Operation Rolling Thunder - Definition, Vietnam War & Timeline

Overview of Operation Rolling Thunder

Codename: American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War.
Duration: March 1965 to October 1968.
Objective: Put military pressure on North Vietnam's communist leaders, reduce their capacity to wage war against South Vietnam.
Significance: First sustained American assault on North Vietnamese territory, marked major expansion of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

1950s Onset: U.S. provides military equipment and advisors to South Vietnam.
1962 Operations: Limited air operations in South Vietnam, using air support, destroying Viet Cong bases, spraying herbicides (like Agent Orange).
1964 Expansion: President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes retaliatory air strikes following Gulf of Tonkin incident. Bombing raids on Ho Chi Minh Trail aimed to disrupt supply lines to Viet Cong.

Post-war, unexploded bombs and ordnance have caused injuries and fatalities among Vietnamese.

Initiation Date: March 2, 1965.
Trigger Event: Viet Cong attack on U.S. air base at Pleiku.
Objectives:
- Encourage acceptance of non-Communist South Vietnamese government.
- Reduce North Vietnam's supply production and aid to Viet Cong.
- Boost South Vietnamese morale and degrade Communist will to fight.

Expansion: Bombing campaign grew in range and intensity over time.
Goals: Initially defend air bases, later engage in combat with the Viet Cong.
Troop Increase: As North Vietnamese involvement increased, U.S. forces in Vietnam were expanded.

North Vietnamese Defense: Effective air-defense system with Chinese and Soviet aid.
American Losses: Hundreds of planes shot down, leading to American POWs.
Vietnamese Adaptation: Constructed bombproof structures, repaired infrastructure, used attacks to fuel anti-American sentiment.

Duration: Over three years with interruptions.
Conclusion: Halted on October 31, 1968, to seek negotiations with Communists.
Historical Assessment:
- Some historians claim it nearly crippled North Vietnam's war capacity.
- Critics cite limited effectiveness due to rules of engagement and lack of coordination.
Subsequent Actions: President Richard Nixon resumed bombing in 1969 and launched Operation Linebacker in 1972.
Casualties and Destruction: 4.6 million tons of bombs dropped, significant destruction of Vietnamese towns and loss of life (estimated 2 million Vietnamese killed).

Fall of Saigon: Notable for a dramatic evacuation photo.
Battle for Hamburger Hill: Known for intense combat and subsequent abandonment.
Cultural and Political Turmoil of 1968: Marked by protests and shifts in U.S. politics, including President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to run for re-election.

Further reading on Vietnam War and significant battles, presidential decisions, and broader historical impacts.

The article was compiled by HISTORY.com Editors and has been reviewed and updated to ensure accuracy.