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The United States forces were consulting about the best war strategy against the DRV. They key to success, as they saw it, was the use of maximum force in the shortest possible time. Before ninety four targets had been chosen and it would take sixteen days to destroy them all by intensive attacks. From the history the Air Force knew that gradually accelerating bombing campaigns had been less effective. For example the bombing of Japan at the end of WW2 was not successful until the mass attacks followed by the use of nuclear bombs.
Due to the fact that the vast majority of North Vietnam\'s war material came from China and the USSR the economy was not an easy target. As well, many people lived off the land, cropped rice and didn\'t need other help. So a total eradication of the rice culture would be very effective because the following famine would weaken the country.
Issues of humanity aside a strategy of mass annihilation against a small communist country would provoke an intervention of China and Russia. Both were in possession of nuclear weapons and America was already afraid of a war against the People\'s Republic of China. Beijing had issued public warning too. Johnson and his secretary of defence McNamara decided to abort huge mass bombings against the DRV and to return to the old strategy they used in WW2, although it was not the more effective one. They wanted to keep the conflict localised and to avoid every foreign intervention. Operation ROLLING THUNDER should be carried out primarily by the huge B-52 bombers and naval attacks. Again President Johnson needed a provocation for justifying the unleashing of ROLLING THUNDER against North Vietnam. His opportunity began to unfold on 7 February 1965 when the Viet Cong assaulted an US helicopter base at Pleiku. These hit and run attacks resulted in the death of nine American citizens and damage of others. Within fourteen hours of the attack in Pleiku more than forty jets launched from the carriers Coral Sea and Hancock to eradicate a military training camp in the DRV. But such retaliation did not deter the Viet Cong and their agents started other acts of terrorism and sabotage. The US forces were fed up with the communists and finally started Operation ROLLING THUNDER.
Events were also moving towards a major American ground combat commitment in South Vietnam. In March 1965 3500 marines landed over the beaches and established defence positions around the airbases. The two Marine battalions were the first US ground combat units sent to the ROV. Some weeks later more than forty thousand troopers were added, plus service and support troops. It was very important to protect airbases, barracks and strategic points. For logistics a large number of people were also flown to South Vietnam. But Johnson was reluctant to go further with the war due to dissent in Congress about his radical policy in Asia. The first anti war demonstration took place in California at the university of Berkely and more protests were cropping up on college campuses. Though the congressional critics and the peace movements were small clouds an Johnson\'s horizon. He was more concerned about how to reintroduce talks with Ho Chi Minh´s diplomats. For him a withdrawal of the troops was unthinkable but Ho\'s government would receive diplomatic recognition of the USA if they stopped the VC insurgency in the south. Obviously this proposal ignored the history of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh´s determination of an unified country. In rejecting the plan DRV\'s premier minister Dong set down three conditions for a peace:
total withdrawal of American forces from South Vietnam
new government in Saigon with the NFL (communist party)
cancelling the bombing campaign without conditions
Johnson rejected all three conditions. In the meanwhile the strength of the VPLA forces had grown to more than 150000 fighters and many more would be infiltered with the help of the Ho Chi Minh trail. America had to decide between the total collapse of South Vietnam in the near future or the sending out of combat troops in large numbers. With an initial force of more than 175000 persons the country could be saved from the communists. If that didn\'t happen in the next time the ROV would surely fall to the north within a few months and the world would also lose its trust in America\'s credibility. There was still the danger that Russia or China would be involved. As well, nobody could give answers about the costs and how long the war would last.
The situation in South Vietnam deteriorated more and more and Johnson had to make a clear decision. Violating his own criticism of Truman\'s mode of bringing the United States into the Korean war, he did not go back to Congress for further authority. The forthcoming war in Vietnam would be very, very expensive for his country by increasing the existing budget of $ 100 billion by 10 percent. In the first time McNamara should try to obey the limit of $ 10 billion, but in the following years the costs would balloon to more than $ 26 billion. The war was more important than the predictions Johnson had given to his voters in the election campaign. If America was involved in a huge military action there wouldn\'t by any money left to fight against poverty and the inflation.
By the time President Johnson had decided to commit a large American ground force for the defence of the ROV. This plan consisted of three stages. At first the resistance should be broken, then the army would start offensives and at last the ARVN should be able to protect South Vietnam themselves. In August 1965 there was the first big battle with American involvement carried out in a valley called Ia Drang. On the American side the fighting was conducted in an innovative fashion and the latest technology was available. The battle saw the large scale use of the helicopters for moving troops, moving artillery and serving as weapons platforms for machine guns and rocket launchers. The US infantry used the new and fully automatic M-16 assault rifle and B-52 bombers could drop more than one hundred bombs of 500 lb. in thirty seconds. On the other side the Viet Cong were armed with the Soviet designed AK-47 automatic assault rifle, mortars and grenades. Despite their own great losses the communist troops never lost their will to fight and brought the Americans big causalities.
Still the outcome was an American victory and the rebels went back to Cambodia. By the end of 1965 there were more than 190000 US troops in South Vietnam and Johnson even pledged the SEATO members for support. By the beginning of 1968 the strength consisted of about half a million Americans, 50000 South Koreans, 12000 Thais, 8000 Australians and 1500 Filipinos. After more bombing campaigns McNamara was sure that there was no danger of a collapse in south Vietnam no more and urged his president to start peace talks with the government of Ho Chi Minh. In America more domestic conflicts appeared when two war opposers burnt themselves to death on the steps of the United Nations building in New York and of the Pentagon in Washington. However, when Premier Dong delivered as the same proposals as some months before ROLLING THUNDER was resumed after a pause of thirty seven days.
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