During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army launched an attack against the remote Marine base at Khe Sanh on January 21, 1968. Each day brought massive shelling and increased casualties. The North Vietnamese were successfully using an old fashioned method of digging miles of trenches and bunkers as they approached Khe Sanh. The turning point of the battle came when the United States deployed B-52’s to the scene. Under close radar guidance, the planes dropped bombs within 1,200 yards of the base, causing massive damage to the North Vietnamese. The siege lasted 77 days killing 1,600 North Vietnamese and 250 Americans. By June 1968, President Johnson had decided not to escalate the war and the base was destroyed by the United States since it was no longer needed for defense.

Mort Künstler did this painting of a B-52, which typifies the planes used in Vietnam.