Operation Rolling Thunder

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER: 1965-1968

On March 2, 1965, the USAF began a systematic bombing campaign against North Vietnam named ROLLING THUNDER. Planners hoped to provide a morale boost to South Vietnamese forces, interdict the flow of supplies going south, and discourage North Vietnamese aggression.

Flying from bases in South Vietnam and Thailand, the USAF started hitting targets near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Vietnam. By advancing the target areas northward across North Vietnam, planners intended to apply gradual pressure and use bombing halts as incentives to negotiate.