How many air sorties did it take against the Thanh Hoa…

How many air sorties did it take against the Thanh Hoa bridge before it was destroyed?

Short answer

873 air sorties were used against the bridge, which took hundreds of bombs and missiles before finally being destroyed. In an earlier phase, 32 Bullpups and 1,200 bombs hit it without bringing it down. On April 27, twelve Phantoms from the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, eight carrying laser bombs, knocked it off its western abutment.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How many air sorties did it take against the Thanh Hoa bridge before it was destroyed?

Mc Donnell F-4C Phantom I Is of the 558th TFS in flight over South Vietnam, in December 1968

873 sorties and hundreds of bombs

873 air sorties were flown against the Thanh Hoa bridge, and it received hundreds of bombs and missiles before it was finally destroyed. After 32 Bullpups and 1,200 bombs had repeatedly hit it and charred it completely, the bridge did not fall. After one of the raids, carried out with great precision, it was still standing despite having been struck by more than 300 bombs. It is estimated that 104 American pilots were shot down in a 75-square-mile area around the bridge during the war.

27 April: the laser-guided Phantoms

On 27 April, twelve Phantoms of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Ubon (Thailand), attacked the Thanh Hoa bridge, and eight of them carried laser-guided bombs. The attack went off without a hitch and, when the dust from the explosions cleared, the bridge was seen to have been displaced from its western abutment, with one of its halves fallen into the river.

13 May: the central pier

A second attack was scheduled for 13 May, with fourteen Phantoms and laser-guided bombs of up to 2,000 lb aimed at the central pier supporting the bridge. Again the attack succeeded and the "Dragon's Jaw" was left completely unusable.