Science Forums 2

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by HydrogenBond

Part of the problem with the Vietnam war was US would not allow itself to directly hit the supply lines coming into Vietnam via adjacent countries. This had to done clandestinely and therefore with marginal impact.

This claim, though a common one among American soldiers and civilians both during the time of the Vietnam war and in the present day, isn’t historically correct.

As described in many histories, and summarized in this wikipedia article, the US engaged in vigorous bombing campaigns to disrupt movement of war materials and personnel southward through neighboring countries, and even US troop movement into Cambodia (though not Laos, which officially welcomed only South Vietnamese soldiers and small numbers of US advisors to enter it territory).

The failure of these substantial bombing campaigns (over 7 million tons dropped in Vietnam and neighboring countries, over 3 times the amount dropped by the US in WWII – source Vietnam War Timeline : Vietnam War Statistics, although this site is not unbiased in many of the opinions stated there) to effectively interdict NVA movement to the south was then and remains believed to be due several factors, including to the ability of the Vietnamese to use many poor-quality roads and trails, while rapidly repairing bomb-damaged higher quality roads, lack or reliance on rail transportation, extensive use of underground bunkers, and the refusal to cede total air superiority to the US.