What shift occurred in July 1965 after Rolling Thunder began?

• A. Negotiations began and troops were withdrawn
• B. The war expanded to a broader bombing with no ground troops
• C. Johnson shifted U.S. troops from defensive to offensive operations, dispatching 50,000 more soldiers
• D. The U.S. adopted a purely air war with no ground troops

Answer: (C)

Rolling Thunder opened in 1965 as a broad bombing campaign, but the July shift marks a move from air pressure toward full-scale ground engagement. In July, President Johnson authorized a substantial increase in American troops in Vietnam—about 50,000 more soldiers were sent—signaling a switch to offensive ground operations alongside continued bombing. This change expanded the war’s scope beyond airstrikes to active combat on the ground, with more operations aimed at defeating Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces.

So, the era moved from an emphasis on aerial pressure to a clearer, intensified ground war, which is why the answer centers on the sizable troop surge and shift in military strategy.