The Johnson administration cited a number of reasons for shifting U.S. The Operation Rolling Thunder bombing campaign began on March 2, 1965, partly in response to a Viet Cong attack on a U.S. provided military equipment and advisors to help the government of South Vietnam resist a communist takeover by North Vietnam and its South Vietnam-based allies, the Viet Cong guerrilla fighters.Īmerica Launches Operation Rolling Thunder American Involvement in Vietnamīeginning in the 1950s, the U.S. Operation Rolling Thunder marked the first sustained American assault on North Vietnamese territory and represented a major expansion of U.S. This massive bombardment was intended to put military pressure on North Vietnam’s communist leaders and reduce their capacity to wage war against the U.S.-supported government of South Vietnam. military aircraft attacked targets throughout North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968. Operation Rolling Thunder was the codename for an American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War. Was Operation Rolling Thunder a Failure?.America Launches Operation Rolling Thunder.