To Hanoi and Back: The U.S. Air Force and North Vietnam, 1966-1973After nearly eighteen months of the largely unsuccessful bombing campaign called Operation Rolling Thunder, the US Air Force began to look for ways to overcome technological, geographical, and political challenges in North Vietnam and use limited air power more effectively. In 1972 the two Linebacker campaigns joined with other air operations to make a dramatic, although temporary, difference. While they unleashed powerful B-52 area bombers, the campaigns also demonstrated the efficacy of newly developed laser-guided precision bombs. Drawing upon twenty years of research in classified records, Wayne Thompson integrates operational, political, and personal detail to present a full history of the Air Force role in the war against North Vietnam. He provides an unprecedented view of the motivations and actions of the people involved—from aircrews to generals to politicians—in every phase of the air campaigns. He outlines, for instance, the political reasons for President Johnson's reluctance to use B-52 bombers against major North Vietnamese targets. He also examines how the media influenced US policy and how US prisoners became the war's most celebrated heroes. The war in Southeast Asia ultimately pushed the Air Force toward adopting more flexible tactics and incorporating increasingly sophisticated weapons that would shape later conflicts. |
Contents
| 3 | |
| 37 | |
Gradualism on Trial | 67 |
Season of Discontent | 95 |
Rolling Thunder Subsides | 121 |
Protective Reaction | 153 |
Prisoners and Other Survivors | 175 |
The Lavelle Affair | 199 |
Other editions - View all
To Hanoi and Back: The U.S. Air Force and North Vietnam, 1966-1973 Wayne Thompson No preview available - 2010 |
To Hanoi and Back: The United States Air Force and North Vietnam 1966-1973 Wayne Thompson No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
AFHRA Air Base air defenses Air Force's Air Operations air power air-to-air aircraft aircrews airfield attack bombers bombing halt bombing of North campaign Capt CHECO Chief of Staff China Chinese communist Corona Harvest crews Demilitarized Zone enemy Haiphong Hanoi Hist Ibid Intelligence intrvw Joint Chiefs Kissinger Korat Laird Laos laser-guided bombs Lavelle Lavelle's LBJ Lib Linebacker Linebacker II McConnell McNamara MiGs military missiles missions Momyer Moorer nautical miles Navy Nguyen night Nixon North Vietnam northeast Operations in SEA PACAF panhandle Pentagon Papers Phuc Yen pilots President Johnson radar raids railyard reconnaissance Red River Delta Rolling Thunder Rostow Ryan Saigon Secretary of Defense Senator Seventh Air Force sorties South Southeast Asia Soviet Strategic Air Command strike Summary of Air surface-to-air missiles Takhli targets Thailand trucks USAF Vietnam War Vietnamese Vogt Washington weather Westmoreland Wheeler White House Wild Weasels York