Americas 1972 christmas bombing of north vietnam revcom. Napalm girl of iconic vietnam war picture shares story of. Air force top secret blue book studies 1962 to 1980. May 14 louis harris poll shows 59% of americans back nixons handling of the war including the recent escalation, 24% disapprove, with 17% unsure. Interestingly, the vietnamese celebrate the christmas bombing as their own. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading operation linebacker i 1972. If the many controversies that swirl around the american role in the vietnam war, one of the most contentious centers on the christmas bombing of hanoi in december 1972. Vietnam war project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Vietnam war 195475, conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam and its allies in south vietnam, the viet cong, against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. The bombings continued until december 29, at which time the north vietnamese agreed to resume the talks. Navy forces also took part in this process, with most units turning over their missions and assets to the vietnam navy by late 1972. Some of these studies were not declassified until august 2008. Jun 14, 2018 for those looking for vietnam war books to better understand why the united states entered the vietnam war in the first place, there may be no better book than halberstams.
The us first used napalm during world war ii in both the european and pacific theaters, and also deployed it during the korean war. In december 1972, b52 bombers that north vietnamese missile crews had been. Navy task force 77 aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the democratic republic of vietnam north vietnam during the final period of us involvement in the vietnam war. Additionally, 769 sorties were flown by the air forces and 505 by the navy and marine in support of the b52s bombers. Nixon announces start of christmas bombing of north vietnam. One place that could use some factchecking is the official website of the pentagons vietnam war commemoration, marking the wars fiftieth anniversary. December 18, 1972 by order of the president, a new bombing campaign starts against the north vietnamese. It had been hoped the war could then be concluded through diplomacy, but by middecember it was clear the enemy was stalling at the. Aug 11, 2016 a new survey on the use of aerial bombing during the vietnam war has seemingly confirmed what many suspected. Usually it refers to the period when the united states and other members of the seato southeast asia treaty organization joined the forces with the republic of south vietnam to contest communist forces, comprised of south vietnamese guerrillas and regular. The us contribution to this airwar was the largest. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. It was reprinted almost in its entirety in the official pentagon publication to show how well our troops were doing and how just our case was. Most of the criticism of that site has come from antiwar groups complaining about what they see as a prowar slant.
I am pleased that the bombing of north vietnam has brought the. John t smith as the withdrawal of us ground forces from the south vietnamese battlefield accelerated, it became ever more imperative to bring north vietnam to the conference table. The bombing of north vietnam is divided into the rolling thunder campaign of the johnson administration and the linebacker operations of the nixon years. April 1972 invasion of south vietnam and the heavy us tactical bombing raids in. An intimate history is an impressivelooking book, with a vast array of photos that accompanies a look back at the long and complicated war. By july 1972, with the last troops on their way out of vietnam, the total number of fragging incidents had reached 551, with 86 fatalities and over 700 injuries. Air force general john lavelle conducted unauthorized air raids on north vietnam in 1972. Operation linebacker ii the massive bombing campaign. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading operation linebacker ii 1972. The sterling hall bombing that occurred on the university of wisconsinmadison campus on august 24, 1970, was committed by four men as a protest against the universitys research connections with the u. P patch, 1972 linebacker ii, hanoi bombing, vietnam war. Following the breakdown of peace talks with north vietnam just a few days earlier. The book compares the bombing of vietnam with the war against iraq. The laotian civil war 19591975 was a civil war in laos fought between the communist pathet lao including many north vietnamese of lao ancestry and the royal lao government from 23 may 1959 to 2 december 1975.
The prisoners were searched, bound and questioned before being marched off to join other. However, those instances are dwarfed by american use of napalm in the vietnam war, where the us dropped almost 400,000 tons of napalm bombs in the decade between 1963 and 1973. The operation was conducted from 18 to 29 december 1972, leading to. A few weeks later, the final paris peace treaty was signed and the vietnam war came to a. The first hightech air war air campaign book 8 kindle edition by michel iii, marshall, tooby, adam. This film shows bomb damage in hanoi, north vietnam. Dec 24, 2012 the biggest ever bombing campaign by us b52 aircraft took place over christmas 40 years ago, when the us dropped at least 20,000 tonnes of explosives on north vietnam, mostly hanoi. Vietnam war protests began small among peace activists and leftist intellectuals on college campuses but gained national prominence in 1965, after the united states began bombing north vietnam in. To read more about negotiations, the vietnam war or henry. United states air force b52 bombing crews at andersen air base in guam being briefed on the u.
An insightful and comprehensive account of the stratigic bombing raids towards the end of the veitnam war. Nixon wielded during the final years of the vietnam war. One hundred eighty of these unseen photos and the stories of the courageous men who made them are collected in the book another vietnam. The blue book studies examined a wide range of united states air force plans, policies, and operations in southeast asia. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the cold war. The frequency of fragging in vietnam war indicated an army at war with itself. This book uses a cache of recently declassified documents to offer a new. In georgia, as in most of the states in the deep south, the. The vietnam war christmas bombing first look youtube. The united states continued to participate in combat, primarily with air power to assist the south vietnamese army, while negotiators in paris tried to hammer out a peace agreement and withdrawal. The effects of the conflict were farreaching, not only for the nations geopolitical and military policies, but also for its social fabric.
Opinion the real story of 68 vietnam bombing halt the. The estimated south vietnamese death toll totaled more than 400,000 troops, the viet cong and north. In december 1972, the b52 bombers that north vietnamese missile crews had been waiting for came to hanoi. Factchecking the pentagons vietnam war commemoration. Henry kissinger, an architect of us policy in indochina, states in his book ending the vietnam war that the historical office of the u. South vietnamese forces follow after terrified children, including 9yearold kim phuc, center, as they run down route 1 near trang bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected viet cong hiding places on june 8, 1972.
Air force histories reveal cia role in laos, cia air strike missions, new evidence on nuclear weapons, air force policy disputes, during vietnam war years. The biggest ever bombing campaign by us b52 aircraft took place over christmas 40 years ago, when the us dropped at least 20,000 tonnes of. The prestige press and the christmas bombing, 1972. Vo anh khanhanother vietnamnational geographic books. National security archive electronic briefing book no. However, those instances are dwarfed by american use of napalm in the vietnam war, where the us dropped almost 400,000 tons of. I had come to hanoi to research my second book about the air war over north vietnam. The vietnam war 196473 transformed the united states.
For those looking for vietnam war books to better understand why the united states entered the vietnam war in the first place, there may be no better book than halberstams. From 1964 to 1973, as part of the secret war in laos, the u. Photos by north vietnamese photographers show the war like its never been seen. After the north was unable to garner international support for unification, they were encouraged to formally support the nlf actions in the south. This move was made in the belief that president nixon could make more concessions in negotiations before, rather than after, the upcoming continue reading operation linebacker ii the. By tonnage, it stands as the largest aerial bombardment in history. During the vietnam war on december 11, 1972 anniversary tours, a communist partyusa owned travel agency, booked scandinavian airlines, sas, flights out of jfk airport bound for hanoi, north vietnam. Like so much else in the vietnam war, the issue of the christmas bombing was. Apr 05, 2014 aftermath during operation linebacker ii, 741 b52 sorties had been dispatched to bomb north vietnam, 12 of them were aborted. The bombing of north vietnam, 1972 as want to read.
Linebacker i had been mounted in response to the earlier 1972 easter offensive, the north vietnamese armys sudden invasion of south vietnam, a campaign that failed largely because of massive b52 bombing. Southvietnamese injured soldiers being carried to the helicopter landing area in the hope they can be evacuated. Aftermath during operation linebacker ii, 741 b52 sorties had been dispatched to bomb north vietnam, 12 of them were aborted. It resulted in the death of a university physics researcher and injuries to three others. In october 1972, hanoi decided to change their negotiating position in order to get to an agreement.
The biggest ever bombing campaign by us b52 aircraft took place over christmas 40 years ago, when the us dropped at least 20,000 tonnes of explosives on north vietnam, mostly hanoi. The photo that cemented western public opinion against the war in vietnam. Not censored 1 a south vietnamese soldier holds a cocked pistol as he questions two suspected viet cong guerrillas captured in a weedfilled marsh in the southern delta region late in august 1962. The resulting twelveday christmas bombing campaign from 1830 december unleashed the.
It is associated with the cambodian civil war and the vietnam war, with both sides receiving heavy external support in a proxy war between the global cold war superpowers. President nixon authorizes airstrikes on north vietnam in december, 1972. Lyndon johnsons agreement with hanoi for serious peace negotiations to end the vietnam war. Apr 05, 2014 background after three years of deadlock, the peace talks in paris finally reached a major breakthrough. Included are shots of damage to infrastructure such as roads, dikes, defensive emplacements, and medical and health care facilities.
The b52s are sent to hanoi air campaign book 6 kindle edition by michel iii, marshall, laurier, jim. Last year in a small theater in vietnams bastang cheu thang b52b52 museumi watched a recreation of the last u. Secretary of defense gave him an estimate of 50,000 deaths in cambodia due to the bombings from 19691973. The american air campaign during the vietnam war was the largest in military history.
Chief of staff of the united states air force curtis lemay stated that were going to bomb them back into the stone age. Oct 25, 2017 the anti vietnam war movement in 39 photos. Two days after the 16 december deadline had passed, the u. How us aerial bombing during the vietnam war backfired. Christmas bombing of 1972 vietnam veterans of america. Jun, 1991 the real story of 68 vietnam bombing halt. The 1972 christmas bombing of north vietnam f4 phantom ii. Was our december 1972 bombing of hanoi a great victory that brought peace. A political, social, and military history edited by spencer c tucker. In 1965 and 1966 the united states greatly increased its presence and involvement in the vietnam war, deploying hundreds of thousands of troops and greatly escalating ground, air, and sea operations. From the united states entry into the vietnam war in 1961 to its withdraw in 1972, the united states military experienced a death toll of more than 50,000 troops. The 1972 easter offensive, americas last vietnam battle by dale andrade.
The napalm girl cherrieswriter vietnam war website. The operation was conducted from 18 to 29 december 1972, leading to several informal names such as the december raids and the christmas bombings. The targets of these fragging attacks were mostly officers and noncommissioned officers. Vtv6, the youth channel of the official vietnamese television network, is putting together a program to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the socalled christmas bombing campaign of late december 1972, which was officially known as operation. A total of 20,237 tons of bombs was dropped on north vietnam, mainly continue reading operation linebacker ii the christmas bombing. Two viet cong prisoners are led to an arvn command outpost at ha tien.
Or was it a blunder that cost south vietnam its freedom. It would have been, if the south vietnamese government had been included in the talks or looped into the decisions made behind closed doors in paris. Weathermen leader bill ayers recalled the incident in his 2001 book, fugitive days. After supplies and weapons were found in a viet cong tunnel network, a soldier burns a nearby hut used for rice storage by the viet cong. The estimated south vietnamese death toll totaled more than 400,000 troops, the viet cong and north vietnamese combined total was over 900,000 kias. May protests again spread across the us in response to president nixons decision to mine harbors in the drv north vietnam and renew bombing of north vietnam operation linebacker. Was our december 1972 bombing of hanoi a great victory that brought peace with honor. He ordered bombing missions on an offensive basis when only. Operation linebacker ii the christmas bombing the vietnam war.
Vietnam refused to negotiate while the bombing continued. This doubles the amount dropped on europe and asia during the second world war. Napalm girl of iconic vietnam war picture shares story. Naval history and heritage command goes digital with u. Operation linebacker ii the vietnam war vietnam war. Jun 09, 2019 kim phuc, who is known as napalm girl from the iconic 1972 photo of her running from a bombing naked and in agony during the vietnam war, tells her story of forgiveness on the uwmadison campus saturday. Operation linebacker ii was a us seventh air force and u. President richard nixon spent new years eve 1972 watching his. Hanoi bombing competition december 1972 linebacker ii strategic air command rare vietnam war piece this is an exclusively rare war piece out of a long held collection. The vietnam war pictures that moved them most while the vietnam war raged roughly two decades worth of bloody and worldchanging years compelling images made their way out of the combat. This volume focuses on the three prongs of the naval trident that president richard m. This is an essential book for students of the vietnam air war, b52s, and the sa2.
Navys workhorses of the vietnam war, the light attack a7 aircraft played a key role in. South vietnamese incursion into cambodia in april 1970 and the 1972 linebacker bombing operations. Two allies, new zealand and thailand, which had contributed a small military contingent, left south vietnam this year. Operation linebacker ii was president richard nixons attempt to hasten the end of the vietnam war, as the growing strength of the viet cong. Pressure on north vietnam was later maintained with the combined u. Air war vietnam 1972 frank harvey i n 1966 i spent fiftyfive days in vietnam observing the air war firsthand and wrote a book, air warvietnam. The vietnam war is the commonly used name for the second indochina war, 19541975. Everything was absolutely ideal on the day i bombed the pentagon.
America threatens wars on venezuela and iran, as it terrorizes immigrant. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Operation linebacker two lasts for 12 days, including a three day bombing period by up to. Astonishing, rare images of the vietnam war from the winning side. Sep 29, 2017 from 1964 to 1973, as part of the secret war in laos, the u. Monument to a brutal, ineffectual us bombing campaign and a sobering reminder of the human cost of the vietnam war. Bombing north vietnam into accepting our concessions. It is a prefinished, prototype patch for whatever reason remaining unfinished. On march 30, 1972 some 30, 000 north vietnamese troops along with tanks and heavy artillery surged. Mar 31, 2012 the 1972 bombing of the pentagon was a strike at the heart of the us military and, by extension, the us war effort in vietnam.
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