PANO - In the mid-December 1972, the situation became increasingly critical. The then US State Secretary, Special Advisor to the US President, Kissinger announced that the Paris Peace Negotiation on Vietnam would be suspended indefinitely.

On December 17, US President Nixon officially launched the Linebacker II air operation against Hanoi and Hai Phong with hundreds of fighters and bombers, including B52 in an attempt to bomb the North of Vietnam back to the stone age. The operation was seen as the most concentrated and savage air attack in the history of human warfare.

Linebacker II

It has been stated in an article entitled “The Tragedy of Linebacker II” printed in Airforce magazine, that few operations in the Vietnam War had as much of an impact or caused so much woe compared to the 11-day Linebacker II bombings. The operation which resorted to using B52s for the first time against Hanoi and Haiphong cities was intended to force the North of Vietnam to sign in the Paris Peace Agreement. The operation conducted by the US Strategic Air Force Command was a catastrophe for airmen and became a dangerous precedent for future. The consequences of the operation were huge losses of B52 and airmen.

In the book “The Vietnam War”, J.T. Greenwood wrote during that during those 12 days, the Americans continuously conducted carpet bombing, on a scale which was heavier than that of the whole war. They even put B52 in use to attack the adversary’s population centres but encountered a concentrated air defence system which was considered the most powerful in history. As a result, the losses to the US were extremely heavy.

The US UIP news agency, in a press release on December 31, 1972 stated that the 12 days of bombing campaign against Hanoi and Haiphong was considered one of the fierce ones in the history of warfare, but had resulted in huge losses of men and equipment to the US. From December 18-30, at least 76 US pilots were either killed or captured in Northern Vietnam.

Americans’ protests

Meanwhile, Linebacker II was strongly criticised by different people. Linebacker II had isolated the US administration in political terms. A majority of US newspapers depicted the bombings as a cruel event as it took place during the Christmas period.

The New York Times issued on December 20, 1972 wrote, the US President returned to the use of brutal power in an attempt to win his broader objectives in Southeast Asia, objectives that were never practical and necessary for US strategic interests. Even though Hanoi should have been responsible for the interruption of the Peace Negotiations (albeit the assumption was still doubtful), resorting to the use of a powerful air force to attack a small Asian country was an abuse of US power and trampled on humanitarian principles. In the process, the US itself was in risk of being driven back to the stone-age with its brutality.

30 US pilot-prisoners on January 2, 1973 called on congressmen to use their legitimate rights to bring peace to Vietnam. They said they understood the continuation of the war would do nothing but multiply the pain, prolong their being in jail in the Northern Vietnam and lead to increased losses for their country.

47 out of 73 congressmen who were asked about the operation after the air attacks were against it. 45 stated that they were ready to support an act to stop the war. Under pressure from the US Congress, President Nixon had to order a halt to the bombings on December 30, 1972.

In his book, G. Levy wrote that the Linebacker II campaign was a US political and military loss as it did not bring about the surrender of the adversary or new compromises. Northern Vietnam in fact concluded the war with an agreement in a way it had wished. The US had to accept the following term – the legitimate presence of North-Vietnamese forces in the South – something which they had tried to stop for over 10 years. The later even proved this. The so-called “withdrawal with honour” of US forces later on was what Northern Vietnam really wanted in order to liberate the South and unite their country.

Vietnamese will

US correspondent Eton said among the smoke caused by the bombing, he saw a woman standing on a mound restlessly firing at US aircraft in the sky with the strong belief that she could bring down US jets with her rifle. This was the traditional will of the people that I met.

Renowned US artists Jane Fonda and Tom Haydon said the bravery of Vietnamese people would live forever in human memory. The defeat of B52s that showed their will to resist was even stronger than any military high-tech weapons and ammunitions.

Captured Lieutenant Colonel Williams Colley who controlled the electronic system in a B52 said “I can assert that more B52s will be shot down if they keep flying in. You fight for justice with bravery and intelligence. So I believe you will win the war as both history and morality are on your side.”

“I have never been in such a battle. You were perfectly coordinated and determined the battle,” said B52 pilot, Major J. Carter.

D. Kruser, a US pilot said, “In truth all their air-defence guns were dangerous. I felt terrified every time I had to fly. It seemed as if I was in a web of fire from all sorts of bullets.”

The then Chief of the US Air Force Staff admitted that Northern Vietnam had developed the world’s most experienced air defence force. Obviously, they had more experience than any other countries in using Surface to Air Missiles to shoot down aircraft.

From Collection by Nguyen Dang Minh

Translated by Thu Nguyen