As darkness settled in the North Vietnamese countryside on December 18, 1972, the first aircraft in a massive force of 129 B-52 Stratofortresses heavy bombers approached its target, with its characteristic engine humming in the background.

At 7:43pm, the Hoa Lac Airfield, located only 15 miles west of the North Vietnamese capital city, was impacted.

For the next 12 days, the theory and viability of American high-altitude strategic bombardment would be put to the test once more, aiming for some of the most heavily defended targets in the history of aerial warfare, even to this day.

In an attempt to force the North Vietnamese into returning to the negotiating table, Operation Linebacker II employed air power to its maximum capabilities, targeting radio stations, railroads, power plants, and airfields.

With the 1972 mission, the United States Strategic Air Command assembled the largest heavy bomber strikes ever launched by the service since World War 2…

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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

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