Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air ...

AIRMEN VERSUS GUERRILLAS
least an end to American involvement. The US Air Force saw
Linebacker II as a validation of air power and a demonstration
of what it could do if unencumbered by political restrictions
(fig. 65). Yet, the tactical aspects, the victory, should not obscure
the fact that strategic bombing did not achieve decisive
ends in Vietnam; the final treaty was substantially the same
as the agreements made in October. 67
Conclusions
The American Airmen were unprepared for the war fought in
the skies over Southeast Asia—unprepared in terms of the political
restrictions levied on them, the scant targets they had to
attack, and the nature of the long conventional war they had to
fight. As the realities of battle forced them to change both their
tactics and equipment, the Airmen had to relearn the lessons
of the past, and in the process, suffer substantial losses. They
again found that enemy antiaircraft defenses, SAMs rather
than aircraft, presented the major obstacle to air operations.
They again learned how dangerous it was to fly close to the
Figure 65.Terrier. A Terrier downed a MiG in 1972, one of three MiGs destroyed
by Navy SAMs.This Terrier is mounted on the USS McCormick.
(Reprinted from USAF.)
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