- The operation was designed to force North Vietnam to cease its support for the communist insurgency in South Vietnam by destroying its military and industrial infrastructure. During Operation Rolling Thunder, the U.S. Air Force and Navy flew more than 300,000 sorties and dropped over 8 million tons of bombs.
- This made Operation Rolling Thunder the most sustained and intense aerial bombardment campaign in history up to that point. Despite years of intensive bombing effort, however, Operation Rolling Thunder failed to achieve its objectives significantly and ultimately proved ineffective in influencing the course of the war.