Vietnam's Iron Triangle

[PINNAZ]

Disclaimer: I am by no means qualified to write any of this. It is mearly a lot of reading & basically copy & paste. I have just provided some basic information in which you can learn more from by your own means.

Warning:This is a long one…

A very big thanks to MixMasterNut & AlphaSnake for posting some awesome topics on this subject which have given me so many ideas such as this & things to research. Cheers!

This might not be the next map & I may be completely off here, but I’m confident we are going to Vietnam at some point.

This post is going to have many different parts to it, varying in many different locations & events, but I think they are all tied together within a short time frame. This idea came from reading many different threads here on CoDz as well as some possible hints from FIVE & Die Rise as well as the BO1 Campaign Intel.

What does this have to do with Zombies? I don't know, you tell me.

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This is where my idea came from, we will start here…

Die Rise features 3 calendars, 2 show only the month of (possibly) January, yet their starting day varies & the other shows all 12 months. One looks like it may start on Monday & may be a traditional Chinese calendar. The second one may start on a Sunday & may be referred as a ‘Western Business Day’ Calendar.

The important hint here is January

Also, throughout the map there are ‘Happy New Year’ banners & posters. Both the calendars & New Year posters may just relate to Die Rise being released on January 29 & the Chinese New Year occurred on February 10, 2013. This fits with the release on the DLC. But there is also something else about January 29. So I decided to look further into Chinese New Year & I came across Vietnamese New Year known as ‘Tet’.

I instantly thought back to the Black Ops 1 campaign missions such as :-

S.O.G. (Khe Sanh, South Vietnam - January 21, 1968)

The Defector ( Huế, South Vietnam - February 2, 1968)

Crash Site (Laos/Vietnam Border - February 11, 1968)

Crash Site Intel

Crash Site - Soviet Nova 6 testing in Vietnam

Victor Charlie Intel

Victor Charlie – Kravchenko recording, Nova 6 testing in Kon Tum Province

WMD Intel

WMD – Soviet Weapons (Nova 6) exports to Cuba & Vietnam

WMD – Gorki-Korolov Medical (GKM) flying Nova 6 into Vietnam

Pavel Gorki (Kravchenko’s Cousin) involved in the massacre at Der Riese

This post mainly revolves around the ‘Iron Triangle’ & the ‘Tet Offensive’

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Nacht Der Untoten Loading Screen

Vietnam – Right hand bottom box

Vietnam Office sign found in 'FIVE'

[tab][/tab]

The Viet Cong / National Liberation Front

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietcong

The Viet Cong or National Liberation Front (NLF) was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War (1959–1975), and emerged on the winning side.

The Viet Cong's best-known action was the Tet Offensive, a massive assault on more than 100 South Vietnamese urban centers in 1968, including an attack on the US embassy in Saigon. The offensive riveted the attention of the world's media for weeks, but also overextended the Viet Cong.

Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Revolutionary_Government_of_the_Republic_of_South_Vietnam

The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, or PRG, was formed on June 8, 1969 as an underground government opposed to the South Vietnamese government of President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu. Delegates of the National Liberation Front (the Vietcong), as well as several smaller groups, participated in its creation.

The PRG was recognized as the government of South Vietnam by most communist states. It signed 1973 Paris Peace Treaty as a separate party. It became the provisional government of South Vietnam following the military defeat of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam on April 30, 1975. On July 2, 1976, the PRG and North Vietnam merged to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

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The Iron Triangle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Triangle_(Vietnam)

Great Websites documenting the Vietnam War

http://www.vietnamwar.net/IronTriangle.htm

http://dunlapsite.com/Dunlap/VietNam/VietNam.htm

The Iron Triangle (Vietnamese:Tam Giác Sắt) was a 120 square miles (310 km2) area in the Binh Duong Province of Vietnam, so named due to it being a stronghold of Viet Minh activity during the war. The region was under control of the Viet Minh throughout the French war in Vietnam and continued to be so throughout the phase of American involvement in the Vietnam War, despite concerted efforts on the part of US and South Vietnamese forces to destabilize the region as a power base for their enemy, the communist North Vietnamese-sponsored and -directed South Vietnamese insurgent movement, the National Liberation Front or Viet Cong (NLF).

Geography

The Location of the Iron Triangle was between the Saigon River on the west and the Tinh River on the east and bordering Route 13 about 25 miles (40 km) north of Saigon. The southern apex of the "triangle" was seven miles (11 km) from Phu Cong, the capital of Binh Duong Province. Its proximity to Saigon was both a reason for American and South Vietnamese efforts to eradicate it, as well as why it remained a crucial area for Communist forces to maintain control over.

The American War

The tunnels were expanded further after the war with the French as a base for underground operations against the Ngo Dinh Diem government and later US-backed South Vietnamese governments. The tunnel system at its height was said to have over 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of tunnels throughout North and South Vietnam, with hundreds of miles of these located in the Iron Triangle, especially concentrated in the area around the town of Cu Chi. Due to the threat that the Cu Chi tunnels posed to the Saigon Government, the United States stepped up its military offensive in the region in the fall of 1966 and 1967.

They launched three operations during this time: Operation Attleboro, Operation Cedar Falls and Operation Junction City. Operation Cedar Falls was an especially intensive attack involving nearly 16,000 American troops and 14,000 soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army. The Operation took nineteen days and 72 Americans and 720 Viet Cong were killed. Despite their massive attack with B-52 bombers and Rome plows and efforts to destroy the tunnel system with explosives, flooding, and "tunnel rats" (specially trained soldiers who would infiltrate the tunnels armed only with a flashlight and a handgun), the Americans failed to totally destroy the Viet Cong support system that had been built for over two decades.

The Iron Triangle at the end of the Vietnam War

The area remained an active organizing center for the Viet Cong right through to the end of the war, due to both its undeniable strategic importance, as well as support from local populations who had been negatively impacted by the American bombing campaign. In April, 1975, General Van Tien Dung, political bureau members Pham Hung and Le Duc Tho and southern military commander Tran Van Tra all joined together in the Iron Triangle region to orchestrate the final, decisive attack on Saigon. The area had remained allied with the nationalist communist forces from the beginning of the French war in 1946 to the fall of Saigon in 1975: an exception in a country often torn region by region between control by American forces and control by the Viet Cong.

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Operation Cedar Falls

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cedar_Falls

See Also –

Operation Attleboro

Operation Junction City

Operation Cedar Falls was a military operation of the Vietnam War conducted primarily by US forces. The aim of this massive search and destroy operation was to eradicate the so-called "Iron Triangle", an area located in close proximity to Saigon which had become a major stronghold of the communist National Liberation Front (NLF) or Viet Cong. The operation began on January 8, 1967 and ended on January 28, 1967.

Operation Cedar Falls was the largest American ground operation of the Vietnam war: Two Army divisions, one infantry and one paratrooper brigade, as well as one armored cavalry regiment participated in the operation; altogether, Operation Cedar Falls involved 30,000 US and South Vietnamese troops. The Vietcong, however, chose to evade this massive military force by either fleeing across the border to Cambodia or hiding in a complex system of underground tunnels. Nevertheless, the allied forces uncovered and destroyed some of the tunnel complexes as well as large stockpiles of Vietcong supplies. In the course of the operation, so-called tunnel rats were introduced to infiltrate Vietcong tunnel systems.

(I had already included 'Operation Cedar Falls' in this. I also did some more hint hunting on FIVE, when I came across this board.)

Operation Cedar Falls plan found in the PaP room on 'FIVE'

Results and Aftermath

Operation Cedar Falls was officially terminated on January 26, 1967. The American military claimed that in its course almost 750 Vietcong were killed, 280 were taken prisoner, and 540 defected in the so-called Chieu Hoi ("open-arms") program; an additional 512 suspects were detained and almost 6,000 individuals were deported. Moreover, allied forces captured 23 crew served weapons, 590 individual weapons, over 2,800 explosive items, 60,000 rounds of small arms ammunition, and enough rice to feed 13,000 troops for an entire year. Also, large amounts of enemy documents were obtained and a massive complex of underground tunnels, bunkers, and other structures was destroyed. Some 100 bunkers, 25 tunnels, and over 500 structures were destroyed. Finally, in order to deny the NLF cover and make future penetrations of the area simpler, eleven square kilometers of jungle were cleared.

In comparison, allied losses were light. US forces lost 72 killed and 337 wounded while South Vietnamese casualties amounted to 11 killed and 8 wounded. U.S. equipment lost included two tanks and five armored personnel carriers destroyed; damage was sustained by three tanks, nine APC's, one tankdozer, two jeeps and two light observation helicopters.

The Iron Triangle after January 1967

Whereas the NLF thus suffered a serious setback, its members swiftly managed to re-establish their domination over the Iron Triangle. Two days after the operation's termination, NLF forces re-entered the Iron Triangle and within ten days the area was, according to an official US report, "literally crawling with what appeared to be Vietcong." Only a year after the termination of Operation Cedar Falls, the NLF used this area as a staging ground for their attacks on Saigon during the 1968 Tet Offensive.

Operation Cedar Falls preview (1min)

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Cu Chi tunnels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi_tunnels

http://havecamerawilltravel.com/cu-chi-tunnels-vietnam

The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968.

http://travelvietnaminfo.com/cu-chi-tunnels/

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped achieve ultimate military success.

American soldiers used the term "Black echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, scorpions, spiders and vermin. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels, especially malaria, which was the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. A captured Viet Cong report suggests that at any given time half of a PLAF unit had malaria and that “one-hundred percent had intestinal parasites of significance". The tunnels played a major role in the Vietnamese winning the war.

1988 Australian Documentary - Discovery of the Tunnel Network (20mins)

History Channel Documetary - Dangerous Missions Tunnel Rats (20mins)

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The Tet Offensive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive

The Tet Offensive was a military campaign during the Vietnam War that was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnam against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies. It was a campaign of surprise attacks that were launched against military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam, during a period when no attacks were supposed to take place.

The operations are referred to as the Tet Offensive because there was a prior agreement to "cease fire" during the Tet Lunar New Year celebrations. Both North and South Vietnam announced on national radio broadcasts that there would be a two-day cease-fire during the holiday. Nonetheless, the Communists launched an attack that began during the early morning hours of 30 January 1968, the first day of Tet. In Vietnamese, the offensive is commonly called Tết Mậu Thân (Tet, year of the monkey). Military planners called it the "General Offensive and Uprising" (Cuộc Tổng tiến công và nổi dậy).

History Channel Documentary - Declassified: Tet Offensive (45mins)

The Communists launched a wave of attacks on the morning of 30 January in the I and II Corps Tactical Zones of South Vietnam. This early attack did not lead to widespread defensive measures. When the main communist operation began the next morning the offensive was countrywide and well coordinated, eventually more than 80,000 Communist troops striking more than 100 towns and cities, including 36 of 44 provincial capitals, five of the six autonomous cities, 72 of 245 district towns, and the southern capital. The offensive was the largest military operation conducted by either side up to that point in the war.

The initial attacks stunned the US and South Vietnamese armies and took them by surprise, but most were quickly contained and beaten back, inflicting massive casualties on communist forces. During the Battle of Huế intense fighting lasted for a month resulting in the destruction of the city by US forces while the Communist executed thousands of residents in the Massacre at Huế. Around the US combat base at Khe Sanh fighting continued for two more months. Although the offensive was a military defeat for the communists, it had a profound effect on the US government and shocked the US public, which had been led to believe by its political and military leaders that the communists were, due to previous defeats, incapable of launching such a massive effort.

Provided with an enemy intelligence windfall accrued during Operation Cedar Falls and Junction City, the CIA members of the group believed that the number of communist guerrillas, irregulars, and cadre within the South could be as high as 430,000. The MACV Combined Intelligence Center, on the other hand, maintained that the number could be no more than 300,000.

Vietnam War - Impact of the Media

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The Imperial City / Huế Citadel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_City,_Hu%E1%BA%BF

The Imperial City (Vietnamese: Kinh thành Huế) in Huế is a walled fortress and palace in the former capital of Vietnam.

The grounds of the Imperial City were surrounded by a wall 2 kilometers by 2 kilometers, and the walls were surrounded by a moat. The water from the moat was taken from the Huong River (Perfume River) that flows through Huế. This structure is called the citadel. Inside the citadel was the Imperial City, with a perimeter of almost 2.5 kilometers. Inside the Imperial City was the imperial enclosure called the Purple Forbidden City in Vietnamese, a term similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing. The enclosure was reserved for the Nguyễn imperial family.

History

In June 1802 Nguyễn Phúc Ánh took control of Vietnam and proclaimed himself Emperor Gia Long. His rule was recognized by China in 1804. Gia Long confided with geomancers to decide which was the best place for a new palace and citadel to be built. After the geomancers had decided on a suitable site in Huế, building began in 1804. Thousands of workers were ordered to produce a wall and moat, 10 kilometers long. Initially the walls were earthen, but later these earthen walls were replaced by stone walls, 2 meters thick.

The citadel was oriented to face the Huong River to the east. This was different from the Forbidden City in Beijing, which faces south. The Emperor's palace is on the east side of the citadel, nearest the river. A second set of walls and a second moat was constructed around the Emperor's palace. Many more palaces and gates and courtyards and gardens were subsequently added. The rule of the last Vietnamese Emperor lasted until the mid-1900s. At the time, the Purple Forbidden City had many buildings and hundreds of rooms. It suffered from termite and cyclone damage, but was still very impressive. Many bullet holes left over from the war can be observed on the stone walls.

Huế Citadel map found in the spawn room on 'FIVE'

In the early morning hours of January 31, 1968, as part of the Tet Offensive a Division-sized force of North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong soldiers launched a coordinated attack on Huế seizing most of the city. During the initial phases of the Battle of Hue, due to Huế's religious and cultural status, Allied forces were ordered not to bomb or shell the city, for fear of destroying the historic structures; but as casualties mounted in the house-to-house fighting these restrictions were progressively lifted and the fighting caused substantial damage to the Imperial City. Out of 160 buildings only 10 major sites remain because of the battle, such as the Thái Hòa and Cần Thanh temples, Thế Miếu, and Hiển Lâm Các. The city was made a UNESCO site in 1993. The buildings that still remain are being restored and preserved. The latest and so far the largest restoration project is planned to conclude in 2015.

Battle for Huế Citadel (10mins)

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The Battle of Huế

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hue

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~tpilsch/AirOps/hue-battle.html

The Battle of Huế during 1968 (also called the Siege of Huế), was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War (1959–1975). Battalions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), two U.S. Army battalions, and three understrength U.S. Marine Corps battalions defeated more than 10,000 soldiers of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN or NVA) and the Viet Cong (Việt Cộng or VC, also known as National Liberation Front or NLF).

With the beginning of the Tet Offensive on January 30, 1968, the Vietnamese lunar New Year (Vietnamese: Tết Nguyên Đán) large conventional American forces had been committed to combat upon Vietnamese soil for almost three years. Passing through the city of Huế, Highway One was an important supply line for ARVN, US and allied forces from the coastal city of Đà Nẵng to the DMZ ]. It also provided access to the Perfume River (Vietnamese: Sông Hương or Hương Giang) at the point the river ran through Huế, dividing the city into northern and southern areas. Huế was also a base for United States Navy supply boats. Considering its logistical value and its proximity to the DMZ (only 50 kilometres (31 mi)), Huế should have been well-defended, fortified, and prepared for any communist attack.

However, the city had few fortifications and was poorly defended. The South Vietnamese and U.S. forces were completely unprepared when the North Vietnamese army and Viet Cong failed to observe the promised Tet Truce. Instead, the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army launched a massive assault throughout South Vietnam, attacking hundreds of military targets and population centers across the country, among them the city of Huế.

Battle for Huế City (15mins)

The North Vietnamese forces rapidly occupied most of the city. Over the next month they were gradually driven out during intense house-to-house fighting led by the Marines. In the end, although the Allies declared a military victory, the city of Huế was virtually destroyed and more than 5000 civilians were killed, more of them executed by the PAVN and Viet Cong (according to the South Vietnamese government). The North Vietnamese forces lost an estimated 2,400 to 8,000 killed, while Allied forces lost 668 dead and 3,707 wounded. The tremendous losses negatively affected the American public's perception of the war and political support for the war began to wane.

BO1 Campaign Intel – The Defector

Huế Massacre

Dated 29th January 1968 (1 day before the Tet Offensive)

Mentions the Soviets have moved into Vietnam & have Nova 6

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The Hỏa Lò Prison / Hanoi Hilton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi_Hilton

http://www.rustycompass.com/destinations/detail/city_5-vietnam-hanoi/14-see-and-do/230-hoa-lo-hanoi-hilton-prison-hanoi

The Hỏa Lò Prison was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War when it was sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton". The prison was demolished during the 1990s, though the gatehouse remains as a museum.

French era

The name Hoa Lo, commonly translated as "fiery furnace" or even "Hell's hole", also means "stove". The name originated from the street name phố Hỏa Lò, due to the concentration of stores selling wood stoves and coal-fire stoves along the street from pre-colonial times.

The prison was built in Hanoi by the French, in dates ranging from 1886–1901, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. The French called the prison Maison Centrale — literally, Central House, a traditional euphemism to denote prisons in France. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter.

Vietnam War

During the Vietnam War, the first U.S. prisoner to be sent to Hoa Lo was Lieutenant, Junior Grade Everett Alvarez Jr., who was shot down on August 5, 1964. From the beginning, U.S. POWs endured miserable conditions, including poor food and unsanitary conditions. The prison complex was sarcastically nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by the American POWs, in reference to the well-known Hilton Hotel chain.

There is some disagreement among the first group of POWs who coined the name but F8D pilot Bob Shumakern was the first to write it down, carving "Welcome to the Hanoi Hilton" on the handle of a pail to greet the arrival of Air Force Lieutenant Robert Peel.

http://www.kennerly.com/editorial/gallery.php?page=193

Beginning in early 1967, a new area of the prison was opened for incoming American POWs; it was dubbed "Little Vegas", and its individual buildings and areas were named after Las Vegas Strip landmarks, such as "Golden Nugget," "Thunderbird," "Stardust," "Riviera," and the "Desert Inn." These names were chosen because many pilots had trained at Nellis Air Force Base, located in proximity to Las Vegas.

A tour of the Hanoi Hilton

Checkout this awesome post by AlphaSnake -

Frank Woods escape from Hanoi Prison http://www.callofdutyzombies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=10550(check the date stamp)

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Summary

Though I have included the Hanoi Hilton (North Vietnam), The Hue Citadel (Northern region of South Vietnam) & the Iron Triangle (South Vietnam), the Tet Offensive was a major event for the Viet Cong's military push to win the war & had many political implications for the USA. The Tet offensive encompassed many major cities aswell as rural villages & the strength of the Iron Triangle, along with the Cu Cui Tunnel network, influenced the ambush on Saigon which nearly saw the loss of South Vietnam & the entire eastern part of the continent to the communists.

If what I think the chapter names reflect & the direction of the history lessons 3arc are giving us, I think the following DLC's will all be in communist countries & each chapter name will be from an event at the end of each decade, leading up to this -

Revolutions of 1989 - the Fall of Communism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1989

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Bonus:- Australian Band 'The Herd' cover of the famous Vietnam War song by Redgum - 'I was only 19'

Redgum's Original Version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAwvH8FbdjM

[MF_MaxiMillion]

Nice job in explaining all of this. It's pretty cool that you can find this linkage even though none of this is shown in the game. You found the title of the new map The Great Leap Forward before it even came out and I have no doubts that you could be right about this "event at the end of each decade" thing.

And is it just me or does the Nacht der Untoten loading screen hint out to where we are going? If we do end up getting a map that plays in Vietnam, we ought to inspect the other 2 flags on those boxes.

[Scrodamoon7283]

I think you're right about this being a possibility. I've heard a lot of people talk about an underground map and it fits the pattern. But you think the boxes in the Nacht loading screen are really clues? Where would we be going in Cuba?

[Stop Mocking Me0]

Dang it PINNAZ! If you get this right twice NONE of us are ever going to get any ideas out...

Seriously though, exellent work... Currently reading through it... Will respond when finished...

Later----

All this.... All of this information... From a single date on a calendar... Brilliant! Absolutly brilliant!

I too did some research on Provence 22 in china, it lead me to the chemical outbreak of jelin (the 22 Provence of china) which was composed mainly of benezene. Benezene alters DNA and is a carcinogen, a mass release of this could cause serious mutations (nova six jumpers/seliquifier liquid [which if I'm right, and the seliquifier DOES run off benezene then we can move it to a power weapon category rather then a wonder weapon...]) and rip a hole in the ozone layer... (Which is why we can see the moon, sun, and stars so clearly.)

I'm currently doing some more info that HOPEFULLY will lead us to the next map... Or at least narrow down some possibilitys...

Purhaps we will each find two ways to the same location...

[InfestLithium]

Very, very nice research into this, PINNAZ! This is what a future zombies thread should really model after. I had assumed the map diagrams in FIVE were to connect the storyline in the Campaign missions. But what the crates in the Nacht loading screen are related to (now that you supplied some information) seem very...intriguing.

Keep up the great work friendo! :)

[Caddyman]

i think Pinnaz secretly works for treyarch.

nice work dude. :D

[way2g00d]

PINNAZ strikes again.

+1 and Excellent research.

I will read all this during my next flight to Perth.

[Nemesis_96]

You got the last one right, and this is just as spectacular man!

Could this be the next map? if it is, I'm calling you out as a psychic ahahah

[PINNAZ]

I'm very, very sceptical that this is going to be in any way correct.

The only thing that keeps my faith is the 'Operation Cedar Falls' board found in the Campaign Mission where you meet JFK. JFK died in 1963 & the US didn't enter combat troops in the vietnam war until 1965. Operation Cedar Falls occured in 1967. That board should not be there in that campaign mission. Treyarch either made a mess of factual dates or it's something else. Why would this operation board be in the shadows of the war room in both Zombies & the campaign?

The Hue Citadel would be a cool place for a map, though it is along way from the Iron Triangle, the tunnels were used for the Tet Offensive. The Hanoi Hilton has nothing to do with the Iron Triangle as it is in North Vietnam, I just thought I'd include it cause I had the info there.

All three of these have little to do with the Iron Triangle, but they are all closely linked to each other.

Here is a great document that details everything to do with Operation Cedar Falls & the Iron Triangle. When I get time I'll add some to my O.P.

U.S. Army Center for Military History Document

http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam/90-7/cont.htm

And is it just me or does the Nacht der Untoten loading screen hint out to where we are going? If we do end up getting a map that plays in Vietnam, we ought to inspect the other 2 flags on those boxes.

But you think the boxes in the Nacht loading screen are really clues? Where would we be going in Cuba?

I think the Warehouse boxes on the NDU loading screen may be hints to future map origins, it will be interesting if this is the last Zombies game or if there is one more. If there is one more game, these countries may be split over the 2 games. It all depends on what map comes next.

As for a map in Cuba, there's endless possibilities. It could even be incorporated into some type of Bermuda Triangle / Atlantis map? The map chapter names don't reflect the actual layout or history of the gameplay map itself.

The countries on the Warehouse boxes all had ties to each other throughout the Cold War/Vietnam War, they are all Communist/Socialist Countries & funnily enough all had a 'Revolution' around the same timeframe. Revolution is an interesting name for the first DLC & also the campaign was all about the Revolution.

As I said it all depends on what the next map is called & if the 'historical event' map chapter name is from the end of the 60's, I think it will come down to "The Fall of Communism" in 1989

Green Run - 1949

Great Leap Foward 1958-on

DLC 2 - Late 1960's (so many historical events to choose from)

DLC 3 - Late 1970's

DLC 4 - 1989 (Fall of Communism)

The next map will give us some type of pattern.

[Lenne]

I always shed a tear of joy when I see your work Pinnaz. :3

Gonna read all of this as soon as I have enough time on my hands.

[GRILL]

I always shed a tear of joy when I see your work Pinnaz. :3

Gonna read all of this as soon as I have enough time on my hands.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

ahhhh little libraries. how i love thee. i must indulge, and then respond intelligently. just wanted to get some verbal-brains out there!

[PINNAZ]

I was going to add this part to my OP, but I think I'll just post it here unless something comes of it. There's probably more, but anyway....

Vietnamese Festivals & Events

Ghost Festival - Tết Trung Nguyên

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Festival

This festival is viewed as the time for the pardoning of condemned souls who are then released from hell.

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, or Yu Lan is a traditional Chinese festival and holiday celebrated by Chinese in many countries. In the Chinese calendar (a lunisolar calendar), the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month (14th in southern China).

In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Distinct from both the Qingming Festival (in spring) and Chung Yeung Festival (in autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, on Ghost Day, the deceased are believed to visit the living.

On the fifteenth day the realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open and both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased. Intrinsic to the Ghost Month is ancestor worship, where traditionally the filial piety of descendants extends to their ancestors even after their deaths. 

Activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, a papier-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. Elaborate meals (often vegetarian meals) would be served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living. 

Ancestor worship is what distinguishes Qingming Festival from Ghost Festival because the latter includes paying respects to all deceased, including the same and younger generations, while the former only includes older generations. Other festivities may include, buying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.

This festival is viewed as the time for the pardoning of condemned souls who are then released from hell. The "homeless" should be "fed" and appeased with offerings of food. Merits for the living are also earned by the release of birds and fish. The lunar month in which the festival takes place is colloquially known as Tháng Cô Hồn - The month of lonely spirits, and believed to be haunted and particularly unlucky.

Influenced by Buddhism, this holiday coincides with Vu Lan, the Vietnamese transliteration for Ullambana. In modern times, Vu Lan is also seen as Mother's Day. People with living mothers would bear a red rose and would give thanks while those without, who can choose to bear a white rose; and attend services to pray for the deceased.

Mid-Autumn/Moon Festival - Tết Trung Thu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival

The Mid-Autumn festival is named "Tết Trung Thu" in Vietnamese. It is also known as Children's Festival because of the event's emphasis on children. In olden times, the Vietnamese believed that children, being innocent and pure, had the closest connection to the sacred and natural world. Being close to children was seen as a way to connect with animist spirits and deities.

The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, during a full moon, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar, close to the autumnal equinox.

Offerings are also made to a more well-known lunar deity, Chang'e, known as the Moon Goddess of Immortality. The myths associated with Chang'e explain the origin of moon worship during this day. One version of the story is as follows, as described in Lihui Yang's Handbook of Chinese Mythology:

     After the hero Houyi shot down nine of the ten suns, he was pronounced king by the thankful people. However, he soon became a conceited and tyrannical ruler. In order to live long without death, he asked for the elixir from Xiwangmu. But his wife, Chang'e, stole it on the fifteenth of August because she did not want the cruel king to live long and hurt more people. She took the magic potion to prevent her husband from becoming immortal. Houyi was so angry when discovered that Chang'e took the elixir, he shot at his wife as she flew toward the moon, though he missed. Chang'e fled to the moon and became the spirit of the moon. Houyi died soon because he was overcome with great anger. Thereafter, people offer a sacrifice to Chang'e on every lunar fifteenth of August to commemorate Chang'e's action.

Aside from the story of Chang'e, there are two other popular folktales associated with the festival. 

The first describes the legend of Cuội, whose wife accidentally urinated on a sacred banyan tree. The tree began to float towards the moon, and Cuội, trying to pull it back down to earth, floated to the moon with it, leaving him stranded there. 

Every year, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, children light lanterns and participate in a procession to show Cuội the way back to Earth.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known by other names, such as:

• Moon Festival, because of the celebration's association with the full moon on this night, as well as the traditions of moon worship and moon gazing.

• Children's Festival, in Vietnam, because of the emphasis on the celebration of children.

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Thich Quang Duc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Quang_Duc

Thich Quang Duc (English pronunciation: i/ˌtɪtʃ ˌkwɒŋ ˈdʊk/ tich kwong duuk; 1897 – 11 June 1963, born Lam Van Tuc), was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11 June 1963. Quang Duc was protesting about the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Photos of his self-immolation were circulated widely across the world and brought attention to the policies of the Diệm government. Malcolm Browne won a Pulitzer Prize for his renowned photograph of the monk's death. After his death, his body was re-cremated, but his heart remained intact.

Quang Duc's act increased international pressure on Diệm and led him to announce reforms with the intention of mollifying the Buddhists. However, the promised reforms were not implemented, leading to a deterioration in the dispute. With protests continuing, the ARVN Special Forces loyal to Diệm's brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, launched nationwide raids on Buddhist pagodas, seizing Quang Duc's heart and causing deaths and widespread damage. Several Buddhist monks followed Quang Duc's example, also immolating themselves. Eventually, an Army coup toppled Diệm, who was assassinated on 2 November 1963.

Further Reading - The Buddhist Crisis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_crisis

The Buddhist crisis was a period of political and religious tension in South Vietnam between May and November 1963, characterized by a series of repressive acts by the South Vietnamese government and a campaign of civil resistance, led mainly by Buddhist monks.

The crisis was precipitated by the shootings of nine unarmed civilians on May 8 in the central city of Huế who were protesting a ban of the Buddhist flag. The crisis ended with a coup in November 1963 by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and the arrest and assassination of President Ngô Đình Diệm on November 2, 1963.

Rage Against The Machine (Self-Titled Album Cover)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_Against_the_Machine

The album's cover featured Malcolm Browne's Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, burning himself to death in Saigon in 1963 in protest of the murder of Buddhists by the US-backed Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem's regime.

Rage Against the Machine Self-Titled Album (Full)