A woman falls to the beach after she was attacked by three white women segregationists, when she attempted a wade-in with several African American and white desegregationist demonstrators, June 23, 1964, St. Augustine Beach, Fla. The people in the photo are unidentified. (Photo by AP Photo/JK)

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)

“Farmer reading his farm paper”. Coryell County, Texas, September 1931. (Photo by George W. Ackerman)

P.S. All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture (if available; this principle works anywhere on the site AvaxNews).

104-year-old John Faulkner of Appleford, Berkshire enjoys a pipe and a glass of beer as he remembers his considerable past. A former jockey, he has been married twice and fathered 32 children. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). 17th March 1932

South Vietnamese-born designer Quasar drives the six-foot long square-shaped plastic car he built and which is scheduled to be a hit with the young driving set, in Paris, June 23, 1967. The car can be driven at speeds of up to 60 mph (Photo by Michel Laurent/AP Photo)

Tandem hair drying is possible with a new two-hood attachment for any electric hair dryer manufactured by Postcraft Co of Tucson, Ariz., shown in Chicago, January 27, 1965. A Y adapter permits two hoses to be attached to the dryer. (Photo by Edward Kitch/AP Photo)

Members of the Raskol gang “Dirty Dons 585”, 9 Mile Settlement, Port Moresby. All of these young men committed a set of rapes and armed robberies. The gang members admit that two thirds of their victims are women. (Photo by Vlad Sokhin)

Two children jumping through a water hydrant's shower on a New York street. They have come from a neighbouring co-educational playgroup organised by the city's Police Department. (Photo by Orlando/Getty Images). 1950