Operation Linebacker Case Study

OPERATION LINEBACKER II 1. What do you think of when you drive by that big B-52 at the museum? Being the history buff that I am, I think about Vietnam, where that old "Buff" was used the most. "Why should I care about Vietnam?" you ask yourself. Well, last time I checked there's a history section in the PFE guide, so there might be a test later! The intent of this paper is to inform you about Operation Linebacker II. I'll explain the events leading up to the operation, discuss the strategy, and finally I'll sum up the results of a bombing campaign Sir Michael Knight characterized In the book Strategic Offensive Air Operation as "...may have played a role not unlike two B-29s over Japan 27 years earlier". (Knight: 77) I'll start by explaining why President Richard Nixon gave the order to begin this new bombing campaign. 2. The primary goal of Linebacker II was to force North Vietnam to return to the Paris peace talks and sign a treaty agreement. Negotiations stalled in December 1972 after Hanoi's chief negotiator, Le Duc Tho submitted unreasonable demands concerning the definition of the demilitarized zone and refused to withdraw troops from South Vietnam. Furthermore, he wouldn't accept the installation of an international peacekeeping
In Sir Michael Knights book Strategic Offensive Air Operations he wrote that in eleven days B-52s flew 729 sorties and dropped 15,000 tons of bombs. They destroyed 1500 buildings, 500 rail targets, 10 airfields, 25% of North Vietnamese fuel reserves, and 80% of their electrical generating capability. (Knight: 77) All of this destruction however came with a price; the U.S. lost 92 aircraft including 15 B-52s. (Air War...: 290) On 27 January 1973 the United States and the Republic of Vietnam, along with the Peoples Democratic Republic of Vietnam, signed an agreement ending the war. Two weeks later Vietnam released all prisoners of war; later that year American troops where withdrawn from South