Operation Dolling Thunder

Question 1

What was it?

Answer 1

• A massive, sustained bombing campaign ordered by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
• Targeted:

◦ Ho Chi Minh Trail
◦ North Vietnamese industry
◦ Roads, bridges, supply routes
•
• Johnson hoped it would:

◦ Weaken the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA)
◦ Boost South Vietnamese morale
◦ Force North Vietnam to negotiate peace
•

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Question 2

Scale and Cost?

Answer 2

3 years of bombing
• Over 1 million tonnes of bombs dropped
• Cost $400,000 to destroy a $1 target
• More bombs than in the whole of WWII

Question 3

Why did it fail?

Answer 3

. Guerrilla tactics:
• Vietcong didn’t rely on big military bases — they hid in jungles and used tunnels, making bombing ineffective.
2. Resilient supply lines:
• Despite targeting the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the North kept repairing it — often by hand or bicycle.
3. Civilian deaths:
• Caused huge destruction and killed thousands of civilians, turning Vietnamese people against the USA.
4. Global backlash:
• Seen as brutal and unjust — led to anti-war protests in the USA and around the world.