Johnson Escalates the War 7811965, American bombers were conducting some
5,000 raids each month.
But the hail of bombs on North Vietnam had little
effect on the struggle in the South. Worse, the
Vietcong expanded the areas under their control. After
a fact-finding mission in the war zone, McGeorge
Bundy concluded that the prospects were grim for
South Vietnam. “The energy and persistence of the
Vietcong are astonishing,” he reported. “They have
accepted extraordinary losses and they come back for
more. They show skill in their sneak attacks and feroc-
ity when cornered.” If the war was to be won,South
China SeaGulf of
ThailandGulf of
TonkinM
ekongR.Re
dR
.DMZ, 17th parallel: Demilitarized zone
established 1954South Vietnamese
invasion, 1971SOUTH
VIETNAMNORTH
VIETNAMHanoiHainan
IslandCHINACAMBODIATHAILANDLAOSMy LaiDa NangHaiphongKhe SanhBien HoaHueDienbienphuSaigonPleikuVientianePhnom PenhMajor battles
Ho Chi Minh trail, North
Vietnamese supply lines
US and South Vietnamese
troop movementsUSinvasion,^1970The Vietnam War, 1961–1975As American bombing and “search and destroy” missions spread throughout South Vietnam, North Vietnamese
supply lines moved westward, into Laos and Cambodia. U.S. troops and bombers attacked there as well. This destabilized Cambodia, which fell
to the brutal Khmer Rouge communists in 1975.