Objective: to reduce the flow of PAVN troops and supplies from North Vietnam into South Vietnam and Cambodia; to destroy trucks, supply caches, storage bases, the trail support structure, and the topography around th trail; to test sesnor devices

Description: During this time Laos became the third most bombed country in history. Each campaign in the operation lasted about six months and alternated between wet and dry seasons. Mostly the Air Force conducted these operations, though the U.S. Navy, Marines, and Royal Laotian Air Force also participated. The bombings focused on truck parks and storage areas during the day. At night, the planes attacked trucks. Also, passes from the DRV into Laos were bombed to casue landslides and at times RANCH HAND defoliation missions were flown along the trail. Predetermined sites were bombed near Tchepone, a key trans-shipment point, and in the four passes leading into Laos. However, COMMANDO HUNT failed due to the ability of the PAVN to control the war in the south and so control the amount of the supplies they needed. Also, the Ho Chi Minh Trail was all either paved or dirt road. There were no railroad yards or steal and concrete bridges to repair. The U.S. tried to measure their success by truck count, but these numbers were wildly estimated. At one time more trucks were reported destroyed than the CIA had estimated existed in the DRV. When the spring offensive began in 1972, COMMANDO HUNT was canceled, though bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail continued.

Title: The Encyclopedia Of The Vietnam War: A Political, Social & Military History

Title: Preliminary Checklist Of United States Military Operations In Southeast Asia

Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive