named after the defensive position
in American football. Linebacker
I was an interdiction campaign
against North Vietnam by the
USAF Seventh Air Force and US
Navy Task Force 77 from May 9 to
October 23, 1972.
Linebacker’s objectives included
isolating the enemy from its sources
of supply by destroying railroad
bridges and rolling stock in and
around Hanoi all the way to the
Chinese border. Primary storage
areas and marshalling yards were
to be targeted and the North’s air
defence system eliminated.
Mine-laying
With more than 80% of North
Vietnam’s imports arriving
by sea, the port of
Haiphong and other
areas were to be
blocked by laying
mines. This
challenging
project was
known as
Operation Pocket
Money.
It was
estimated that
China alone shipped an average of
22,000 tons of supplies a month to
North Vietnam. These came into
the country through two rail lines,
eight major roads and by sea.
The USAF, US Navy, Marine
Corps and Army began a rapid
build-up with units from Guam
and Okinawa, Japan, responding
quickly. The USAF sent 176 F-4Ds
and ’E Phantoms and 12 Republic
F-105 Thunderchiefs from bases in
South Korea.
Strategic Air Command (SAC)
dispatched 124 B-52s to
Guam, making a total of
209 available from thatarea. The navy also contributed to
the campaign with air wings from
the USS America, Constellation,
Kittyhawk, Midway and Saratoga.
At precisely 0900hrs on May 8,
six US Navy LTV A-7 Corsair II
and three Grumman A-6 Intruders
from the carrier USS Coral Sea
flew to Haiphong and
dropped 36 Mk.52
and Mk.55 1,000lb
(453kg) mines in
the harbour. They
were supportedWarren E Thompson describes the intensive Linebacker bombing campaigns of
late 1972 against North Vietnam
March 2018 FLYPAST 21