Carpet Bombing Of Cambodia

This mission and subsequent b 52 strikes inside cambodia became known as the menu bombings.
Carpet bombing of cambodia. A total of 3 630 flights over cambodia dropped 110 000 tons of bombs during a 14 month period through. Began in 1965 under president lyndon b. Nixon decided on a different course and beginning in 1969 the air force de ployed b 52s over cambodia. 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.
Cambodia bombing halted 1973 today in history 14 aug 18. 144 cambodian soldiers and civilians then unleashed a reign of terror murdering thousands of vietnamese civilians. President richard nixon s administration carpet bombed eastern cambodia from 1969 to 1973 although bombings and incursions into cambodia by the u s. Synd 26 06 1970 bombing mission eight miles inside cambodia duration.
Johnson and ended in 1975 under president gerald ford. Cause carpet bombing was believed to be of limited strategic value. 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. Technically bombing in cambodia had begun under president johnson in 1965 after the initiation of operation rolling thunder.
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. On march 18 1969 american b 52s began carpet bombing eastern cambodia. The new rationale for the bombings was that 67 bombs over cambodia to put 2 756 941 tons into perspective the allies dropped just over 2 million tons of bombs during. However under president johnson the bombing in cambodia was seen as a spillover of the fighting against the people s army of vietnam pavn and the national liberation front nlf.
Lon nol saw cambodia s population of 400 000 ethnic vietnamese as possible hostages to prevent pavn attacks and ordered their roundup and internment. As civilian casualties mounted and media accounts of the destruction surfaced public support for the carpet bombing diminished. Operation breakfast was the first course in a four year bombing campaign that drew cambodia headlong into the vietnam war.