Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War

Bombing of Hanoi (1x20)

Ausstrahlung: Jan 14, 1981

Episode Twenty covers the December Bombing of Hanoi. America's last offensive act in Vietnam, Nixon is trying to force a peaceful resolution to the war, but Hanoi delays. The first B-52 mission of 101 planes carrying over 100 bombs apiece drop them over Hanoi. Sam missiles bring down three B-52's. Congress threatened Nixon with a halt to the bombing, Nixon promises that Hanoi will come to the table by January 2nd, Hanoi stalls for a later date. Nixon now orders the most massive bombing raids of the war. 120 B-52's, the bombers are over Hanoi for only 15 minutes but drop over 100,000 tons of bombs over each of the next 9 days. Hanoi tells Nixon that they will be back at the table in five days. Nixon calls off the bombing after only 12 days. Before the bombing campaign the North was intransigent, unwilling to compromise. After, they were very cooperative. They wanted the war over as soon as possible.