Was the Vietnam War strategy of bombing to win capable of achieving victory?

Running Head : US airpower in Vietnam

US airpower in Vietnam

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US airpower in Vietnam

The Vietnam War was a military effort combated in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975 , which involved North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front (NLF ) against the United States and the South Vietnam . The Vietnam War is considered to the most lengthy and ostracized war in which the Americans fought . The ultimate goal of North Vietnam was to amalgamate North and South Vietnam through armed forces . United States feared the rise

and spread of communism in Asia therefore John F . Kennedy provided economic and military assistance to South Vietnam in to prevent the invasion of North Vietnam . At this moment , the involvement of United States was not official . US forces would be actively involved in Vietnam after North Vietnamese torpedo boats launched attacks against US naval forces . President Lyndon D Johnson ed a sustained but limited bombardment of North Vietnamese military installations

Operation Rolling Thunder was the title of the gradual and sustained US air assault conducted against North Vietnam from March , 1965 till November , 1968 . The objectives of the air assault was to back the Saigon regime , convince North Vietnam to stop its support for communist insurgents , to destroy the North Vietnamese transportation system , air defenses and prevent the flow of men and materials into South Vietnam The operation was the most intense air and ground battle fought during the Cold War . The sustained bombing of North Vietnam was limited in scope because of fears of Chinese or Soviet intervention . However the bombing campaign did not prevent Hanoi from stopping its actions . The United States launched airstrikes against North Vietnam 's oil and petroleum storage areas

The strikes were successful in the short term as they destroyed seventy percent of Hanoi 's oil facilities . North Vietnam had anticipated these airstrikes and dispersed the majority of its oil storage areas across the country

Between March 1965 and November 1968 , US Air force planes had flown an estimated one hundred and fifty three thousand sorties . The Navy and Marine Corps had flown an estimated one hundred and fifty two thousand sorties . An estimated eight hundred and sixty four thousand tons of American bombs had been dropped on North Vietnam . The damage inflicted on the North destruction . An estimated ninety thousand civilians died from the airstrikes . An estimated eight hundred US Air force , Navy and Marine Corps fighter jets had been shot down . While an estimated one thousand air force and naval aviators had been killed , captured or missing during combat operations

The bombing campaign had begun to be used for psychological and persuasion tactics against the North Vietnamese government . It rapidly changed into an interdiction and tactical mission . The mission was a failure because neither the politicians nor military officials inside the US could know that North Vietnam was ready to take such punishment Another fatal flaw of the bombing campaign was that the civilian leadership actually might have crippled it...