In the spring of 1965, within weeks of 3,500 American Marines arriving in Vietnam, a 39-year-old Briton named Larry Burrows began work on a feature for LIFE magazine, chronicling the day-to-day experience of U.S. troops on the ground – and in the air – in the midst of the rapidly widening war. The photographs in this gallery focus on a calamitous March 31, 1965, helicopter mission; Burrows’ “report from Da Nang”, featuring his pictures and his personal account of the harrowing operation, was published two weeks later as a now-famous cover story in the April 16, 1965, issue of LIFE.

Photo: Man your battle stations: The crew chief of helicopter Yankee Papa 13, lance corporal James C. Farley, mans an M-60 machine gun during a mission near Da Nang, Vietnam on March 31, 1965. (Photo by Larry Burrows/Time & Life Pictures)

“Aurora over a glacier lagoon”. A vivid green overheaded aurrora pictured in Iceland's Vatnajokull National Park reflected almost symetrically in Jokulsrlon Glacier lagoon. A complete lack of wind and currrent combin in this sheltred lagoon scene to crete an arresting mirror effect giving the image a sensation of utter stillness. Despite theis there is motion on a suprising scale, as the loops and arcs of the aurora are shaped by the shifting forces of the Earth's magnetic field. James Woodend of Great Britain won the grand prize with the image, beating out more than 2,500 other entries. The Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 contest is judged by the Royal Observatory Greenwich and BBC Sky at Night magazine. (Photo by James Woodend/The Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 Contest)

Thor, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory, tries to connect the hose to a firehose connection during the hose task at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Friday, December 20, 2013, in Homestead, Fla. (Photo by Alan Diaz/AP Photo)

Actress Anya Taylor-Joy is seen outside “Good Morning America” on February 17, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

Janelle Monae (L) and Taraji P. Henson pose with the SAG Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture award for “Hidden Figures”, during the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, 29 January 2017. (Photo by Paul Buck/EPA)

A model presents the Flesby, a one-seater mobility concept car, during a media preview of the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan on October 25, 2017. Japan's flagship automakers present their futuristic visions for the post-fossil fuel era at the Tokyo Motor Show that kicks off Wednesday. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Emily Ratajkowski sun bathes at Paradise Cove in Malibu, CA on March 9, 2017. Emily showed off her stunning figure in a white bikini and large sunhat. She sipped beer as she relaxed with her boyfriend Jeff Magid. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

People walk as snow falls in a main street in Jerusalem, 17 February 2021. Israeli Forecasters and the Meteorological Service ex​pect snow fall in Jerusalem. (Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA/EFE)