Operation+Rolling+Thunder

=Operation Rolling Thunder= Operation Rolling Thunder was a frequently interrupted bombing campaign that began in February 1965 and lasted until the end of October 1968. This bombing campaign was carried out by the U.S. in hopes of showing the determination the U.S. had in the war and forcing Ho Chi Minh to abandon his hopes of taking over South Vietnam. During this operation U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft engaged in a bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese. The U.S. however did not want to provoke the two major countries (China and the Soviet Union) who were believed if provoked to support the North Vietnamese and fight in support of communism. There were strict limits imposed on the operation involving what targets could be attacked to be careful not to get the Soviet Union or China involved.

From and Air Force leaders point of view the operation had no real clear cut objective and its authors had no estimate of how many lives or aircraft it would cost. The North Vietcong had very sophisticated anti-aircraft systems that made the operation very dangerous for U.S. pilots. General LeMay argued that military targets should be attacked rather than the enemy's resolve and that the attacks should be rapid and sharp. As Operations Rolling Thunder failed to weaken the enemy's will after the first several weeks of bombings the policies of the operation began to change. Bombings took place against the Vietcong's supply lines and flow of men therefore striking blows to the military while warning Minh that greater destruction would come if he didn't cooperate. Minh however did not budge and in March of 1968 President Johnson restricted the bombings to the Southern part of the country (therefore ending Operation Rolling Thunder) in hopes to get the North Vietnamese to negotiate.


 * __Citations__**

"Operation Rolling Thunder." //www.GlobalSecurity.org//. Global Security, 2009. Web. 22 Nov 2010. [].

[|Van Staaveren, Jacob, //Gradual Failure: The Air War Over North Vietnam, 1965-1966//]. Washington DC: Air Force History and Museums Program, 2002.