At Easter 1972, North Vietnam invaded the South, and there were almost no US ground troops left to stop it. But air power reinforcements could be rushed to the theater. Operation <i>Linebacker</i>¿s objective was to destroy the invading forces from the air and cut North Vietnam¿s supply routes ¿ and luckily in 1972, American air power was beginning a revolution in both technology and tactics. Most crucial was the introduction of the first effective laser-guided bombs, but the campaign also involved the fearsome AC-130 gunship and saw the debut of helicopter-mounted TOW missiles. Thanks to the new <i>Top Gun</i> fighter school, US naval aviators now also had a real advantage over the MiGs. This is the fascinating story of arguably the world¿s first ¿modern¿ air campaign. It explains how this complex operation ¿ involving tactical aircraft, strategic bombers, close air support and airlift ¿ defeated the invasion. It also explains the shortcomings of the campaign, the contrasting approach