Is it possible that the US bombed Laos and Vietnam more than the Soviet Union and China did in World War II? This question is an important one, as the US bombing campaigns were not as effective as they were in WW2. But what exactly did the US do to get more success? What did China and the Soviet Union do to help the North Vietnamese? In this article, we will answer this question and compare them in an attempt to find out which country received more bombs during the Vietnam War.
How many times did the US bomb Laos?
When it came to the bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War, the US dropped 2.5 million tons of ordnance. While focusing on the war in Vietnam, the US military was also conducting a covert campaign to cut off North Vietnamese supply lines in Laos. Approximately 600,000 bombing runs delivered the explosives, the equivalent of one planeload every eight minutes for nine years. That’s nearly a ton of bomb per person in Laos. In fact, Laos was the most heavily bombed country per capita during the war.
Although Laos was bombed more than any other country in the world, the people of this predominantly rural country are resilient and kind. They don’t ask for handouts, and the collective resilience of the people is inspiring. Even 50 years after the bombings stopped, hundreds of Laotians suffer from unexploded ordnance, which often lies in rice fields, villages, and even school playgrounds.
Which war dropped the most bombs?
It is widely acknowledged that the United States and its allies dropped over 7 million tons of bombs on Vietnam, but how many people knew exactly where those bombs landed? In late 2016, the U.S. Department of Defense released data on U.S. bombing missions, from World War I to the Vietnam War. This data was so rich and detailed that it begged to be mapped. So, we did.
The United States dropped 2.5 million tons of bombs in Laos between 1964 and 1973. While it was focusing on the Vietnam war, the US military was also conducting a covert campaign to cut off North Vietnamese supply lines in Laos. These bombing runs delivered a staggering amount of explosives, the equivalent of a planeload every eight minutes for nine years. That’s nearly a ton of bombs per person in Laos, making it the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita.
The bombing of Laos was particularly brutal. As a result, up to 30 percent of the bombs dropped did not explode, leaving Laos contaminated with millions of pieces of unexploded ordnance. Over 20,000 people have died from UXO in Laos since the bombing ceased. As a result, over eighty percent of Laotian provinces have been classified as being severely contaminated with unexploded ordnance.
How many bombs did America drop on Laos?
During the Vietnam War, the United States began a covert bombing campaign over Laos, destroying entire villages and erasing the country’s agricultural and forestry industries. Throughout the war, the United States dropped about two million tons of ordnance on Laos – an average of one planeload every eight minutes – and caused widespread destruction. Bombing missions killed tens of thousands of civilians and made villages and fields inaccessible.
While many of the bombs dropped in Laos were deemed harmless, nearly thirty percent did not detonate on impact. This means that 80 million of the 260 million dropped did not explode. In addition, the rest of the bombs are so dangerous that many locals fear cultivating their fields. About one person dies every day from unexploded bombs. In Laos, about half of all agricultural land is contaminated with unexploded ordnance.
Approximately 100 Laotians die from unexploded cluster bombs each year. Cluster bomblets are bomblets packed in canisters and meant to explode in mid-air, scattering small explosives over a wide radius. As of 2016, the U.S. is spending $30 million a year clearing up UXO. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) has contaminated over a third of the country, and it is estimated that 80 million live cluster bomblets remain in the country. The process of clearing up these bomblets has been arduous and costly, costing the country more than $17 million per day in inflation adjusted dollars.
What country got bombed the most in ww2?
What country got bombed the most during World War II? The Allied forces bombed Italy heavily during the war. The Allied forces focused on factories and small cities, resulting in relatively little damage and few casualties. RAF Bomber Command, however, launched a large area bombing campaign over northern Italy in autumn 1942, resulting in devastating damage to Milan, Turin, Genoa, and the industrial triangle. The Allied forces targeted both the industrial triangle and the aqueducts and canals in Italy.
France was the second most heavily bombed country during WW2. Allied forces dropped over 75,000 tonnes of bombs on France during the war, more than twice as much as the UK. This massive bombing destroyed many cities, including Paris, but also killed many civilians. After the war ended, France began preparing for peace, and after the Japanese surrendered, it began bombing the Allied forces.
How many bombs did we drop in Vietnam?
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military dropped 14 million tons of bombs in the country. Those bombs destroyed seventy percent of North Vietnam’s industries and decimated 4,000 villages, some of them schools. Millions of people died from chemical defoliants and other health effects. Approximately 21 million bomb craters were left in the country’s land. Unfortunately, many of these craters are still there today.
While the United States officially ended its military presence in Vietnam in 1975, American personnel continued to use deadly chemicals and explosive ordnance. Innocent children and families served as guinea pigs for our war. And we were not the only countries to use such weapons. The United States violated these agreements for a decade before the end of the war. However, we pledged to comply with international law and treaties after the war, and many treaties came into effect in the years following the Vietnam War.
Although the Vietnam War was one of the few Cold War conflicts in which the United States could have used nuclear weapons, it was not used. This resulted in a war with high casualties and political costs in South Vietnam, which continued throughout the ten-year war. Yet the United States continued to argue that the war in Southeast Asia was necessary for U.S. interests and the prestige of the United States. But today, we have more information about the Vietnam War than ever before.
How many bombs were dropped in Vietnam War?
To have a more detailed picture of the bombing campaigns, look at this map. Nearly every bombing and ground attack mission is marked on the map. The grid pattern is the result of rounding errors made during after-action reports. American military planners also feared high civilian casualties during a total war and the international condemnation of such an effort. They also feared drawing China into the conflict.
In all, over seven million tons of bombs were dropped on the Vietnamese and North Vietnamese cities during the Vietnam War. The total number of bombs dropped by the United States and its allies ranges from tens of thousands to millions of tons. The war in Vietnam lasted eight years. Approximately eight million tons of munitions were dropped by U.S. and allied aircraft in North and South Vietnam. As of 1975, more than six million tons of bombs had been dropped in the war in Indochina. The bombing of Vietnam remains one of the most devastating air campaigns in history.
Most of the bombing missions were one-off strikes and were executed in support of ground troop movements or outbursts on the frontline. But most bombing missions were part of 15 named campaigns. One such campaign was Operations Linebacker I and II. These two campaigns took place around the same time when Hanoi switched from guerrilla warfare to a more conventional war strategy. Bombing during this period was aimed at destroying Hanoi’s military capabilities, which ultimately led to a huge increase in casualties.
Which is the most bombed country in the world?
The aerial bombardment of Laos by the U.S. began in 1964 and lasted for nine years. Nearly five hundred thousand planes dropped two million bombs on Laos’ countryside, and more than half of them failed to detonate. While the United States and its allies aimed to stop the Ho Chi Minh Trail and protect the central government from collapse, the bombings decimated the country’s countryside and killed thousands of villagers.
Laos is often referred to as “the land of the dead”. The former capital of Cambodia was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 and began a reign of terror. The Pathet Lao, a communist party, seized power and consolidated their rule over the nation. They exiled the king and many former government officials to reeducation camps, where many of them died. Thousands of ethnic Hmong fled to Thailand to escape persecution by the Pathet Lao.
How many pounds of bombs were dropped in Vietnam?
How many pounds of bombs were dropped in the Vietnam War? The United States dropped more than 14 million tons of explosives on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Combined, the bombing dropped by American aircraft was more than twice that of World War II. Bombing wiped out peasants’ irrigation systems and left huge craters in rice paddies and hillside areas. There are estimates that 21 million craters were left in South Vietnam by the end of the war.
In January 1968, the U.S. Air Force began bombing Laos targets. These planes were armed with cluster bombs and dropped nearly one planeload every eight minutes for nine years. This disproportionate number of bombs meant that North Vietnam was cut off from their supply routes. The war lasted for nearly four years, and the United States and South Vietnam tried to block their access. To date, this country remains the most heavily bombed nation per capita.
About The Author
Tess Mack is a social media expert who has fallen down more times than she can count. But that hasn't stopped her from becoming one of the most well-known Twitter advocates in the world. She's also a web nerd and proud travel maven, and is considered to be one of the foremost experts on hipster-friendly social media. Tess loves sharing interesting facts with her followers, and believes that laughter is the best way to connect with people.