John Morrocco

Rain of Fire covers that latter half of the air war in Vietnam: secret raids into Cambodia and Laos, along with Nixon's bombing of North Vietnam. Like the series, this book continues a combination of broad historical overview and personal vignettes that brings the war to life. Did you know that air traffic controllers in Vietnam handled a number of airplanes equivalent to what Chicago O'Hare sees in a year every day? Unlike some of the other books, this one comes right out and passes show more political judgement. Bombing in Laos and Cambodia was ineffective in blocking or even slowing the flow of supplies down the Ho Chi Minh trail. On the other hand, according to the book, the Linebacker raids did significantly damage North Vietnam, leading to concessions at the negotiating table. After less than a week of B-52 strikes, the North Vietnamese SAM defenses were essentially depleted. Even if their will to fight remained strong, and it did, the entire country was now vulnerable to American air power.

What this book merely hints at, and what I wish it had explored more, was the complex political situation surrounding air power in Vietnam. I don't think anybody was happy with the rules of engagement as they were developed; not the military, not Congressional hawks, not domestic doves, not the administration, the Soviets, or the North Vietnamese. The rules of engagement were a complex compromise between people who wanted to nuke Vietnam back to the stone age and people who wanted to get out of the war, and somehow they failed to satisfy any constituency. There's an important lesson here about political compromise and strategy, but I'm not quite sure what it is. show less