Operation Rolling Thunder Flashcards
What kind of US troops were in Vietnam at the beginning of 1965?
No ground troops, only green beret and air force crews
What did Johnson try to do without sending in US ground troops?
Force N. Vietnam to negotiate peace
When did Operation Rolling Thunder begin?
February 1965
What was Operation Rolling Thunder?
Bombing campaign in North Vietnam that didn’t bomb all over places like Hanoi and Haiphong (where supplies from USSR came in) but bombed slowly near border
What was the no-bomb area in Operation Rolling Thunder?
Chinese border
What did Operatin Rolling Thunder target?
Ho Chi Minh trail to stop supplies into South and little amount of industry in N. Vietnam.
What was dropped in Operation rolling thunder?
Bombs, napalm and pineapple bombs
What happened in January 1966?
N. Vietnamese turned down US offer to negotiate terms
What did Johnson do after N. Vietnam refused to negotiate terms with US?
Increased targets, number of raids that flew and bombed until end of 1968
Where did most war supplies come from and what did this mean?
From USSR and China, meaning the effects of bombing N. Vietnamese industry wasn’t that deep
What continued to happen in 1967?
China still sent aid and USSR sent $505 million in 1967 as they weren’t targeted
What did bombing cause for N. Vietnam?
Destruction and N. Vietnamese got angry
Why did Operation Rolling Thunder look bad on USA?
Thousands of civilians killed
How was the Ho Chi Minh Trail affected in Operation rolling thunder?
Was damaged but constantly repaired, more supplies went along the trail than ever and N. Vietnamese developed tunnel systems to protect soldiers and supplies
What did USA set up more of?
Aircraft bases
