Operation Linebacker II

A detailed Summary of Operation Linebacker II

1. What do you think of when you drive by that big B-52 at the museum? Being the history buff that I am, I think about Vietnam, where that old "Buff" was used the most. "Why should I care about Vietnam?" you ask yourself. Well, last time I checked there's a history section in the PFE guide, so there might be a test later! The intent of this paper is to inform you about Operation Linebacker II. I'll explain the events leading up to the operation, discuss the strategy, and finally I'll sum up the results of a bombing campaign Sir Michael Knight characterized In the book Strategic Offensive Air Operation as "...may have played a role not unlike two B-29s over Japan 27 years earlier". (Knight: 77) I'll start by explaining why President Richard Nixon gave the order to begin this new bombing campaign.

2. The primary goal of Linebacker II was to force North Vietnam to return to the Paris peace talks and sign a treaty agreement. Negotiations stalled in December 1972 after Hanoi's chief negotiator, Le Duc Tho submitted unreasonable demands concerning the definition of the demilitarized zone and refused to withdraw troops from South Vietnam. Furthermore, he wouldn't accept the installation of an intern

5. In the course of this paper we've discussed why President Nixon ordered The Linebacker II campaign, North Vietnam's attempt to stall the peace talks. Next I explained the United States' strategy of employing the B-52 to bomb targets in and around Hanoi. Finally I covered the results of the operation. Vietnam returned to the bargaining table and signed the treaty ending the war. Everyone has heard the saying; "those who don't study history are destined to repeat it". I realize this is only one small piece of history, only 11 days out of an 11 year conflict, but it was Linebacker II that ended the Vietnam war and I for one don't want to see Vietnam repeated.

3. The tactics and aircraft used for Linebacker II were not new, but they were used differently than they'd ever been before. President Nixon pulled out all the stops, effectively untying the military's hands. He gave permission to bomb areas that had previously been off limits. Hanoi, Haiphong harbor, major military airfields, and other key objectives vital to the economy were now on the top of the hit list. On December 18, 1972 Operation Linebacker II began. Many different types of aircraft were used but the B-52 bomber played the biggest role. This was the first time the massive airplane was used over Hanoi. The Stratofortress was chosen because it could deliver 30 tons of bombs wit

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Approximate Word count = 918
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History