Why Operation Rolling Thunder Failed
Operation Rolling Thunder – March 1965-November 1968
Ordered by US President Lyndon Johnson, Operation Rolling Thunder was designed to convince North Vietnam to halt support of the communist forces in South Vietnam without the use of ground forces. The plan was to destroy the transportation system, industrial base, and air defense of the North Vietnamese.
Described by historians as an anatomical failure, Operation Rolling Thunder seemed almost destined to fail.
- Approved on February 24, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson, implementation was delayed until March 2, 1965. Operation Rolling Thunder was an 8-week campaign, that lasted over 3 years.
- Tight rules of engagement ensured almost certain failure, according to many historians. These …show more content…
It was well known he did not believe in committing excessive troops outside the US. However, an election was coming up, and he did not feel able to pull troops out until after he won re-election.
I tend to agree with these historians that Kennedy would have “played for time” until after the election, then he would’ve initiated efforts to begin withdrawal of US military, while continuing to support South Vietnam with education and supplies. Perhaps, had he lived to carry out these plans, the political atmosphere of the US in the late 1960s would have been very different.
Advancements in both weapons and technology were made during the Vietnam War, including upgrade to the M16 as the main infantry weapon over the M14 and increased use of F-105s with radar waves to identify targets with exact precision, known as “Wild Weasel”, it is the use of Agent Orange which everyone remembers and associates with the Vietnam War.
Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant, was used by US forces to destroy ground cover and allow troops to identify the series of underground tunnels created by the Viet Cong, as well as contaminate crops intended to be used as
Ordered by US President Lyndon Johnson, Operation Rolling Thunder was designed to convince North Vietnam to halt support of the communist forces in South Vietnam without the use of ground forces. The plan was to destroy the transportation system, industrial base, and air defense of the North Vietnamese.
Described by historians as an anatomical failure, Operation Rolling Thunder seemed almost destined to fail.
- Approved on February 24, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson, implementation was delayed until March 2, 1965. Operation Rolling Thunder was an 8-week campaign, that lasted over 3 years.
- Tight rules of engagement ensured almost certain failure, according to many historians. These …show more content…
It was well known he did not believe in committing excessive troops outside the US. However, an election was coming up, and he did not feel able to pull troops out until after he won re-election.
I tend to agree with these historians that Kennedy would have “played for time” until after the election, then he would’ve initiated efforts to begin withdrawal of US military, while continuing to support South Vietnam with education and supplies. Perhaps, had he lived to carry out these plans, the political atmosphere of the US in the late 1960s would have been very different.
Advancements in both weapons and technology were made during the Vietnam War, including upgrade to the M16 as the main infantry weapon over the M14 and increased use of F-105s with radar waves to identify targets with exact precision, known as “Wild Weasel”, it is the use of Agent Orange which everyone remembers and associates with the Vietnam War.
Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant, was used by US forces to destroy ground cover and allow troops to identify the series of underground tunnels created by the Viet Cong, as well as contaminate crops intended to be used as