Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. Operation THOR
Abstract
Operation THOR was a seven-day SLAM operation which took place in a portion of the Demilitarized Zone and lower Route Package I from 1 through 7 July 1968. It demonstrated the awesome amount of ordnance (a "ton a minute") that could be delivered by a joint-service exercise into a small geographic area over a short-time span Coordination and communications in Operation THOR were benefited from lessons learned in previous SLAM operations (Operations NEUTRALIZE and HEADSHED), and from preplanning conferences; however, post-operation critiques revealed there were strides to be made in these areas, at least insofar as multi-service exercises were concerned. The air effort in THOR was labeled an unqualified success by U.S. Marine commanders in northern I Corps Tactical Zone, largely upon the basis of "inferred BDA" and the reduction in enemy artillery, antiaircraft artillery (AAA), and shore battery fires Air Force planners, however, were concerned about the possibility that an inordinate amount of sorties may have been employed to achieve unknown effects. Several reviews of Operation THOR photography failed to substantiate the BDA claimed by III MAF; the question arose as to whether the effort was really worthwhile, and whether the sorties could have been used to better effect elsewhere.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 24, 1969
- Accession Number
- ADA485161
Entities
People
- A. W. Thompson
- Melvin F. Porter
Organizations
- Pacific Air Forces