Posted on May 31, 2018
Operation Rolling Thunder continues - May 31, 1965 - HISTORY.com
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U.S. planes bomb an ammunition depot at Hoi Jan, west of Hanoi, and try again to drop the Than Hoa highway bridge.
These raids were part of Operation Rolling Thunder, which had begun in March 1965. President Lyndon B. Johnson had ordered the sustained bombing of North Vietnam to interdict North Vietnamese transportation routes in the southern part of North Vietnam and slow infiltration of personnel and supplies into South Vietnam. In July 1966, Rolling Thunder was expanded to include North Vietnamese ammunition dumps and oil storage facilities as targets. In the spring of 1967, it was further expanded to include power plants, factories, and airfields in the Hanoi-Haiphong area.
The White House closely controlled operation Rolling Thunder and President Johnson occasionally selected the targets himself. From 1965 to 1968, about 643,000 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam. A total of nearly 900 U.S. aircraft were lost during Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation continued, with occasional suspensions, until President Johnson halted it on October 31, 1968, under increasing domestic political pressure.
These raids were part of Operation Rolling Thunder, which had begun in March 1965. President Lyndon B. Johnson had ordered the sustained bombing of North Vietnam to interdict North Vietnamese transportation routes in the southern part of North Vietnam and slow infiltration of personnel and supplies into South Vietnam. In July 1966, Rolling Thunder was expanded to include North Vietnamese ammunition dumps and oil storage facilities as targets. In the spring of 1967, it was further expanded to include power plants, factories, and airfields in the Hanoi-Haiphong area.
The White House closely controlled operation Rolling Thunder and President Johnson occasionally selected the targets himself. From 1965 to 1968, about 643,000 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam. A total of nearly 900 U.S. aircraft were lost during Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation continued, with occasional suspensions, until President Johnson halted it on October 31, 1968, under increasing domestic political pressure.
Operation Rolling Thunder continues - May 31, 1965 - HISTORY.com
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Vietnam War
American History
Military History
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Great history on this op- morning SP5 Mark Kuzinski
LTC Stephen F. COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter Maj William W. "Bill" Price SrA Christopher Wright SPC Margaret Higgins SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl (Join to see) Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth SGT Jim Arnold CPL Dave HooverSgt Randy Wilber SSG David Andrews MSgt John McGowan TSgt Joe C. SPC Mike Lake PO3 Steven Sherrill SFC Sczymanski James L. SGT John " Mac " McConnell
LTC Stephen F. COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter Maj William W. "Bill" Price SrA Christopher Wright SPC Margaret Higgins SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl (Join to see) Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth SGT Jim Arnold CPL Dave HooverSgt Randy Wilber SSG David Andrews MSgt John McGowan TSgt Joe C. SPC Mike Lake PO3 Steven Sherrill SFC Sczymanski James L. SGT John " Mac " McConnell
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CPL Dave Hoover SPC Douglas Bolton Lt Col Charlie Brown SSG David Andrews MSgt John McGowan SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl (Join to see) Erin Nelson LTC (Join to see) PO3 John Wagner Sgt Randy Wilber MSgt Robert "Rock" Aldi SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Stephen C. SGT Jim Arnold PO3 Bob McCord SPC Margaret Higgins
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US Fighter Plane Footage Shows Devastation Of Operation Rolling Thunder In Vietnam War
STRIKING pictures and video footage from a US fighter plane show the devastating effect of Operation Rolling Thunder during the Vietnam War. Action shots sho...
Thank you for reminding us SP5 Mark Kuzinski about Operation Rolling Thunder which was authorized by President LBJ on February 13, 1965. It was initiated on 2 March 1965 and continued until 2 November 1968
Strategic bombing of the support and military capabilities if North Vietnam from Haiphong Harbor to points west. Interdiction of anti-aircraft capability trained and sometimes operated by Soviet military soldiers. The losses in aircraft were steep and because of inaccurate bombing it took a lot of munitions to destroy the targets. [Bombing capability was much more advanced that WWII but pales in comparison to current capabilities]
Image: 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder Map
Thank you for mentioning me Maj Marty Hogan
Background music is Flight of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
"Action shots show bombs being dropped from the plane onto the vast jungles and fields below as white smoke billows high into the air, obscuring the camera view.
Other parts of the war-time clip show how much of the landscape has been destroyed by the sustained bombing campaign.
Operation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the U.S. 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 2 March 1965 until 2 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPzgz84OXpw
Background from thevietnamwar.info/operation-rolling-thunder/
"Operation Rolling Thunder
Tom Valentine January 4, 2014
On August 7, 1964, the U.S Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident authorizing the President Johnson to use military power in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war. Deeper American involvement in Vietnam was now highly anticipated. On February 13, 1965, President Johnson approved Operation Rolling Thunder – a sustained campaign of aerial bombardment against the North Vietnam. Following the Rolling Thunder, Operation Steel Tiger, an air interdiction campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail, was conducted by the U.S. Air Forces. The main purposes of these campaigns were first to destroy North Vietnamese’s infrastructures, including industrial bases and transportation systems so as to halt the supply lines from the North into South Vietnam; second to shatter North Vietnamese Communist’s will of fighting by heavy bombing and finally, to boost the sagging morale of South Vietnam.
Debates over Bombing Strategy
To many of Johnson’s senior civilian advisors, especially Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense, the purpose of Rolling Thunder was to send a message to North Vietnam. Hoping for a diplomatic solution, McNamara preferred gradually increasing pressure on North Vietnam in order to make it clear to North Vietnamese leaders that America was willing to have a negotiated settlement rather than an increasing aerial destruction. This solution also came from the concern that a massive bombardment against North Vietnam might provoke China and the Soviet Union, their Communist allies, to intervene directly in Vietnam.
Nonetheless, many military commanders strongly disagreed with this strategy. They believed that McNamara’s notions of gradual escalation were divorced from reality. In their points of view, the United States should not carry out a long and indecisive campaign which would give time for the North communists to build a responding air defence system. They argued that air power should be used as an overwhelming force to cut off the reinforcement and replenishment into the South instantly. When supply from the North was halted, the war in South Vietnam would wither away quickly.
Implementation
On March 2, 1965, adapting McNamara’s policy of “gradualism”, Operation Rolling Thunder began. For the first month of Rolling Thunder, it only consisted of missions against targets below the 19th parallel. U.S political leaders wanted to set up a gradual bomb line up to the North until Hanoi gave in. However, as the bomb line moved up, the communists showed no inclination to negotiate. Instead, a sophisticated air-to-air and surface-to-air defence was rapidly set up. The number of AAA weapons were significantly increased from less than 700 in late 1964 to 8,000 in 1968. On April 5, 1965, the first SAM site in North Vietnam was detected. In that year, a new MiG-21s was supplied to the North Vietnam.
Washington’s response to the strengthening North Vietnamese defense was indecisive. The U.S. was still reluctant to permit attacks on critical targets near Hanoi and Hai Phong, including power plants, manufacturing, rail roads line and key bridges. Although the loss of U.S. aircraft kept increasing dramatically, President Johnson still hoped for a diplomatic solution. During 1965 – 1967 period, there were no less than seven times that Washington offered Hanoi some inducements to negotiate.
In 1967, after two years without any positive results, President Johnson overrode McNamara’s objections and permitted stepped-up attacks in the Hanoi-Hai Phong vicinity. For the first time, a number of important targets, including Thai Nguyen steel complex, key MiG bases, the Paul Doumer bridge and several targets inside the Hanoi and Hai Phong restricted areas were heavily struck. By shifting the strategy, the operation now progressed quite well and caused serious effects on North Vietnam. According to John Colvin, British charge d’affaires in Hanoi, North Vietnamese transportation system and economy were close to collapse. However, the bombing raids only lasted for one year. In October 1968, President Johnson decided to halt the bombardment in order to begin a serious negotiation in Paris.
Overview
During the Operation Rolling Thunder, U.S. aircraft had flown more than 300,000 sorties and dropped about 643,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam. Due to operational circumstances, more than 900 U.S. aircraft were lost, 745 crewmen was shot down. According to an estimate by CIA, damage inflicted by U.S. bombardment in North Vietnam was about $370 million in physical destruction and 90,000 casualties, including 72,000 civilians.
Overall, Operation Rolling Thunder was generally seen as an ineffective campaign as it could not achieve any of its objectives effectively. First, the bomb raids could not destroy the morale of the North. Ironically, Hanoi even used the destructive air strikes as a propaganda to encourage North Vietnamese people to fight against the U.S. more aggressively. Second, despite heavy bombardment, men and materials continued to flow from North to South Vietnam. The war was expanded extensively in the South and the Viet Cong was even supplied enough to conduct a massive Tet Offensive in early 1968."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price SCPO Morris Ramsey SSG John Ross SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright Cpl Gabriel F.
Strategic bombing of the support and military capabilities if North Vietnam from Haiphong Harbor to points west. Interdiction of anti-aircraft capability trained and sometimes operated by Soviet military soldiers. The losses in aircraft were steep and because of inaccurate bombing it took a lot of munitions to destroy the targets. [Bombing capability was much more advanced that WWII but pales in comparison to current capabilities]
Image: 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder Map
Thank you for mentioning me Maj Marty Hogan
Background music is Flight of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
"Action shots show bombs being dropped from the plane onto the vast jungles and fields below as white smoke billows high into the air, obscuring the camera view.
Other parts of the war-time clip show how much of the landscape has been destroyed by the sustained bombing campaign.
Operation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the U.S. 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 2 March 1965 until 2 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPzgz84OXpw
Background from thevietnamwar.info/operation-rolling-thunder/
"Operation Rolling Thunder
Tom Valentine January 4, 2014
On August 7, 1964, the U.S Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident authorizing the President Johnson to use military power in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war. Deeper American involvement in Vietnam was now highly anticipated. On February 13, 1965, President Johnson approved Operation Rolling Thunder – a sustained campaign of aerial bombardment against the North Vietnam. Following the Rolling Thunder, Operation Steel Tiger, an air interdiction campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail, was conducted by the U.S. Air Forces. The main purposes of these campaigns were first to destroy North Vietnamese’s infrastructures, including industrial bases and transportation systems so as to halt the supply lines from the North into South Vietnam; second to shatter North Vietnamese Communist’s will of fighting by heavy bombing and finally, to boost the sagging morale of South Vietnam.
Debates over Bombing Strategy
To many of Johnson’s senior civilian advisors, especially Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense, the purpose of Rolling Thunder was to send a message to North Vietnam. Hoping for a diplomatic solution, McNamara preferred gradually increasing pressure on North Vietnam in order to make it clear to North Vietnamese leaders that America was willing to have a negotiated settlement rather than an increasing aerial destruction. This solution also came from the concern that a massive bombardment against North Vietnam might provoke China and the Soviet Union, their Communist allies, to intervene directly in Vietnam.
Nonetheless, many military commanders strongly disagreed with this strategy. They believed that McNamara’s notions of gradual escalation were divorced from reality. In their points of view, the United States should not carry out a long and indecisive campaign which would give time for the North communists to build a responding air defence system. They argued that air power should be used as an overwhelming force to cut off the reinforcement and replenishment into the South instantly. When supply from the North was halted, the war in South Vietnam would wither away quickly.
Implementation
On March 2, 1965, adapting McNamara’s policy of “gradualism”, Operation Rolling Thunder began. For the first month of Rolling Thunder, it only consisted of missions against targets below the 19th parallel. U.S political leaders wanted to set up a gradual bomb line up to the North until Hanoi gave in. However, as the bomb line moved up, the communists showed no inclination to negotiate. Instead, a sophisticated air-to-air and surface-to-air defence was rapidly set up. The number of AAA weapons were significantly increased from less than 700 in late 1964 to 8,000 in 1968. On April 5, 1965, the first SAM site in North Vietnam was detected. In that year, a new MiG-21s was supplied to the North Vietnam.
Washington’s response to the strengthening North Vietnamese defense was indecisive. The U.S. was still reluctant to permit attacks on critical targets near Hanoi and Hai Phong, including power plants, manufacturing, rail roads line and key bridges. Although the loss of U.S. aircraft kept increasing dramatically, President Johnson still hoped for a diplomatic solution. During 1965 – 1967 period, there were no less than seven times that Washington offered Hanoi some inducements to negotiate.
In 1967, after two years without any positive results, President Johnson overrode McNamara’s objections and permitted stepped-up attacks in the Hanoi-Hai Phong vicinity. For the first time, a number of important targets, including Thai Nguyen steel complex, key MiG bases, the Paul Doumer bridge and several targets inside the Hanoi and Hai Phong restricted areas were heavily struck. By shifting the strategy, the operation now progressed quite well and caused serious effects on North Vietnam. According to John Colvin, British charge d’affaires in Hanoi, North Vietnamese transportation system and economy were close to collapse. However, the bombing raids only lasted for one year. In October 1968, President Johnson decided to halt the bombardment in order to begin a serious negotiation in Paris.
Overview
During the Operation Rolling Thunder, U.S. aircraft had flown more than 300,000 sorties and dropped about 643,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam. Due to operational circumstances, more than 900 U.S. aircraft were lost, 745 crewmen was shot down. According to an estimate by CIA, damage inflicted by U.S. bombardment in North Vietnam was about $370 million in physical destruction and 90,000 casualties, including 72,000 civilians.
Overall, Operation Rolling Thunder was generally seen as an ineffective campaign as it could not achieve any of its objectives effectively. First, the bomb raids could not destroy the morale of the North. Ironically, Hanoi even used the destructive air strikes as a propaganda to encourage North Vietnamese people to fight against the U.S. more aggressively. Second, despite heavy bombardment, men and materials continued to flow from North to South Vietnam. The war was expanded extensively in the South and the Viet Cong was even supplied enough to conduct a massive Tet Offensive in early 1968."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price SCPO Morris Ramsey SSG John Ross SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright Cpl Gabriel F.
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