Olan McEvoy
Research expert covering the European Union for society, economy, and politics.
Get in touch with us nowVietnam War: bomb tonnage dropped by the U.S. military from 1965 to 1970
The bombing campaigns conducted by the U.S. military and its allies in Vietnam remain the largest aerial bombardment in military history. The campaigns, which focused on North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, aimed to destroy enemy military positions, block supply routes, and to demoralize the enemy populace.
Notable operations such as Operation Barrel Roll, which targeted North Vietnam, Operation Rolling Thunder which targeted Laos, and Operation Steel Tiger which targeted the Ho Chi Minh Trail, spanned across multiple years and led to the destruction of large parts of cities, towns, and rural areas. The U.S. initially led with a tactical bombing approach, which was aimed solely at belligerents, in the hopes that the campaigns would not galvanize support for the communists. As the war progressed, however, the air forces moved towards a strategic policy which targeted North Vietnamese cities and economic targets, with the aim of destroying the North's capacity to continue fighting the war.
Notable operations such as Operation Barrel Roll, which targeted North Vietnam, Operation Rolling Thunder which targeted Laos, and Operation Steel Tiger which targeted the Ho Chi Minh Trail, spanned across multiple years and led to the destruction of large parts of cities, towns, and rural areas. The U.S. initially led with a tactical bombing approach, which was aimed solely at belligerents, in the hopes that the campaigns would not galvanize support for the communists. As the war progressed, however, the air forces moved towards a strategic policy which targeted North Vietnamese cities and economic targets, with the aim of destroying the North's capacity to continue fighting the war.
