Operation Rolling Thunder
$3.5B
Cost
500,000
Troops Deployed
922
US Casualties
52,000
Civilian Deaths
Overview
A sustained aerial bombing campaign against North Vietnam from March 1965 to November 1968. Over 864,000 tons of bombs were dropped — more than the entire Pacific theater in WWII — in an attempt to break Hanoi's will and stop infiltration into South Vietnam.
Outcome
Failed to achieve any strategic objectives. North Vietnam dispersed industry, repaired damage rapidly, and continued supplying the south. Widely considered one of the greatest strategic failures in US military history.
Key Fact
The US lost 922 aircraft and 1,054 airmen killed or captured. The bombing cost $6 for every $1 of damage inflicted on North Vietnam.