1969–1970 US covert military operation in Cambodia
Operation Menu
Part of the Cambodian Civil War and Vietnam War
B-52D bombers carry out a strike
Date
18 March 1969 – 26 May 1970
Location
Eastern Cambodia
Result
Strategic US Failure
PAVN/VC and material losses
Failure to prevent North Vietnamese forces from operating in the country
Failure to kill COSVN leadership
Commencement of the Cambodian Campaign
Belligerents
United States South Vietnam Khmer Republic (1970 onwards)
North Vietnam Viet Cong FUNK:
Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rumdo
Vietnamese-aligned Communists
Commanders and leaders
Richard M. Nixon Henry Kissinger
Casualties and losses
Unknown. The estimated population of the target areas for Operation Menu was more than 4,000 Cambodian civilians. Much higher estimates of civilian casualties in the tens of thousands are confusing Operation Menu with Operation Freedom Deal.
v
t
e
Military engagements during the Vietnam War
Guerrilla phase
Laos
Biên Hòa
Đồng Khởi
Chopper
Palace Bombing
Sunrise
Shufly
Ấp Bắc
Go Cong
Hiep Hoa
34A
Long Dinh
Kien Long
Quyet Thang 202
USNS Card
Nam Dong
An Lao
Binh Gia
Camp Holloway
Dương Liễu – Nhông Pass
Qui Nhơn
Ka Nak
Sông Bé
Ba Gia
Dong Xoai
American intervention1965
Starlite
Piranha
An Ninh
Plei Me
Hump
Gang Toi
1st Bau Bang
Ia Drang
Bushmaster II
Harvest Moon
1966
Marauder
Crimp
Van Buren
Masher/White Wing
Double Eagle
Mastiff
Suoi Bong Trang
New York
Harrison
Cocoa Beach
Utah
Silver City
A Sau
Oregon
Texas
Lincoln
Fillmore
Jackstay
Buddhist Uprising
Xa Cam My
Georgia
Birmingham
Davy Crockett
Austin IV
Paul Revere
Crazy Horse
El Paso
Hardihood
Wahiawa
Lam Son II
Hawthorne
Hill 488
Nathan Hale
Jay
Macon
Hastings
Minh Thanh Road
John Paul Jones
Prairie
Colorado
Duc Co
Long Tan
SS Baton Rouge Victory
Amarillo
Byrd
Sunset Beach
Seward
Thayer, Irving and Thayer II
Attleboro
Deckhouse IV
Shenandoah
Atlanta
Paul Revere IV
Geronimo
Tan Son Nhut airbase
Fairfax
Firebase Bird
1967
Deckhouse V
Cedar Falls
Desoto
Gadsden
Sam Houston
Pershing
Enterprise
Tra Binh Dong
Bribie
Junction City (1st Prek Klok
2nd Prek Klok
Ap Gu
Suoi Tre
2nd Bàu Bàng)
Francis Marion
Lejeune
Union
Baker
Manhattan
The Hill Fights
Beaver Cage
Con Thien/DMZ
Hickory
Prairie II
Prairie III
Prairie IV
Buffalo
Kentucky
Kingfisher
Crockett
Malheur I and Malheur II
Kole Kole
Barking Sands
Union II
Dragnet
Akron
Billings
Concordia
The Slopes
Hong Kil Dong
Diamond Head
Coronado
Coronado II
Hood River
Suoi Chau Pha
Benton
Coronado IV
Swift
Dragon Fire
Wheeler/Wallowa
Coronado V
Kunia
Bolling
Medina
Shenandoah II
Ong Thanh
1st Loc Ninh
MacArthur
Dak To
Osceola
Lancaster
Coronado IX
Neosho
Santa Fe
Essex
Kien Giang 9-1
Napoleon
Phoenix
Manchester
Saratoga
Yellowstone
Muscatine
Badger Tooth
Auburn
Tet Offensive and aftermath
New Year's Day battle of 1968
McLain
Khe Sanh
Ban Houei Sane
Lang Vei
Coronado X
Tet Offensive
Da Nang
US Embassy
Cholon and Phu Tho Racetrack
Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Joint General Staff Compound
Bien Hoa and Long Binh
Hue
Quảng Trị
Bến Tre
Coburg
Lo Giang
Hop Tac I
Coronado XI
Houston
Patrick
Tam Kỳ
Truong Cong Dinh
Lima Site 85
Quyet Thang
My Lai Massacre
Walker
Carentan
Pegasus
Cochise Green
Toan Thang I
Burlington Trail
Scotland II
Delaware
Allen Brook
May Offensive
Dai Do
West Saigon
Landing Zone Center
An Bao
South Saigon
Concordia Square
Kham Duc
Coral–Balmoral
Jeb Stuart III
Nevada Eagle
Mameluke Thrust
Toan Thang II
Robin
Binh An
Thor
Pocahontas Forest
Quyet Chien
Somerset Plain
Phase III Offensive
Duc Lap
Champaign Grove
Vinh Loc
Thượng Đức
Maui Peak
Henderson Hill
Sheridan Sabre
Meade River
Hat Dich
Speedy Express
Taylor Common
Fayette Canyon
Vietnamization 1969–1971
DMZ Campaign (1969–1971)
Bold Mariner
Dewey Canyon
Toan Thang III
2nd Tet
Iron Mountain
Massachusetts Striker
Wayne Grey
Purple Martin
Ben Het
Maine Crag
Atlas Wedge
Frederick Hill
Geneva Park
Montana Mauler
Oklahoma Hills
Washington Green
Virginia Ridge
Apache Snow
Hamburger Hill
Lamar Plain
Pipestone Canyon
Binh Ba
Montgomery Rendezvous
Utah Mesa
Campbell Streamer
Idaho Canyon
Nantucket Beach
Fulton Square
LZ Kate
Toan Thang IV
Randolph Glen
Green River
Texas Star
FSB Ripcord
Cambodian campaign
Pennsylvania Square
Clinch Valley
Elk Canyon
Pickens Forest
Wolfe Mountain
Chicago Peak
Firebase O'Reilly
Chenla I
Imperial Lake
Jefferson Glenn
Tailwind
Son Tay Raid
Cuu Long 44-02
Toan Thang 1/71
Snuol
Lam Son 719
Finney Hill
Middlesex Peak
FSB Mary Ann
Caroline Hill
Long Khánh
Chenla II
Nui Le
1972
Easter Offensive
Cambodia and Mekong Delta
1st Quang Trị
Loc Ninh
An Lộc
Mỹ Chánh Line
Kontum
Thunderhead
2nd Quang Trị
The Vinh wiretap
Post-Paris Peace Accords (1973–1974)
War of the flags
Cửa Việt
Hồng Ngự
Tong Le Chon
Trung Nghia
Ap Da Bien
Quang Duc
Tri Phap
Svay Rieng
Iron Triangle
Duc Duc
Thượng Đức
Phú Lộc
Phước Long
Spring 1975
Ban Me Thuot
Hue–Da Nang
Phan Rang
Xuân Lộc
Fall of Phnom Penh
Fall of Saigon
Mayaguez incident
Air operations
Farm Gate
Chopper
Ranch Hand
Pierce Arrow
Barrel Roll
Pony Express
Flaming Dart
Iron Hand
Rolling Thunder
Steel Tiger
Arc Light
Combat Skyspot
Tiger Hound
Shed Light
Thanh Hoa
Bolo
Popeye
Yen Vien
Niagara
Igloo White
Commando Hunt
Giant Lance
Menu
Patio
Freedom Deal
Proud Deep Alpha
Linebacker I
Enhance Plus
Linebacker II
Homecoming
Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Babylift
New Life
Eagle Pull
Frequent Wind
Naval operations
Yankee & Dixie stations
Gulf of Tonkin
Market Time
Vung Ro Bay
Game Warden
Double Eagle
Stable Door
PIRAZ
Sea Dragon
Deckhouse Five
Bo De River, Nha Trang, Tha Cau River
Sealords
Đồng Hới
Pocket Money
Custom Tailor
End Sweep
Paracel Islands
East Sea
Lists of allied operations
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973–74
1975
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Military engagements of the Laotian Civil War
North Vietnamese invasion
Hotfoot
1960 Laotian coups (Battle of Vientiane)
Battle of Ban Pa Dong
Battle of Luang Namtha
Momentum
Pincushion
Battle of Lak Sao
Hardnose
Wapi
1964 Laotian coups
Triangle
Unity
1965 Laotian coups
Star
Battle of Nam Bac
Battles of Nakhang
1966 Laotian coup d'état
Ban Naden raid
1967 Opium War
Sone Pet
Battle of Ban Houei Sane
Battle of Lima Site 85
Pigfat
Junction City Jr.
Toan Thang
Left Jab
Off Balance
About Face
139
Diamond Arrow
Snake Eyes
Maeng Da
Honorable Dragon
Tailwind
Counterpunch
Tchepone
Copper
Silver Buckle
74B
Lam Son 719
Desert Rat
Xien Dong
Phoutah
Phiboonpol
Sayasila
Phou Khao Kham
Sourisak Montry VIII
Bedrock
Thao La
Z
Maharat
Sinsay
Strength I
Strength II
Fa Ngum
Black Lion
Phou Phiang II
Black Lion III
972
Maharat II
Phou Phiang III
1973 Laotian coup d'état attempt
Hin Heup
Air operations
Booster Shot
Millpond
Barrel Roll
Steel Tiger
Pony Express
Tiger Hound
Project 404
Commando Hunt
Raindance
Menu
Operation Menu was a covert United States Strategic Air Command (SAC) tactical bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia from 18 March 1969 to 26 May 1970 as part of both the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War. The targets of these attacks were sanctuaries and base areas of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN – commonly referred to during the Vietnam War as the North Vietnamese Army [NVA]) and forces of the Viet Cong (VC), which used them for resupply, training, and resting between campaigns across the border in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The impact of the bombing campaign on the Khmer Rouge guerrillas, the PAVN, and Cambodian civilians in the bombed areas is disputed by historians.
An official United States Air Force record of US bombing activity over Indochina from 1964 to 1973 was declassified by US President Bill Clinton in 2000. The report provides details of the extent of the bombing of Cambodia, as well as of Laos and Vietnam. According to the data, the air force began bombing the rural regions of Cambodia along its South Vietnam border in 1965 under the Johnson administration; this was three-and-a-half years earlier than previously believed. From 1965 to 1968, 214 tons of bombs were dropped over Cambodia.[1] The Menu bombings were an escalation of what had previously been tactical air attacks. Newly inaugurated President Richard Nixon authorized for the first time use of long-range Boeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers to carpet bomb Cambodia.[2]
Operation Freedom Deal immediately followed Operation Menu. Under Freedom Deal, B-52 bombing was expanded to a much larger area of Cambodia and continued until August 1973.
^Owen, Taylor; Kiernan, Ben (October 2006). ""Bombs over Cambodia"" (PDF). The Walrus. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^High, Holly; Curran, James R.; Robinson, Gareth (2013). "Electronic Records of the Air War Over Southeast Asia: A Database Analysis". Journal of Vietnamese Studies. 8 (4): 86–124. doi:10.1525/vs.2014.8.4.86. ISSN 1559-372X. JSTOR 10.1525/vs.2014.8.4.86.
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