Cold Open

It’s the evening of December 18th, 1972, in the skies over Laos, eight years into the United States’ military involvement in the Vietnam War.

Captain Bob Certain, a B-52 navigator, says a silent prayer as his aircraft makes an eastbound turn toward North Vietnam.

Today, US President Richard Nixon ordered the start of an enormous bombing campaign. This morning, Captain Certain and over 100 fellow aviators were briefed on tonight’s mission. The plan is for three waves of B-52s to attack targets across North Vietnam, including its capital, Hanoi.

When Captain Certain noticed that all three groups would fly nearly identical routes in single file, he had his doubts. Flying the same routes over and over might turn the B-52s into easy targets for North Vietnam’s antiaircraft arsenal. But it’s not his job to ask questions. Tonight, he’s just focused on doing everything in his power to ensure his mission succeeds.

The radio comes alive with reports from B-52s that have already entered the target zone. The North Vietnamese are trying to take them down with surface-to-air missiles. And this news confirms Captain Certain’s fears that they’re in for a rocky flight. But they’ve been ordered to take no evasive action until they reach their target. So, Captain Certain and his fellow crewmen turn their focus from the radio and onto the path ahead.

As they approach their target, the doors of the B-52 open to prepare to drop the bomber’s payload…

But all at once, the radar screens and other instruments on the lower deck go black.

Then comes the frantic voice of the B-52’s copilot. They’ve been hit. As Captain Certain looks around, he sees flames overtaking the plane. He needs to act fast or the B-52’s payload of twenty-seven 750-pound bombs will explode and take him and the rest of the crew with them. Quickly, he and his fellow crew members release the bombs, but not knowing where they will land, they make sure to safety them first.

Then, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the flames reach the B-52’s giant fuel tank, the crewmen prepare to jump out.

Captain Certain hears the jolting sound of his fellow crew members ejecting. He steadies himself and pulls his own ejection handle.

Dazed, Captain Certain feels himself falling through the cold winter air until his parachute opens and his body jerks upward, before drifting the rest of the way down.

During his first term as president of the United States, Richard Nixon brought hundreds of thousands of American soldiers home, but he also expanded US operations into Laos and Cambodia. In his re-election campaign, Nixon committed to bringing about an honorable end to the war. Last month, he was re-elected in a landslide. But finding a way out of Vietnam has proved difficult.

After peace talks with North Vietnam stalled earlier this month, Nixon ordered the most intensive bombing campaign of the entire war. Officially called Operation Linebacker II, it will come to be known as “The Christmas Bombing.” Though Captain Certain’s B-52 is unable to carry out its attack, the over 100 other bombers have more luck.

Over the course of 11 days, the onslaught will continue. The overpowering assault will eventually be remembered as the coda to the United States’ quagmire in Vietnam, because the U.S. and North Vietnam will agree to peace soon after, but not before the campaign takes the lives of almost 28 American servicemen and more than 1,600 Vietnamese after the bombs begin dropping on December 18th, 1972.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is December 18th, 1972: The “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam.

Act One: Tracking the B-52s

It’s the evening of December 18th, 1972, in North Vietnam, the same night that Captain Bob Certain’s B-52 will be struck out of the sky.

Dinh the Van, commander of the 77th Battalion of the North Vietnamese Army lets out a deep sigh. The American B-52s have just finished a heavy bombardment, but over the radio, Van heard that the North Vietnamese were able to shoot down one of the Americans’ B-52s and captured three of its crew members.

This news fills Van with pride. He and the other members of North Vietnam’s Air Defense have taken a stand against one of the most powerful weapons of the world’s most powerful militaries. But Van is hardly feeling celebratory. Radar shows that another wave of B-52s are on their way. And when they arrive, they will unleash another round of hell.

Van can hardly recall what life was like before the war. North Vietnam has been fighting the Americans and their allies in South Vietnam for almost as long as he can remember. Over the course of the conflict, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have been killed. The U.S. military unleashed its most devastating weapons against North Vietnam and the North Vietnamese have relied mainly on guerilla tactics to fight back. But they also have some support from the Soviet Union, including surface-to-air missiles. Van’s battalion uses these Soviet missiles as a vital weapon against the United States’ superior airpower, including their B-52 bombers.

As a commander in the Air Defense, it’s Van’s job to track the B-52s and try to shoot them down. But there’s a big obstacle: the B-52s are armed with technology that jams North Vietnam’s tracking systems. So, as the Americans carry out their second attack, Van and his crew scrutinize their radar screens. All they see is a scramble of static. Until there’s a moment when the static clears up. In a matter of seconds, the screen goes back to its previous state of disorder. But Van and his crewmates realize there must be a temporary opening in the jamming, making the B-52s vulnerable.

By the time the next wave of enemy aircraft arrives, Van and his crew are prepared. They wait patiently for the mare seconds when the jamming dies down, then they fire two missiles which find their target. Over the radio, Van receives a report that a B-52 has crashed in the suburbs of Hanoi.

The next day, the Vietnamese survey the destruction left behind by the U.S. bombing strike. Despite the intensity of the campaign, Van and the Air Defense crews take some comfort in knowing they were able to shoot down several B-52s.

The following night though, the Air Defense crews are unable to repeat their success. The mood of the North Vietnamese Army turns bleak. Van and the other commanders are reprimanded for their failures. And as darkness falls on December 20th, the North Vietnamese brace for a third night of American bombing. This time, they resolve to take advantage of the Americans’ predictable routine.

When the first wave of B-52s arrive, the North Vietnamese Air Command battalions are ready. They wait for the moment when their radars are effective, and then strike. One B-52 is brought down, and then another. The second B-52 is hit just as it is about to deploy its bombs. The explosion is so bright it can be seen from 80 miles away.

A few hours later, the Vietnamese wait for the arrival of a second wave of bombers. The Americans have been flying identical routes every night, making them easy to predict. But tonight, the second round of B-52s never arrives. After the chaos unleashed by the North Vietnamese, the U.S. has called off the night’s second raid on Hanoi. But in a twist, the Americans return for their usual third strike of the night. When they do, the North Vietnamese use what they’ve learned to target more B-52s. And by the time the night is over, six aircraft have been shot down.

In response to these terrible losses, the United States Strategic Air Command is forced to rethink their strategy. Air Command insists that the B-52s continue to fly predictable, identical routes, but they try a slight change in tactic by altering the way the bombers turn at the end of their routes.

But after two more B-52s are struck down, U.S. military leaders call off the raids on Hanoi for the next several nights. They will have to devise a new strategy. Their goal is to demonstrate overwhelming military strength. They want to pound the North Vietnamese into submission. But it has to be done without costing American lives.

So, back in the United States, the losses incurred in this latest offensive in a prolonged war will have consequences. Americans all across political lines have grown tired of the war. Anti-war protestors, families of American prisoners of war, and many others who have been waiting for President Nixon to sign a peace deal will all be dismayed by this new escalation. Some will take their anger into the streets, and demand an immediate ceasefire.

Act Two: Protesting the War

It’s December 21st, 1972, in New York City’s Times Square, three days after President Richard Nixon’s “Christmas Bombing” campaign began.

A crowd of protestors marches toward 43rd Street and Broadway. Above the blare of traffic and street vendors, they shout at the top of their lungs, while holding signs and banners with phrases like “Ceasefire - Nixon’s a Liar.”

Over the course of the Vietnam War, its unpopularity has only grown. Driven by the military draft and a high death toll, the war has deeply divided Americans. But now even initial supporters have started growing tired of what they hoped would be a much shorter conflict.

Four years ago, when Nixon was inaugurated for his first term, he expected to be able to end the U.S. involvement in Vietnam within a year. He tried to use bombings in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to pressure North Vietnam into capitulation. But the war dragged on.

In 1972, a potential end to the conflict finally emerged. And earlier this month, talks with North Vietnam brought new possibilities of peace. But America’s commitment to South Vietnam was a sticking point. South Vietnam’s President rejected peace agreements that recognized North Vietnam’s legitimacy and matters reached an impasse with negotiators walking away. Just days later, President Nixon began one of the most destructive bombing campaigns of the war.

And as these bombs drop on North Vietnam, antiwar protestors have grown enraged. Tonight they’re in the streets to make their voices heard yet again. Under the bright lights of Time Square, tourists and last-minute holiday shoppers watch as the thousand-strong crowd of demonstrators steps into one of the city’s busiest intersections. As the protestors block traffic, the usual sound of horns grows louder and louder. But the demonstrators stand firm, yelling and displaying their signs for all drivers and passersby to see.

Soon mounted policemen arrive and order the crowd to disperse, but the protestors refuse. They continue their chanting and if anything, they only shout louder. In response, the officers ride their horses into the crowd, swinging clubs. The marchers cry out and scatter to avoid getting hurt. But there’s still no stopping the demonstration. Moments after being forced from the street, the protesters regroup and move back to blocking the flow of traffic.

For the next two hours, activists and police battle for control of the streets, until finally, the police find a way to corral the crowd into a traffic island a block away. By the time the night is over, fifteen demonstrators have been arrested.

But the crowd in Times Square is not alone in opposing the “Christmas Bombing.” That same day, a peaceful sit-in takes place at the United Nations building, along with other rallies in cities across the country. These demonstrations are smaller than just a year ago when the antiwar movement was at its peak. But organizers commit to pressuring Nixon to keep his promise to end the war. They announce plans to picket outside his home on Christmas and plan a large-scale protest for Nixon’s Inauguration Day in January.

And in addition to these antiwar protests, criticism comes from powerful institutions too. The New York Times runs an editorial denouncing the “Christmas Bombing” campaign as barbaric. One Republican Senator, an ally of the President, wonders if Nixon has lost his senses. There is backlash to the offensive overseas as well. The Prime Minister of Sweden even compares the assault to infamous war crimes from history.

But President Nixon is undeterred. He keeps the US military focused on outmaneuvering the North Vietnamese anti-aircraft attacks, which have now brought down 11 B-52s since the bombing campaign began. For several nights, bombers do not raid Hanoi while Air Command re-strategizes. But the day after Christmas, the U.S. resumes its attacks. This time, the B-52s don’t fly in small groups along identical routes. Instead, the U.S. swarms their targets with over 110 bombers from all directions. Within fifteen minutes, the aircrafts drop over 8,000 bombs, destroying thousands of homes and killing hundreds. The North Vietnamese still manage to shoot one B-52 down, but they realize they are outmatched by the Americans’ new strategy.

The next day, the North Vietnamese reach out to American negotiators and asked to resume peace talks. The U.S. agrees. But Nixon does not stop the bombing. B-52s continue to strike Hanoi for three more nights. On December 27th, the North Vietnamese manage to shoot down two more B-52s, but in the following two nights of bombing, the U.S. completes its raids without losing a single aircraft.

Then on December 29th, Operation Linebacker II will come to an end, 11 days after it began. In early January, peace talks will resume in Paris. Both sides will be eager to come to an agreement. North Vietnam will want to keep its troops in South Vietnam without further U.S. involvement. The U.S. will want to bring its prisoners of war home and end the war with a semblance of honor. It will take weeks of negotiation, but eventually, a deal will be brokered, and President Nixon will announce an end to American involvement in Vietnam at last.

Act Three: Peace in Paris

It’s the evening of January 23rd, 1973, at the White House in Washington, D.C., three days after President Richard Nixon was inaugurated for his second term.

Inside the Oval Office, Nixon looks into the camera facing him and waits for the light to signal that he’s being broadcast.

After two weeks of talks, the United States, North Vietnam, and South Vietnam have come to an agreement. Finally, after years of conflict and diplomacy, Nixon can announce an end to America’s war in Vietnam.

Nixon sees the signal that he's live. He looks directly into the camera and attempts to project dignity and strength.

"NIXON: Good evening. I have asked for this radio and television time tonight for the purpose of announcing that we today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia."

Nixon goes on to explain the terms of the agreement. A ceasefire will go into effect on January 27th. Then within 60 days, all American prisoners of war will be returned home, and the U.S. will withdraw all of its troops.

Nixon expresses a commitment to the sovereignty of South Vietnam as well as hopes for peace with North Vietnam. He assures the American people that the agreement is one that honors the sacrifice of the two and a half million Americans who have served in Vietnam.

But Nixon is unable to fully deliver on the promises of his address. After the United States withdraws from Vietnam, fighting between North and South continues. While Nixon vowed to continue supporting the South Vietnamese, an antiwar congress and the Watergate scandal block him from following through on this commitment. In spring of 1975, North Vietnam launches a major offensive that ends the conflict.

This leaves opinions around the impact of Nixon's Christmas Bombing divided. Some historians will credit the campaign with forcing the Vietnamese back to the bargaining table. But others will note that President Nixon signed a deal that was practically identical to the one negotiators had walked away from earlier.

Regardless, by the time the war is over, it will have lasted two decades and taken the lives of 55,000 Americans - half of them only 17 or 18 years old. It will also have claimed millions of lives in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. And whether the bombings brought about peace or were just a final display of military might in the face of defeat, Nixon's Christmas Bombing campaign will always be remembered as the last and largest bombing of America’s war in Vietnam, inflicting enormous devastation after its start on December 18th, 1972.

Outro

Next on History Daily. December 19th, 1843. Readers are introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge with the publication of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Ruben Abrahams Brosbe.

Executive Producers are Alexandra Currie-Buckner for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.