And, on this day in 1972, the Linebacker II operation experienced the
worst losses of the campaign with six B-52s downed over Hanoi. The
Eleven Days of Christmas, however, drove the recalcitrant North
Vietnamese back to the bargaining table and resulted in the release of
our POWs by March of '73.

And, arguably proved once and for all the Douhet principle that
strategic bombing can be decisive politically without ground invasion.
IMNSHO!


You know Ed, I believed (past tense) this too, its what the Air Force teaches
at every step of PME, but after completing a masters course about the air war
in Vietnam, I'm not so convinced anymore. I may get drubbed out of the B-52
community, but I think the BUFFs could have sat the whole thing out and by
early January 1973, Le Duc Tho would have still signed the Paris Peace Accord.
Most of the targets hit by the BUFFs, had already been hit the previous Spring
and Fall during Linebacker I. This is where people usually say; "the bombing
demoralized the population and the politicians of North Vietnam". There are
stories, most from former POWs being held in Hanoi, about the psychological
effect the bombing had on the North Vietnamese, but no proof or any evidence
that the communist party leadership was aware, or if they were, even cared
about the psychological effect on their people. Marshall L. Michel (heck Ed,
you may even know this guy?) wrote an outstanding book titled; "The Eleven Days
of Christmas" where he interviewed NV SA-2 commanders and crews. One SA-2
commander said the politicians who visited his battalian, located close to the
party headquarters, up until the last day, were confident and supportive,
hardly the actions of a demoralized population. Additionally, the government
ordered residence of Hanoi to evacuate, if they were non-essential, and to send
their children to the camps in the country side, both orders were violated en
mass, most Hanoi residents stayed put. Another great book addressing this
issue is Mark Clodfelter's "The Limits of Air Power".

Anyway, just a few opinions to counter current day "common logic". Regardless
of their effect on North Vietnamese politicans, the BUFFs provided moral
support to POWs (fact) and the crews layed the ground work for every BUFF
mission flown today (fact).


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"