One GI – A troop who spends a lot of money in Vietnam. Number-Ten GI – A troop who barely spends money in Vietnam. Ok Sahlem – Term American soldiers had for villagers' children who would beg for menthol cigarettes.

Why did Viet Cong wear sandals?

Ho Chi Minh sandals are iconic for having been worn by the Vietcong during the Vietnam war. During the war they were considered by many more practical than army boots, because being open they allowed the foot to dry and thus prevented the onset of 'jungle rot'.

Why is Viet Cong called Charlie?

Collectively the United States often called them the Viet Cong. It was commonly shortened to VC, which in military alphabet code was spoken as Victor Charlie. It was further shortened to just Charlie.

How hot was Vietnam in the war?

The scorcher set the mercury thermometer soaring to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.4 Celsius) in the community of Huong Khe, a rural district in Ha Tinh province.

Who was the good side in the Vietnam War?

North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies. The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war.

What does Beaucoup Dinky Dau mean?

Boocoo Dinky Dow" is how American GIs heard the French/Vietnamese phrase "beaucoup dien cai dau" for "very crazy."

How common was fragging in Vietnam?

Over the course of the entire Vietnam War, there were 800 documented fragging attempts in the Army and Marine Corps. By another account, over 1,000 such incidents were thought to have occurred. Between 1969 and 1970 alone, the U.S. Army reported 305 fraggings.

Did they use snake pits in Vietnam?

Snake Pits

Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. Viet Cong guerrillas would often carried Bamboo Pit Vipers in their packs to (hopefully) kill anyone who searches through them. They would also tie the deadly snakes to bamboo and hide them throughout their tunnel complexes.

How many tunnel rats died during the Vietnam War?

Imagine been alone down there, a million miles from home during those crazy 10,000 days in Vietnam. That both sets of men had to endure this life is appalling. There were never more than 100 Tunnel Rats in country at any one time and around 700 in total. There were 36 killed and 200 wounded.