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Linebacker I operations from April through October 1972 involved massive numbers of B-52s, but the primary objective of this campaign was limited to interdict supply routes from North to South Vietnam. While the level of bombing increased, the same type targets of the past seven years of Arc Light were attacked during Linebacker I with the exception of B-52 missions flown deep into North Vietnam for the first time.
On 9 April 1972 Arc Light operations were initiated in North Vietnam when a 12 ship B-52s mission struck the railroad yard and POL storage tanks at Vinh, approximately 150 miles above the DMZ. This initial strike was followed by attacks on the Bai Thuong airfield cratering the runway and taxiways. On 15 April B-52s attacked Haiphong's POL storage area and were not hit by any of the 35 SAMs fired at them. During two strikes in the Thanh Hoa area on 21 and 23 April, approximately 25 SAMs were fired at the B-52 force each day. A SAM hit a B-52 but the crew was able to fly the aircraft to South Vietnam and land at Da Nang. During this period of B-52 bombing in the North crews were authorized to divert to a preselected alternate target if the SAM or MIG threat became severe enough to warrant it. In early November 1972 the continued infiltration of enemy troops and supplies to the South caused a change is this tactic. When targets in the North were designated such a high priority, a tactic called a "Press-On Mission" was implemented meaning the B-52 would attack the designated target regardless of the SAM or MIG threat. On 22 November during an attack against Vinh, a crew from Dyess AFB had their B-52 hit by a SAM immediately after bomb release. The crew flew the aircraft toward Thailand with major wing and fuselage fires and subsequent loss of several engines. The crew was able to fly the aircraft across the Thailand border and bailout near Nakon Phanom. All crewmembers survived the bailout and returned to U Tapao. This was an important milestone because it marked the first time a B-52 had been lost to enemy fire during the seven years of Arc Light operations.
Efforts to negotiate a peace with North Vietnam, led by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, had stalled and it became clear only massive bombing of targets in Hanoi and Haiphong could break the intransigence of the North Vietnamese. President Nixon ordered the Air Force to begin planning this campaign. SAC had prepared for this campaign by increasing B-52 strength to 99 B-52Gs and 53 B-52Ds at Anderson AFB, and 54 B-52Ds at U Tapao during BULLET SHOT. The North Vietnamese broke off peace negotiations in Paris on 13 December 1972 in an attempt to force a settlement. On 18 December 1972, 87 B-52s took off from Anderson AFB and 42 B-52s took off from U Tapao to bomb Kep airfield, Hoa Lac airfield, Phuc Yen airfield, Kinh No vehicle repair site, Yen Vien rail yards, Hanoi railroad repair facility and the main Hanoi radio station. More than 200 SAMs were fired at the B-52s and three were lost this first day.
Linebacker II lasted 12 days from 18 December to 29 December with a stand down on Christmas day. During these 11 days of bombing, 729 B-52 sorties were flown out of a planned 741, and over 15,000 tons of bombs were dropped. 769 tactical aircraft supported the B-52s. North
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Vietnamese forces fired over 1,240 SAMs and 15 B-52s were lost. Of the 92 B-52 crew members involved in the losses, 26 were recovered, 25 were declared "Missing In Action", 33 were captured and became "Prisoners Of War" and eight were killed in action or later died of wounds.
Linebacker II had the effect of forcing the North Vietnamese back to the peace negotiations in Paris, where peace terms were eventually agreed to. Once the North Vietnamese agreed to negotiate, Linebacker II bombing raids stopped. (The source for the four paragraphs above is Air Force Magazine, November 1997)
On 24 January 1973, Dr Kissinger was asked if Linebacker II was the key to achieving agreement. He answered: "… there was a deadlock … in the middle of December … There was a rapid movement where negotiations resumed … on January 8. These facts have to be analyzed by each person for himself." For those who participated in Arc Light the analysis is simple; it was the key factor and should have been done much earlier than December 1972.
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