Us Carpet Bombing Cambodia

As civilian casualties mounted and media accounts of the destruction surfaced public support for the carpet bombing diminished.

Us carpet bombing cambodia.

On march 18 1969 the united states began a four year long carpet bombing campaign in the skies of cambodia devastating the countryside and causing socio political upheaval that eventually led to the installation of the pol pot regime. Until us and army of the republic of vietnam arvn forces could successfully interdict the ho chi minh trail they would fight the war with what felt like one hand tied behind their backs. The aircraft used by the cia in the secret war included transports stol short take off and landing planes and helicopters. President richard nixon s administration carpet bombed eastern cambodia from 1969 to 1973 although bombings and incursions into cambodia by the u s.

On march 18 1969 american b 52s began carpet bombing eastern cambodia. Began in 1965 under president lyndon b. From that year until 1973 the us air force dropped bombs from more than 230 000 sorties on over 113 000 sites. During the vietnam war the vietnamese liberation front and the pavn used a network of supply routes that partially ran through laos.

Several nations complained about the u s. Operation menu was a covert united states strategic air command sac tactical bombing campaign conducted in eastern cambodia from 18 march 1969 until 26 may 1970 as part of both the vietnam war and the cambodian civil war the targets of these attacks were sanctuaries and base areas of the people s army of vietnam pavn commonly referred to during the vietnam war as the north vietnamese. Cia and us special forces units were also on the ground in laos during the secret war. Bombing were concentrated during the period in which u s.

Cambodia on march 18 1969 usaf strategic air command sac b 52 bombers began carpet bombing cambodia on the order of president nixon. B 52 bombers are diverted from their targets in south vietnam to attack suspected communist base camps and supply areas in cambodia for the first time in the war. During the vietnam war president richard nixon ordered carpet bombing of north vietnam as well as cambodia which was believed to be supplying the viet cong. Operation breakfast was the first course in a four year bombing campaign that drew cambodia headlong into the vietnam war.

The us began bombing cambodia in 1965. To combat this handicap b 52 bombers on standard bombing runs in south vietnam were redirected to the border with cambodia on 18 march 1969.