My Lai Massacre

Introduction
Charlie Company
Massacre at My Lai
Cover-up, investigation, and legacy

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

A group of frightened Vietnamese women and children stand close together outdoors during the My Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War.

Map of the Vietnam War theatre from around 1965 to 1970, showing Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and parts of Thailand and China. It highlights Communist supply routes such as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, major North Vietnamese and U.S. military bases, U.S. corps headquarters, and U.S. aircraft carrier groups, with arrows indicating supply and bombing routes. Major cities and geographic features like the Gulf of Tonkin, Mekong Delta, and Central Highlands are labeled.

At a Glance

U.S. trooops of the 7th. and 9th. divisions wade through marshland during a joint operation on South Vietnam's Mekong Delta, April 1967.

Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About the Vietnam War

My Lai Massacre summary

Quizzes

Vietnam War. Operation Georgia. U.S. Marines bombing bunkers and tunnels used by the Viet Cong. May 6, 1966

The Vietnam War Quiz

Related Questions

Did Charlie Company encounter enemy resistance at My Lai?
How did Captain Medina describe the My Lai operation to his superiors?
How did Hugh Thompson protect Vietnamese women and children at My Lai?
How did Hugh Thompson try to get medical help for wounded civilians at My Lai?
How did helicopter crews help civilians escape the My Lai Massacre?
How did the 2nd Platoon of Charlie Company participate in the My Lai Massacre?
How did the 3rd Platoon of Charlie Company participate in the destruction of My Lai?
How did the My Lai photographs affect the anti-Vietnam War movement?
How did the initial U.S. Army report describe civilian deaths at My Lai?
How many Vietnamese civilians was William Calley convicted of murdering?
How many unarmed Vietnamese villagers were killed in the My Lai Massacre?
What crimes was William Calley charged with in connection with the My Lai Massacre?
What had Charlie Company been assigned to do in Quang Ngai province?
What happened to Vietnamese civilians who were gathered in an irrigation ditch at My Lai?
What happened when U.S. artillery shelled Son My village before the troops landed?
What instructions did Captain Ernest Medina give Charlie Company before the operation at My Lai?
What memorials and exhibits were created at the Son My Vestige Area to remember the victims of My Lai?
What sentence did William Calley receive after his court-martial?
What war crimes were committed by U.S. soldiers during the My Lai Massacre?
What was the only U.S. casualty during the My Lai operation?
When did the My Lai Massacre take place?
When did the U.S. military begin official investigations into the My Lai Massacre?
Where was the 48th Viet Cong Battalion actually located on March 16, 1968?
Where was the hamlet of My Lai located during the Vietnam War?
Where were Ron Haeberle's photographs of the My Lai Massacre published?
Which U.S. Army unit carried out the killings at My Lai?
Which award did Hugh Thompson, Lawrence Colburn, and Glenn Andreotta receive for their actions at My Lai?
Which groups of Vietnamese civilians were targeted during the My Lai Massacre?
Who commanded Charlie Company during the My Lai operation?
Who was Hugh Thompson and what did he observe from his helicopter at My Lai?
Who was Ronald Ridenhour and how did he investigate the My Lai Massacre?
Who were Lawrence Colburn and Glenn Andreotta?
Why did Charlie Company believe the 48th Viet Cong Battalion was near My Lai?
Why did U.S. troops treat people found in My Lai as possible Viet Cong fighters or sympathizers?
Why did the Peers investigation have limited time to complete its work?
Why had U.S. soldiers given the My Lai area the nickname Pinkville?
Why was Hugh Thompson's early report about the My Lai killings dismissed?
Why was Ronald Ridenhour's letter to Congress important in exposing the My Lai Massacre?
Why were Ron Haeberle's color photographs of My Lai important?
When did the Columbine High School shooting take place?
How many people were killed during the Columbine High School shooting?
What was the Wounded Knee Massacre?
What led to the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890?
What is the legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre?
What is the significance of the Fort Pillow Massacre?
What started the Fort Pillow Massacre?
What was the Boston Massacre?
Why did the Boston Massacre happen?
What did Ho Chi Minh accomplish?

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External Websites

BBC - Witness History - Surviving The My Lai Massacre
ABC listen - Overnights - Remembering the My Lai massacre
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University - The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of My Lai: A Time to Inculcate the Lessons (PDF)
Hoover Institution Library and Archives - The Mylai Massacre
Alpha History - The My Lai massacre
Digital History - My Lai Massacre
Al Jazeera - Heart of Darkness: Return to the My Lai massacre
The Army Historical Foundation - What Really Happened on 16 March 1968? What Lessons Have Been Learned? A Look at the My Lai Incident Fifty Years Later
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History - The Vietnam War and the My Lai Massacre
NCpedia - The My Lai Massacre - March 16, 1968
New Georgia Encyclopedia - History and Archaeology - William Calley Jr. and the My Lai Massacre
NPR - 50 Years on, My Lai Massacre Remains a Gaping Wound
Center for Strategic and International Studies - The My Lai Massacre: History, Lessons, and Legacy
PBS - American Experience - Charlie Company and the Massacre

My Lai Massacre

United States-Vietnamese history

Also known as: Pinkville Massacre

Written by

Michael Ray

Michael Ray is an assistant managing editor who has worked at Britannica since 2003. In addition to leading the Geography and History team, he oversees coverage of European history and military affairs....

Michael Ray

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

My Lai Massacre, mass killing of as many as 500 unarmed villagers by U.S. soldiers in the hamlet of My Lai on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War. My Lai, a subdivision of Son My village, was located in the province of Quang Ngai, roughly 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Quang Ngai city. The area had been dubbed “Pinkville” by U.S. soldiers because of the reddish colour used to indicate the densely populated...

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