Guerilla Warfare
Guerilla Warfare was an nonconventional method of warfare characterized by surprise attacks, staying hidden, and hit and run tactics. The point is to counter the forces of a larger more powerful opponent and exploit its disadvantages. Guerilla fighters got their supplies from the north, and took the trails in the jungles of Cambodia and Laos. The Viet-Cong were a Communist-led guerrilla force and revolutionary army of South Vietnam. In December of 1965, Ho Chi Minh and North Vietnamese leaders ordered a different way to fight the war. Guerilla warfare has a number of guerilla tactics. They were to avoid designated battles unless they knew they had a good chance of winning against the Americans. They hid their bases very well and had a system of underground tunnels. There were tunnels scattered across the country. Not only were they used for a safe place but also during battles. The Viet-Cong staged hit and run attacks all over the country. They had closed in harassing raids with booby traps, land mines, planted bombs, and snipers. The U.S. bombs were not destroying the enemy as planned, they were simply letting the North Vietnamese know that the U.S troops were on their way. Another guerilla tactic was to stay really close to the enemy. That way the Viet-Cong cannot hurt you without hurting their own men. The Viet-Cong played close attention to the U.S. strengths and weaknesses and used it against them.