What was the codename for the bombing campaign against North Vietnam that began in February 1965?

What was the codename for the bombing campaign against North Vietnam that began in February 1965?

• A. Operation Rolling Thunder
• B. Operation Linebacker
• C. Operation Sea Dragon
• D. Operation Arrowhead

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is recognizing the official code name for the United States’ sustained air campaign against North Vietnam that began in early 1965. The correct label is Rolling Thunder. This campaign marked a shift to continuous aerial bombardment aimed at pressuring Hanoi to cease its support for the Viet Cong and to disrupt North Vietnamese military and logistical capabilities, including targets across North Vietnam and routes through neighboring Laos and along the coast. It involved heavy bombers like B-52s and a sustained, escalating strike program that lasted for several years, signaling a move to exert pressure through air power without a full-scale ground invasion. Understanding the other campaigns helps place this in the broader timeline: Linebacker refers to the later, intensified bombing efforts in 1972; Sea Dragon was primarily a naval campaign targeting North Vietnamese coastal defense and shipping; Arrowhead is not the designation for this major bombing campaign. Rolling Thunder is the well-known codename for the early, broad bombing effort against North Vietnam.

The main idea being tested is recognizing the official code name for the United States’ sustained air campaign against North Vietnam that began in early 1965. The correct label is Rolling Thunder. This campaign marked a shift to continuous aerial bombardment aimed at pressuring Hanoi to cease its support for the Viet Cong and to disrupt North Vietnamese military and logistical capabilities, including targets across North Vietnam and routes through neighboring Laos and along the coast. It involved heavy bombers like B-52s and a sustained, escalating strike program that lasted for several years, signaling a move to exert pressure through air power without a full-scale ground invasion.

Understanding the other campaigns helps place this in the broader timeline: Linebacker refers to the later, intensified bombing efforts in 1972; Sea Dragon was primarily a naval campaign targeting North Vietnamese coastal defense and shipping; Arrowhead is not the designation for this major bombing campaign. Rolling Thunder is the well-known codename for the early, broad bombing effort against North Vietnam.