20 FLYPAST March 2018
M
ore than 30,000 North
Vietnamese troops marched
south, violating the
De-Militarized Zone, on March
30, 1972. The South Vietnamese
army established a defensive line
four days later, but this did not
stop a force of 20,000 crossing
the Cambodian border into South
Vietnam. The enemy had
the advantage of sheer
numbers, and was
equipped with armour
and heavy artillery.
This happened at a
timeTHE LINE
H lding
the Cambodian border into South
Vietnam. The enemy had
the advantage of sheer
numbers, and was
equipped with armour
and heavy artillery.
This happened at a This happened at a
timewhen fewer than 10,000 American
army personnel remained in South
Vietnam. The number of combat
aircraft was half of what it had been
in 1969.
Only three squadrons of
McDonnell F-4 Phantoms – 76
aircraft – were in-country.
There were 83 Boeing B-
Stratofortresses based at
U-Tapao in
Thailand
andAndersen Air Force Base (AFB) on
Guam. Two carriers were on station
with 140 aircraft between them.
This put America in a tough
spot. In early April, the US began
building up its air support in
Vietnam. After a lengthy stand-
down, B-52 missions were flown
on April 10 when 18 bombers,
supported by 53 attack aircraft, hit
petroleum storage facilities around
Vinh, south of Hanoi.
Right after this, President
Richard Nixon informed his
Secretary of State, Henry
Kissinger, that he was
contemplating a more
comprehensive
bombing campaign,
including major
strikes against both
Hanoi and Haiphong.
The ‘Linebacker’
missions were born,VIETNAM OPERATION LINEBACKER
Above
A B-52 on its way back to
Andersen, Guam, from a
mission over Hanoi. VIA
AUTHOR