This article is about the team of soldiers involved in underground missions. For the group of urban explorers, see The Tunnel Rats.For the G.I. Joe character, see Tunnel Rat .The tunnel rats were American, Australian and New Zealander soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. In the course of the war, the Viet Cong created very extensive underground complexes. Whenever troops would uncover a tunnel, Tunnel Rats were sent in to kill any buried enemy and to plant explosives to destroy the tunnels. A Tunnel Rat was equipped with only a semiautomatic M1911 (.45 caliber) pistol and a flashlight, although most tunnel rats were allowed to choose another pistol to arm themselves with. The tunnels were very dangerous, with numerous booby traps and enemies lying in wait. Often there were flooded U-bends in the tunnels to trap gas. Guards manned holes on the sides of tunnels through which spea

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