From the mighty B-52 bombing runs over the north to gunship strikes against the Vietcong guerrillas, it spanned almost every type of mission and an extraordinary range of aircraft.
It was also the most filmed war ever and this documentary uses the pick of the combat footage to tell the full story, from the first U.S. advisor missions in the early 1960s to the massive and sustained operations a few years later.
The U.S. footage is mirrored by that from North Vietnamese sources, which shows their anti-aircraft defences in action and the effects of the U.S. bombing.
