The “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam
History Daily
History Daily
4.4 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 18 December 2024
⏱️ 21 minutes
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Summary
December 18, 1972. President Richard Nixon launches the “Christmas Bombing,” the last major offensive of the war on Vietnam. This episode originally aired in 2023.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free. Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondryos, eight years into the United States military involvement in the Vietnam War. |
| 0:34.6 | Captain Bob Certain, a B-52 navigator, says a silent prayer as his aircraft |
| 0:40.0 | makes an eastbound turn toward North Vietnam. Today, U.S. President Richard Nixon |
| 0:45.4 | ordered the start of an enormous bombing campaign. This morning, Captain Certain, and over |
| 0:50.6 | 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, |
| 1:00.4 | Hanoi. |
| 1:01.5 | When Captain Certain noticed that all three groups would fly nearly identical routes in single file, |
| 1:07.1 | he had his doubts. |
| 1:08.6 | Flying the same route over and over might turn the B-52s into easy |
| 1:12.7 | targets for North Vietnam's anti-aircraft arsenal. But it's not his job to ask questions. |
| 1:18.4 | Tonight he's just focused on doing everything in his power to ensure his mission succeeds. |
| 1:23.3 | The radio comes alive with reports from B-52s that have already entered the target zone. |
| 1:28.7 | The North Vietnamese are trying to take them down with surfaced air missiles, |
| 1:32.6 | and this news confirms Captain Certain's fears that they're in for a rocky flight. |
| 1:37.2 | But they've been ordered to take no evasive action until they reach their target. |
| 1:41.3 | So Captain Certain and his fellow crewman turn their focus from the radio and onto the path ahead. As they approach their target. So Captain Certain and his fellow crewman turned their focus from the radio and |
| 1:45.0 | onto the path ahead. As they approached their target, the doors of the B-52 open to prepare |
| 1:50.6 | to drop the bomber's payload. But all at once, the radar screens and other instruments on the |
| 1:55.6 | lower deck go black. Then comes the frantic voice of the B-52's co-pilot. They've been hit. As Captain Certain looks |
| 2:03.2 | around, he sees flames overtaking the plane. He needs to act fast, or the B-52's payload of 27, 750-pound |
| 2:11.6 | bombs will explode and take him and the rest of the crew with them. Quickly, he and his fellow crew |
| 2:17.3 | members release the bombs, |
... |
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