1972 in the Vietnam War
1972 in the Vietnam War saw foreign involvement in South Vietnam slowly declining. Three allies, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, which had each contributed military contingents, left South Vietnam this year. The United States continued to participate in combat, primarily with air power to assist the South Vietnamese, while negotiators in Paris tried to hammer out a peace agreement and withdrawal strategy for the United States.
| 1972 in the Vietnam War | |||
|---|---|---|---|
B-52 bombing run | |||
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| Belligerents | |||
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Anti-Communist forces: South VietnamUnited States South Korea Australia New Zealand Khmer Republic Thailand Kingdom of Laos Republic of China |
Communist forces: North VietnamViet Cong Khmer Rouge Pathet Lao Soviet Union | ||
| Strength | |||
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South Vietnam: 1,048,000 | |||
| Casualties and losses | |||
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US: 759 killed South Vietnam: 39,587 killed: 275 | U.S. estimate: 50,000 - 75,000 killed | ||
On 30 March North Vietnam launched the Nguyễn Huệ or Easter Offensive, a massive conventional invasion of South Vietnam. This led to a large increase in U.S. airpower and airstrikes to defend South Vietnam and a resumption of bombing of North Vietnam. By September the South Vietnamese had regained most of the territory lost in the offensive and the North Vietnamese returned to negotiations. Operation Linebacker II in mid to late December saw intensive bombing around Hanoi and Haiphong.