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)

Private Wallace Tratford arrives home on leave, Drouin, Victoria, ca. 1944. A.I.F. Private Wallace Tratford, son of 1st Constable James Tratford, Drouin's only policeman (responsible for area of 105 square miles; 3,000 people), arrives home on his first leave from New Guinea battlefronts since he was married.

In this handout image provided by Carnival Australia, captain of the Queen Mary 2 Christopher Rynd poses on the desk of the Queen Mary 2 on February 8, 2012 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by James Morgan/Carnival Australia via Getty Images)

“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge”, “The Queen” and “Prince Harry” outside the Summerhall arts venue in Edinburgh, Scotland, where their creator Alison Jackson is holding a live performance of her work called La Trashiata. Debuting at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and broadcast to Odeon Cinemas in association with Hibrow Productions, “La Trashiata” will feature a roster of Alison Jackson's brilliant lookalikes singing some of opera's most famous arias. The stage will be set for uncanny doppelgangers to each take to the stage and perform their amusingly appropriate song. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times/SIPA Press/News Syndication)

Fifty Shades Darker lingerie by Coco de Mer – capturing the “inner goddess” of Anastasia Steele – is launched following record-breaking release of movie’s new trailer. Official collection developed in conjunction with E.L. James to coincide with the new Fifty Shades Darker movie. They are the first official Fifty Shades Darker products to be released ahead of the new movie whose trailer was watched 114 million times in first 24 hours, breaking Star Wars: The Force Awakens previous record. (Photo by Rankin/Coco de Mer/Rex Shutterstock)

A statue is seen at the theme park “Love Land” on October 19, 2011 in Jeju, South Korea. Love Land is an outdoor sеx-themed sculpture park which opened in 2004 on Jeju Island. The park runs sеx education films and features 140 sculptures representing humans in various sеxual positions. It also has other elements such as large phallus statues, stone labia, and hands-on exhibits such as a “masturbation-cycle”. (Photo by James Jiao/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Flemish Minister President Jan Jambon pictured in the Danish pavilion during the official opening of the Belgian pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale – La Biennale di Venezia, International Art Exhibition, Thursday 21 April 2022, in Venice, Italy, Thursday 21 April 2022. Belgian artist Alys will present “The Nature of the Game”, an exhibition that will reveal a selection of films and a series of paintings. (Photo by James Arthur Gekiere/Belga Mag/Belga via AFP Photo)

Drag Race UK alumni, Cheddar Gorgeous in the window of a Primark store in Manchester to celebrate the opening of the Photo by Fujifilm x Primark concession in Manchester on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. Fans are invited to visit the instore concession on the first floor in Primark on Market Street where Cheddar Gorgeous will be in a garment made up of over 1,000 Fujifilm INSTAX prints and designed by local fashion creator and artist, Mariusz Malon. (Photo by James Speakman/PA Wire)