From October 4, 1965, to August 15, 1973, the United States dropped 2,756,941 tons of bombs on Cambodia in 230,516 sorties on 113,716 sites. Just over 10 percent of this bombing was indiscriminate, with 3,580 of the sites listed as having “unknown” targets and another 8,238 sites having no target listed at all – all in an attempt to stop the Viet Cong from coming South. And how did that work out for the Americans???
Civilian casualties in Cambodia drove an enraged populace into the arms of an insurgency that had enjoyed relatively little support until the bombing began, setting in motion the expansion of the Vietnam War deeper into Cambodia, a coup d’état in 1970, the rapid rise of the Khmer Rouge, and ultimately the Cambodian genocide.
During this reign of Pol Pot and the “killing fields,” millions of land mines were laid along the border to keep other countries out as well as keep the Cambodian people “in.” Each year hundreds of Cambodian people are still killed and maimed by land mines and unexploded bombs.
Map of where land mines have been laid.
American bombers at work.
Map of the American bombing strikes.
Display of the mayhem collected over the years.
US Cluster bomb.
There are so many Cambodians women maimed each year they have a separate beauty contest called “Miss Land Mine.” There is also a sister web site for women in Angola.
