17-4-29 M14 Picture of the Day

[browningautorifle]

Was the NVA/VC as good at jungle fighting as the films would have us believe

Are you kidding? Read about them, you'll see...

[CINDERS]

If you read a book by Robert Elford called "The Devils Guard" it will put you right in the spotlight F10 on just how good the VC were well before the USA decided to have a go, who was fighting them then well the French F L and who joined them well soldiers from the Eastern Front German SS soldiers whom fought them with the same tactics the VC used, its a bl**dy gruesome book but leaves you in little doubt about the VC as a fighter.

[Bob Seijas]

I liked the story of the trouble the French had resupplying outlying forts because the convoys always got ambushed. The Germans solved that by stopping at the first village along the road, rounding up the women and kids and tying them to the trucks. When they got to the next village they replaced them with new ones. No ambushes

[AZPhil]

I've read Devils Guard 1 and 2 but have not read the 3rd. Awesome read.

Semper Fi
Phil

[Ovidio]

Another great read about the Franch in Indochina is Street Without Joy, from Bernard B. Fall.
A must!

[Flying10uk]

The reason that I asked the question in post 10 is because I've heard it said, more than once, that the Japanese weren't half as good at jungle fighting as people think they were.

[fjruple]

The reason that I asked the question in post 10 is because I've heard it said, more than once, that the Japanese weren't half as good at jungle fighting as people think they were.

In the early part of the Vietnam War (US involvement) the VC were pretty good a lot of their cadre had experience fighting the French and before that the Japanese. Ho Chi Minh was supported by the American OSS in WWII fighting the Japanese. By the time the US got involved in the late 50's and early 1960's the VC had been beating up on the South Vietnam forces which requested SF support and advisors from the US using COIN operations. By after the Tet Offensive the VC had been pretty much killed off. The NVA pretty much took over from there. But I digest. Against untrained, undiscipilined conventional ground forces without air or artillery support they were pretty good.

--fjruple

[AZPhil]

Since I found the 2 Devils Guard books so interesting, I had to get the patch.

Attachment 83510

Semper Fi
Phil

[CINDERS]

I am quite sure that the 39th Battalion chaps who were at Kokoda in those early days would beg to differ with the summation the IJA soldier was not that good at jungle warfare, two books I have read and in my library that are worth a read are "The Jungle is Neutral" By F. Spencer Chapman or "Green Armour" By Osmar White written in the first person by the ones who were there they are both good reads.

Nope the ones whom were there at the pointy end know the score what did Hal Moore say "Where the metal meets the meat.".

[Flying10uk]

I have heard British veterans state that in their opinion the Japanese soldier wasn't as good at jungle warfare as people often believe.