1 / 24

Vietnam: Part II Uses of Air Power

Vietnam: Part II Uses of Air Power. Uses of Air Power Background. War was primarily a land war -- most air power used in conjunction with ground operations North stayed above DMZ, so air superiority over the South was never a concern

sherlock_clovis
Download Presentation

Vietnam: Part II Uses of Air Power

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Vietnam: Part IIUses of Air Power

  2. Uses of Air PowerBackground • War was primarily a land war -- most air power used in conjunction with ground operations • North stayed above DMZ, so air superiority over the South was never a concern • In-country operations centered around interdiction, close air support, airlift, recce, search and rescue, and air refueling

  3. Uses of Air PowerBackground • After Tonkin, US air units built up rapidly • US Air Force occupied 10 major air bases • All were built and defended by the Air Force • Huge logistical effort • Also flew from 6 bases in Thailand • Navy flew from carriers in Gulf of Tonkin • B-52s flew from Guam and, at times, from the US

  4. Uses of Air Power1964 to 1968 • Forestall suspected enemy offensives • Defend and supply isolated outposts • Interdict the Southern end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail • a series of roads and paths through the dense jungle • North Vietnam’s primary supply route into South Vietnam

  5. Uses of Air PowerDuring Vietnamization • Train the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) • Support the South Vietnamese Army • Forestall suspected enemy attacks against withdrawing American units

  6. Uses of Air PowerInterdiction • A major mission during SEA war • Aircraft used: F-4 Phantom, F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief (Thud), AC-130 Gunships • Best known interdiction aircraft was the B-52-a nuclear bomber modified to carry conventional bombs • Arc Light--Name for B-52 interdiction missions

  7. Uses of Air PowerClose Air Support • Missions to support forces of the ground • Aircraft used: A-4 Skyhawk, F-4, F-100, A-37 Dragonfly, A-1 Skyraider and AC-47 Gunships (Puff the Magic Dragon) • Gunships, cargo aircraft armed with rapid-fire machine guns, were very effective • Forward Air Controllers (FACs) were used to locate the enemy and mark targets for faster flying jets

  8. Close Air Support ( Cont) • B-52 Arc Light aircraft were occasionally used for close air support • B-52 were used extensively in close air support at Khe Sanh • Flew 2,548 sorties and dropped bombs within 300 yards of of US Marine perimeter • B-52 credited with saving Khe Sanh and repelling the Tet and Easter Offensives

  9. Uses of Air PowerTactical Airlift • Vital to successful US operations because of poor security on roads • Aircraft used: UH-1 Hueys, C-7 Caribous, C-123 Providers, and C-130 Hercules • Missions often flown while under attack • Supplies often air-dropped because of enemy fire and poor landing facilities • A major factor in keeping Khe Sanh alive

  10. Uses of Air PowerReconnaissance • Aircraft used: RF-4C, RB-57 Canberra, and RB-66 Destroyers • Aircraft were equipped with variety of cameras and sensing devices • Missions consisted of locating lucrative targets and assessing battle damage • A valuable part of repelling Tet and protecting Khe Sanh

  11. Uses of Air PowerSearch and Rescue • An extremely important part of the air support mission throughout Southeast Asia • Buttressed aircrew morale -- fliers knew every effort would be made to save them if shot down • Aircraft used: HH-3 Jolly Green Giants and HH-53 Super Jolly Greens • By’73, USAF had rescued 3,883 Americans

  12. Uses of Air PowerAir to Air Refueling • Indispensable -- extended the range of combat aircraft and enabled many aircraft to return safely • C-130s refueled helicopters, KC-135s refueled fixed wing aircraft • SAC tankers flew 195,000 sorties, unloaded 9 billion pounds of fuel and took part in 814,000 individual refuelings

  13. Campaigns:“Rolling Thunder” • Officially began 2 March 1965 • Objectives • Interdict the flow of supplies from the North • Force the North to stop supporting the Vietcong and quit the war • Raise South Vietnamese morale

  14. Rolling Thunder • Strategic bombing and interdiction campaign • Strategic because it was aimed at the North’s will to wage war • Interdiction because the North had few large industries and got most of their material from China and the Soviet Union • Employed mostly tactical aircraft -- F-105s, F-4s and F-111s -- B-52s used in ‘66 in the Southern part of North Vietnam

  15. Rolling ThunderRestrictions • Johnson administration controlled campaign tightly • Restriction imposed by civilians included: • Hanoi, Haiphong, China border -- off limits • MIG bases and non-firing SAM sites--off limits • Dams, dikes, hydroelectric plants--off limits • White House selected targets, weapons and flying routes -- with little military input

  16. Rolling Thunder • Graduated increases in bombing intensity worked to advantage of North Vietnamese • Gave them time to recover from damage • Allowed them to establish the world’s most intense antiaircraft defense system • Provided them the will to fight on and a sense they could survive • By 1965, it became clear that Rolling Thunder didn’t work

  17. Rolling Thunder • Impacts • South’s morale improved as the North suffered under the bombing • North used frequent halts and restrictions to repair damage and resupply forces in South • Criticism grew at home and internationally • Johnson ended Rolling Thunder prior to 1968 elections • Campaign, America’s longest, was a failure

  18. Linebacker I • Easter Offensive (Mar 72) made it apparent the North was not willing to negotiate • Objectives of Linebacker • Initially a close air support effort to aid retreating South Vietnamese forces • Later, changed to an interdiction campaign against North Vietnam • A systematic campaign with little civilian control -- unlike Rolling Thunder

  19. Linebacker I • Civilian casualties were a consideration but didn’t determine how missions were flown • Haiphong harbor was mined for the first time to restrict in-coming supplies • Strikes were flown over Hanoi and Haiphong -- B-52 strikes on Haiphong began April ‘72 • “Smart bombs’ were used extensively

  20. Linebacker I • Linebacker I was the most successful US bombing campaign of the war • Had more impact on the North Vietnam in 9 months than Rolling Thunder did in 4 years • Successful largely because Easter Offensive was a conventional, mechanized attack • Peace Talks resumed in July 1972 • Nixon restricted Linebacker I attacks to below the 20th parallel

  21. Linebacker II • Peace Talks stalled again in Dec 72 • Nixon ordered Linebacker II to run concurrently with Linebacker I • Purpose of Linebacker II was to force the North Vietnamese to negotiate and sign a peace treaty • Ran from 18 Dec to 30 Dec 1972 -- referred to as the “Christmas Campaign”

  22. Linebacker II • Very intense and logistically complex • Specific targets in Hanoi and Haiphong • B-52s used for the first time over Hanoi • By the end of Linebacker II, North Vietnam was defenseless • 1,200 SAMs were fired • 80% of the North’s electrical systems and 25% of their POL facilities were destroyed

  23. Linebacker II • North Vietnam returned to the bargaining table 30 Dec 72 • All bombing ceased on 15 Jan 73 • Peace treaty was signed on 27 Jan 73 • Linebacker II was a success • Some believe that if Rolling Thunder had been conducted like Linebacker II, the war would have ended in 65 -- unlikely

  24. Summary • Uses of Airpower • Interdiction Close Air Support • Airlift Air Refueling • Reconnaissance Search and Rescue • Rolling Thunder • Linebacker I • Linebacker II

More Related