Year of the B-52: B-52s help bring N. Vietnam to negotiation table in Operation Linebacker
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --
On the tiny island of Guam, life on "the rock" was harsh; on May 8, 1972, President Nixon moved 200 B-52 Stratofortresses to the island in an effort to pressure North Vietnam into negotiations for peace. Almost overnight, the population of Andersen Air Force Base swelled to 12,500 as tent cities sprang up all over base. Night crews struggled to sleep in the temporary steel dormitories as the daytime temperatures soared to 110 degrees on most days.
Originally part of Operation Freedom Train, the B-52's were pummeling specific strategic targets, such as ammo dumps and fuel, but in anticipation of an impending North Vietnamese invasion, President Nixon dramatically increased the number and breadth of the bombing sorties.
The primary purpose of this new operation, dubbed Linebacker I, was to disrupt the flow of supplies on the rail lines in the north before they were funneled into the trail network to the south. Previously off-limit targets were now fair game, including airfields, power plants and radio stations. In addition, Navy jets and B-52s began dropping mines in the harbors.
Gen. John R. McGiffert, the local U.S. commander, said "[The B-52] became the most effective weapon we have been able to muster; absolutely central to the successful defense effort against the invading force."
Most of the available B-52s in the operation were B-52Ds, which had reduced engine muscle and lacked power steering compared to later models, making them physically demanding to operate. Many of the crews who were trained on newer planes had a difficult time transitioning to the B-52D.
"Like an eighteen-wheel truck without power steering, air brakes or automatic transmission in downtown Washington during the rush hour," was how General McCarthy described flying the B-52D.
The operation did not come without risk. North Vietnam's defenses had been massively reinforced with the help of Soviet equipment, and were considered the best in the world. Heavy flack and multiple Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launches were expected on nearly every mission.
Over the five-month course of the Linebacker operation, 46 U.S. aircraft went down, but none of the B-52s were lost in spite of having been the target of more than 200 SAM launches.
In the end, the B-52s successfully stalled the invasion of South Vietnam and brought the North Vietnamese back to the negotiation table, but it was the Airmen of the 2dd Bomb Wing, 63rd Bomb Squadron, 72nd BW, 64th BS, 65th BS and 486th BS who kept the B-52s flying.
Without their hard work and sacrifice, Operation Linebacker I would never have gotten off the ground.
Originally part of Operation Freedom Train, the B-52's were pummeling specific strategic targets, such as ammo dumps and fuel, but in anticipation of an impending North Vietnamese invasion, President Nixon dramatically increased the number and breadth of the bombing sorties.
The primary purpose of this new operation, dubbed Linebacker I, was to disrupt the flow of supplies on the rail lines in the north before they were funneled into the trail network to the south. Previously off-limit targets were now fair game, including airfields, power plants and radio stations. In addition, Navy jets and B-52s began dropping mines in the harbors.
Gen. John R. McGiffert, the local U.S. commander, said "[The B-52] became the most effective weapon we have been able to muster; absolutely central to the successful defense effort against the invading force."
Most of the available B-52s in the operation were B-52Ds, which had reduced engine muscle and lacked power steering compared to later models, making them physically demanding to operate. Many of the crews who were trained on newer planes had a difficult time transitioning to the B-52D.
"Like an eighteen-wheel truck without power steering, air brakes or automatic transmission in downtown Washington during the rush hour," was how General McCarthy described flying the B-52D.
The operation did not come without risk. North Vietnam's defenses had been massively reinforced with the help of Soviet equipment, and were considered the best in the world. Heavy flack and multiple Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launches were expected on nearly every mission.
Over the five-month course of the Linebacker operation, 46 U.S. aircraft went down, but none of the B-52s were lost in spite of having been the target of more than 200 SAM launches.
In the end, the B-52s successfully stalled the invasion of South Vietnam and brought the North Vietnamese back to the negotiation table, but it was the Airmen of the 2dd Bomb Wing, 63rd Bomb Squadron, 72nd BW, 64th BS, 65th BS and 486th BS who kept the B-52s flying.
Without their hard work and sacrifice, Operation Linebacker I would never have gotten off the ground.
