Operation Steel Tiger was a Vietnam War military operation carried out by the USAF 2nd Air Division and US Navy Task Force 77, from April 3, 1965, to November 11, 1968. It was an air interdiction campaign against ground targets to stem the flow of North Vietnamese troops and material moving south from North Vietnam through southeastern Laos to support their military effort in South Vietnam.
Background
Bombing of the trail system had begun on 14 December 1964 with the advent of Operation Barrel Roll. Due to increasing US intelligence of the build-up of North Vietnamese regimental-size units operating in South Vietnam, American planners in Washington and Saigon decided that the bombing in southeastern Laos should be stepped up, deciding to implement Operation Steel Tiger.
The Operation
Although Operation Steel Tiger was started by the 2nd Air Division, on April 3, 1965, it was continued under the direction of the Seventh Air Force when that headquarters was created on 1 April 1966, and was concluded on November 11, 1968, with the initiation of Operation Commando Hunt. The purpose of Steel Tiger was to stop the flow of men and materiel on the enemy logistical routes collectively known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was the Truong Son Strategic Supply Route to the North Vietnamese.
During 1965, 4,500 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops were infiltrated through Laos along with 300 tons of materiel each month. From April through June 1966, the US launched 400 B-52 Stratofortress anti-infiltration sorties against the trail system. By the end of 1967 and the absorption of Steel Tiger operations into Operation Commando Hunt, 103,148 tactical air sorties had been flown in Laos. These strikes were supplemented by 1,718 B-52 Arc Light strikes. During the same time frame, 132 U.S. aircraft or helicopters had been shot down over Laos.
