Book contents
- Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War
- Cambridge Military Histories
- Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Tactical Air Power Theory
- 3 Vietnam and Rolling Thunder: 1965–1966
- 4 Khe Sanh and Tet: 1967–1968
- 5 Commando Hunt I–III and Cambodia: 1969–1970
- 6 Commando Hunt V–VII and Lam Son 719: 1971–1972
- 7 Easter Offensive and Linebacker I & II: 1972–1973
- 8 Analysis and Conclusion
- 9 Epilogue
- Book part
- Index
5 - Commando Hunt I–III and Cambodia: 1969–1970
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 January 2024
- Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War
- Cambridge Military Histories
- Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Tactical Air Power Theory
- 3 Vietnam and Rolling Thunder: 1965–1966
- 4 Khe Sanh and Tet: 1967–1968
- 5 Commando Hunt I–III and Cambodia: 1969–1970
- 6 Commando Hunt V–VII and Lam Son 719: 1971–1972
- 7 Easter Offensive and Linebacker I & II: 1972–1973
- 8 Analysis and Conclusion
- 9 Epilogue
- Book part
- Index
Summary
Chapter 5 assesses US air power following the Tet Offensive through the cross-border incursion into Cambodia in 1970. The newly elected US president, Richard Nixon, sought an American withdrawal from South Vietnam. However, he initially expanded the conflict into Cambodia to deny the NVA/VC sanctuary and sever their southern supply lines. Leading up to the invasion, the Commando Hunt air interdiction campaign in southern Laos slowed the movement of supplies. It also imposed substantial costs on the North to keep the Ho Chi Minh Trail open. Commando Hunt could not halt the NVA troops from making the journey to South Vietnam on foot, but the direct attack of fielded forces in South Vietnam and Cambodia did continue to keep the NVA/VC dispersed and hidden. Keeping the North Vietnamese on the defensive provided the time and space for South Vietnam’s pacification program to take root and for the Vietnamization program to generate conventional capabilities for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to replace withdrawing American combat troops.
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- Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam WarExplaining Effectiveness in Modern Air Warfare, pp. 108 - 138Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024