Operation Hastings was a search and destroy mission mounted 55 miles NW of Hue city, to counter the NVA 324B Division across the DMZ.

Task force delta grew to six US Marine battalions, supplemented by five battalions of ARVN collaborators.

Operation Hastings ended with 128 US KIA's & 162 WIA.
The US figures for NVA losses were listed as 824 KIA, & 17 captured.


Image 1) CH46 (EP171) Aircraft is seen to enter a nose high attitude as smoke pours from the cockpit after it has been engaged by an NVA 12.7mm MG.
EP171's front blades struck a ridge which toppled the machine onto its right side, before fire engulfed it, with 13 KIA's

Image 2) As image One.

Image 3) The gunner of EP171 staggers to safety having been pinned down by enemy fire.

Image 4) CH46 EP171 burns.

Image 5) Three wrecked CH46's which were destroyed by the USMC, also on July 15th.
The two machines on the right of the image were written off when their rear rotors collided.
The H46 on the left hit a tree and broke its back with 2 KIA's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hastings