DC Wings - Vietnam The Endless Abyss (1997)

Even as the U.S. and the USSR competed for military dominance in bombers and ICBMs, minor wars broke out all over the world. The most tragic of these wars was in Southeast Asia, where mistaken U.S. foreign policy dragged the country into an Asian ground war. The USAF fought brilliantly with its F-4s, F-105s, B-52s and other aircraft, despite rules of engagement which handicapped it. The 1960s saw a revolution in the raging of war that moved the control of conflicts from the generals to the politicians. Sadly, Vietnam became the testing ground for this new theory. President Lyndon Johnson micro-managed the war in Vietnam on a scale never-before seen. No bomb could be dropped without the direct approval of LBJ, who was quoted as saying “no one can bomb an outhouse without my approval.” In a war where pilots could not fire unless they were first fired-upon – often being killed or shot down and taken prisoner in the process – many in the military felt they were fighting a war with one hand tied behind their back. Poorly-defined war goals and micro-management from Washington brought the Air Force into Vietnam with little hope of success. Despite this, the men and aircraft involved provided a constant air threat and came home with a new vision for the future.

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