The My Lai Massacre, 1968
History: Cambridge International GCSE The Twentieth Century (Option B), topic 5.3.8
The My Lai Massacre, 1968
On 16th March 1968, Charlie Company were sent to the village of My Lai to attack the VC.
The My Lai Massacre
- On 16th March 1968, Charlie Company were sent to the village of My Lai to attack the VC.
- However, there were no VC in the village, just women, children and old men who were all killed in just over 4 hours.
- An army photographer took photos of the massacre.
Cover up
- The army announced that 128 VC were killed and their base destroyed.
- However, some soldiers and nearby villagers reported the massacre.
- The army tried to cover up the massacre, but it was exposed by a soldier who sent eye-witness evidence to politicians.
- The army then admitted to 20 accidental civilian deaths.
Enquiry and trial
- In July 1970 two enquiries found that there had been a massacre of 347 civilians and that the army had tried to cover it up.
- In September, Lieutenant Calley, who led Charlie Company, was charged with the murder of 22 civilians and sentenced to life in prison.
- Despite claiming he was only following orders from higher up.
- The other 18 officers accused in the enquiry were never brought to trial.
Public outcry
- Calley was actually only confined to base rather than put it prison on President Nixon’s order, and released after three and a half years.
- By November, 35 newspapers had reported on the case, claiming over 500 civilians were murdered in My Lai.
- The photos taken by the war photographer were shown on television on 5th December, causing massive public outcry.
Test yourself on The My Lai Massacre, 1968
When was the My Lai Massacre?
Who led Charlie Company in the attack on My Lai?