The US began bombing North Vietnam with Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965. The first major mission took place on March 2, 1965, against targets including an ammunition depot near Xom Bang and the Quang Khe naval base.
Rolling Thunder was designed as a gradual, sustained bombing campaign rather than a single massive attack. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara hoped controlled pressure would weaken North Vietnam’s support for the Viet Cong, improve South Vietnamese morale, and signal American resolve to Hanoi.
The campaign involved US Air Force, US Navy, and South Vietnamese aircraft. Washington imposed strict restrictions on target selection and escalation, partly to avoid provoking China or the Soviet Union. These limits often frustrated military commanders and made the campaign less destructive than some planners wanted.
Rolling Thunder continued, with pauses and changing intensity, until November 1968. It damaged transportation networks and industrial facilities but failed to force North Vietnam to abandon its war effort. The campaign is therefore remembered as both a major expansion of US air power and a strategic failure.