The Eleven Days of Christmas: America's Last Vietnam Battle

by Marshall L. Michel III

Moving from the White House to the B-52 cockpits to the missile sites and POW camps of Hanoi, The Eleven Days of Christmas is a gripping tale of heroism and incompetence in a battle whose political and military legacy is still a matter of controversy.

Genres: Military History, History, Aviation, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

325 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

About the author

Marshall L. Michel III, USAF (Ret.) served as a combat pilot during the Vietnam War, flying 321 missions in F4 Phantoms and RF-4s.

Reviews

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marshall L. Michel's book covering America's last great air battle in Vietnam, The 11 Days of Christmas is an excellent and gripping book telling the story of Linebacker II. I started reading this book on a Saturday and finished it by Sunday, the next day. The narrative was spellbinding; I was glued to the book and found it hard to put down.

The author offers a nice mix of in-depth research intermixed with first hand accounts of those involved, at every level and on both sides. This is a great book, easy to read and hard not to enjoy. I have read only a few books on the air war in Vietnam, The Ravens by Christopher Robbins, The Rescue of BAT-21 by Darrel Whitcomb and One Day in a Long War by Jeffrey Ethell and Alfred Price. However I still have no hesitation in recommending this book to any one who enjoys a well-written historical account of air warfare.

The author takes the reader through the background and events leading to the decision to carry out America's Linebacker II campaign. Covering points both from the political and military aspects of this campaign he shows the faults uncovered during the bombing campaign both with SAC and their political masters. It is surprising to read of the inadequacies uncovered and the stupidity behind some decisions.

By the time you get to the end of the book you come away with nothing but praise for the air crews involved in this battle regardless if you agree with the strategy of this bombing campaign or not. Further, the author offers you a rare insight into the North Vietnamese crews defending Hanoi and Haiphong during the bombing.

Not only does Michel offer you an excellent historical account of this campaign but you really get drawn into the story as you follow the crews of the B-52's as they make their way to their targets during the dark nights of December 1972. This is a great book that offers excellent story telling backed by in-depth research and numerous first-hand accounts from the participants of the campaign. Well done to the author.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A critical but balanced, compelling and well-researched history of Linebacker II.

Michel begins with a history of the Air Force and the buildup of SAC. He describes the controversial decision to use B-52s (originally envisioned only as a nuclear bomber) as a conventional bomber and how it was used in Vietnam. He then describes Linebacker II from a variety of perspectives, from the White House to the generals to the US pilots and to the North Vietnamese missile crews (who faced SAM shortages by the end of the campaign)

Michel does not argue that the air offensive was a clear-cut victory for the US, and describes moments where the situation could have swung in either side’s favor. He also describes the heavy B-52 losses after the North Vietnamese decided to move their SAMs to areas where they would be more effective; SAC (based in Nebraska and staffed mostly by officers who had never been deployed to Southeast Asia) stuck to the original plan anyway, and even forbade crews from making defensive maneuvers; bomber crews even received orders on when (and if) to use their jammers (which had never been tested against SA-2s). After taking more losses, their changes mostly just made things worse.

There aren’t too many problems, although there are a few typos and at one point Michel calls Sandys A-7s. Also, when describing the bombing from the Air Force perspective, he mainly just covers the bomber crews and not the other personnel involved (tankers, air controllers, bomb loaders, etc.)

A clear, nuanced and well-written work.

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of a recommendation of Aussie Rick, I acquired this book and it was interesting as well as very readable. I happened to engage a British pilot at lunch 2 weeks ago about the Linebacker II operation and we had a lively discussion. The book was well done to the point that I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to see the outcome of the North Vietnamese and American participants. I gained insight to Vietnam war tactics and diplomacy as well as this being a great read.

[Sean Smart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and enjoyable history of the Linebacker II B52 bombing raids against Hanoi in December 1972.

I found it very detailed but readable, interesting, accessible and well balanced with views from both the American side and the North Vietnamese.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well researched book that shows a battle from both sides and seems to tell it straight out. While for some it may seem too technical, it isn't to me. Once I got going in the book, I could not put it down.

[Morgan Libsack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Due to pressures by Congress, President Nixon had to move swiftly to get the Vietnamese to agree during peace talks and bring the American POWs home. Soon enough, Linebacker II was in motion. Strategic Air Command (SAC) organized the largest aircraft bombing the world had ever seen. It soon became evident that Vietnamese surface-to-air missiles would not be overwhelmed by the B-52 forces any time soon. The war swung side-to-side for 11 days. Some days, it was clear it would be an American victory and other days, a Vietnamese victory. In the book, Michel does a superb job including archived sources and interviews with several Vietnamese and American soldiers, all who served different roles in the war. Because my grandfather served in this particular war, I found this novel very interesting. The technicality of the book would intrigue anyone who may have served in Vietnam, is in the military, or simply has a love for aircrafts.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “The Eleven Days of Christmas” Marshall Michel, who has served as a combat pilot during the later stages of the Vietnam War flying F-4 Phantoms, tells the story of Operation Linebacker II, the final major air campaign of the Vietnam war that took place in December 1972. The Nixon administration, anxious to put an end to a deeply unpopular war in the domestic front, launched a series of massive air strikes against targets in North Vietnam with the aim of bringing the north-Vietnamese leadership to the negotiating table and reaching a peace agreement. At the tip of the spear of the air assaults were the B-52s strategic bombers and their crews that were to face the formidable air defences around Hanoi. It is their story that Marshall Michel attempts to recount in his book, based on interviews with participants, official documents and after-action reports as well as his personal experience as a combat pilot. He covers all aspects of the battle, from the planning and preparation at the staff level to the crews’ experience inside the cockpit dodging SAMs above Hanoi. The author is particularly good at explaining the institutional culture of the strategic branch of the USAF and how it influenced the course of the operation. Overall, this is a well-written book with an engaging style and succeeds in describing the rationale behind Linebacker II, the actual battle and its outcome. Highly recommended.

[Tech Historian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Military history done right.

Too often military histories are unreadable because of their focus on the tactical minutia of battle or conversely their strategic distance from the front-line. This book is the best example of a military history done right. The author has the skill to communicate the immediacy of "being there" while being able to back up and put the battle into the strategic and political context in which it fit.

This book also illustrates a basic human trait, one that emerges in time of war or crisis - people and organizations that make poor decisions tend to cover their rears after the fact. This could be excused in business, but is ironic in the military since thousands of years of warfare has taught us that the key to victory is to understand our defeats. Military organizations that have no culture driving open and honest assessments, or leadership to learn from failures, tend to lose the war. Those that turn failures into learning opportunities get to fight again.

This book now stands as the definitive history of the Linebacker II air war.
I wish the author a long and successful career.

[Jonathan Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offers a history and first-hand testimonies of the campaign that helped end the Vietnam War. The more I read, the more and more angry I got. The problems plaguing the campaign exist today and sadly, most of them are ego-driven.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent synopsis of the ridiculously poor leadership coupled with extreme stubbornness of the old-fashioned leaders of the SAC leadership during linebacker 2 at the closing phases of the Vietnam war.

[Victor Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straight up no bs breakdown of operation Linebacker II

[W. Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this book yesterday. I enjoyed it, and learned a lot about the bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong in North Vietnam in December of 1972. I didn't pay much attention to these events when they occurred, as I was in high school and had other things on my mind!

The author has done his homework on the battle the Vietnamese now remember as their "Dien Bien Phu of the Air" - in reference to their historic victory over the French in the early 1950s (1954?).

The author does a good job of telling the truth of the battle, including the failings of the US Strategic Air Command staff and the 8th Air Force. The official USAF version would disagree, but this guy makes sense and has thoroughly referenced and supported his conclusions.

I was amazed to learn how many B-52s were shot down during this battle! I had no idea we had ever lost so many of the BUFFs, much less in one, multi-day battle. Having seen a BUFF up close only once, at a museum in Mobile, Alabama some years ago, I am thoroughly impressed by this amazing aircraft. I can't imagine so may of them being felled in so short a period of time, by an army we had obviously underestimated at the time (or, at least the SAC staff did).

If you are a fan of military history, and especially of the US involvement in Vietnam, this would be a good read for you.

[Mof · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unknown gem of a book. Well written and speaks to both military tactics and history as well as valuable management lessons. It is a modern Twelve O'clock High. There was drama in the Oval office as Nixon and Kissenger strategized how to bring the North Vietnamese back to the negotiating table and obtain "Peace with Honor". But the book merely touches on that. It also spends a little time on the history of the Strategic Air Command and why that dictated much of the cold war strategy. The real meat of the book was how the command planned and bungled a short mission. They planned in headquarters ignoring much of what had been learned in the field over the course of the war. They fought the last war,using tactics that worked in the final days of WWII when Japan had little or no air defense. They managed centrally. They had no way to incorporate feedback from the field. Their field commanders had no relevant combat experience in their mission. The technology of the enemy was known, but not examined for its strengths. The skill of the enemy was underestimated.
Because of this the battle was nearly lost. Yet when won, the lessons were ignored.
Well written and a page turner. Even though the outcome is known, there is still suspense in the story.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an interest in war history, who knows why? This was a good book. I learned a lot. Just as much, I am befuddled by war and this further illustrated how insane it is. Dad loaned it to me.

[Kashayar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing. A must read!