Biographical / Historical
Operation Linebacker II, the first strategic bombing attack by the U.S. after World War II, was the heaviest bombing campaign in history. Also known as the "Eleven-Day War," the attack set forth a continuous barrage of air raids that targeted various strategic points around Hanoi and Haiphong between December 18 and 29, 1972. Sites bombed included power plants, warehouses, and rail and ship yards. Surrounded by a defense of SAM-2 missile sites, the Hanoi and Haiphong areas were among the most heavily defended regions in the entire world at that time. The U.S. aircraft bomber employed during this attack was the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range heavy bomber. Departing from both Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and U-Tapao Air Base in Thailand, the bombers succeeded in destroying eighty percent of North Vietnam's electrical power production. Following the attacks, reconnaissance aircraft were dispatched to gather information on damage that had resulted from the mission. Lt. Col. George B. Allison is a master navigator with more than 4,200 hours flying time, some 2,100 of which were in the B-52. He has nine years crew experience in bombardment aircraft and seven years staff experience in planning and instructing SAC bombing and navigation operations. He flew 76 B-52D combat missions in Southeast Asia from both U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand, and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. More than one-half of these were as a crew radar navigator during the last three months of 1972. They included 20 missions against targets in North Vietnam, two of which were LINEBACKER II missions from Guam against Hanoi.
