February 13, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson approves sustained bombing plans against North Vietnam
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
Vietnam War authority guide
Operation Rolling Thunder 1965–1968: U.S. Bombing Campaign Timeline
Operation Rolling Thunder was the sustained United States air campaign against North Vietnam conducted from 1965 to 1968. It sought to pressure Hanoi, restrict the movement of men and materiel to the South, and demonstrate continued American commitment to South Vietnam.
The campaign was shaped by political controls over targets and escalation, changing air-defense conditions, and continuing debate over whether bombing could alter North Vietnamese strategy. The records below bring together decisions, commands and operational milestones associated with the campaign.
13 matching database rows13 consolidated chronology entries1965–1968Key people: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Ho Chi Minh, Lyndon Johnson, Joseph H. Moore
People in the records
Lyndon Baines Johnson, Ho Chi Minh, Lyndon Johnson, Joseph H. Moore, Ulysses S. Grant Sharp Jr, Lyndon B Johnson, Robert McNamara
Places in the records
Vietnam, Washington, Saigon, Pacific Command
How duplicates are handled
Near-identical rows with the same date and place are consolidated for this page. The underlying database records remain unchanged and searchable on the main Vietnam War page.
Consolidated database chronology
Timeline of related events
Chronology is ordered by year, month and day where those fields are present.
February 13, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Sharp helps direct Pacific command responsibilities for Rolling Thunder operations
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Moore's 2nd Air Division participates in the opening phase of Rolling Thunder
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Rolling Thunder starts as the United States escalates air attacks against North Vietnam
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Sustained US bombing of North Vietnam begins under Operation Rolling Thunder
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Johnson begins sustained bombing of North Vietnam under Operation Rolling Thunder
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Scheduled to last 8 weeks, Rolling Thunder will continue for 3 yrs. Operation Rolling Thunder begins as over 100 American fighter-bombers attack targets in North Vietnam
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Begins sustained bombing of North Vietnam
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
Begins sustained bombing of North Vietnam under Operation Rolling Thunder
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
March 2, 1965
Operation Rolling Thunder
McNamara supports the air campaign intended to pressure Hanoi and restrict support for the Viet Cong
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
1967
Operation Rolling Thunder
Bombing against North Vietnam escalates to military bases
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
November 1, 1968
Operation Rolling Thunder
Brought to a halt, emphasis is placed on the trail network in Laos
Database labels: Operation Rolling Thunder
Sources and historical verification
This authority page consolidates World History Database records into a readable chronology. The database rows are research-index entries; important claims should be checked against primary documents and specialist histories.
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Provenance
Compiled and edited by the World History Database from structured historical records. This page consolidates 13 matching rows into 13 chronology entries to reduce duplicate and near-duplicate display. Last reviewed 2026-10-06.