Bomb Craters from a B-52 Run

During the Cambodian Incursion in May 1970, I passed over an area in the jungle where there had been a recent bombing.  You can see a series of bomb craters, some filled with water from monsoon rains.  The craters were closely packed together so could only be made by B-52 Stratofortresses.

B-52's were originally designed to carry nuclear weapons.  In 1964 the United States decided to use B-52's to drop conventional bombs on Vietnam as part of what was referred to as Operation Arc Light.  The bombers flew from Guam and Thailand, dropped there bomb load then returned.  They provided air support to grunts in Vietnam.

 Each plane, depending on its configuration, carried up to 100 bombs in a mix of 500 and 750 pounders.  I heard they even  dropped 1000 lb. bombs.  Missions normally consisted of a three-plane formation called a cell.  They dropped there bombs at such a high elevation, the enemy below didn't see them or hear them coming until it was too late.

I can remember being in the jungle and hearing off in the distance this low rumble of a noise that continued for about ten seconds then abruptly ended.  I was told it was an arc light.  They say that enemy soldiers that lived through an arc light were found with their ears bleeding, no hearing and mentally lost.  I'm sure they were never the same person again.