Operation Rolling Thunder
Rolling Thunder was one of the ramifications of the Tonkin Gulf Incident. Intended initially as a form of retaliation, this was a program of sustained bombing of North Vietnam, authorized by President Johnson in February of 1965 and begun in March. Narrowly defined at first, in order not to trigger entry into the war by China or the Soviet Union, Johnson took tight control of this operation, increasing the range of permitted targets only by small increments. The missions were flown first by fighter-bombers from bases in South Vietnam and Thailand and from aircraft carriers off the coast. In April of 1966 B-52s began to participate, delivering about 10% of the bomb tonnage by the time the operation had stopped in November of 1968.
The targets of Rolling Thunder changed over time, moving from interdiction raids against such targets as trucks on roads, to fuel storage facilities in the North, to launch sites for surface-to-air missiles (SAMS), to North Vietnamese airfields. The operation was interrupted by occasional bombing "halts," usually for diplomatic purposes. In the final view, the civilian leaders tended to think of Rolling Thunder as successful while the military leaders hoped for more than the operation produced.
