By: History.com Editors

1972

First B-52 shot down over North Vietnam

Published: November 16, 2009

Last Updated: January 31, 2025

The United States loses its first B-52 of the war. The eight-engine bomber was brought down by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile near Vinh on the day when B-52s flew their heaviest raids of the war over North Vietnam. The Communists claimed 19 B-52s shot down to date.

Vietnam-Era Huey Helicopter

In a Mail Call video, R. Lee Ermey answers a question from Don of Gresham, Oregon who wants to know the difference between a slick, a dust-off, and a gunship. Ermey says that what Don is talking about is one of his favorite helicopters, the Huey. Although they began as medical helicopters, at the height of the war Hueys had three different functions: they were slicks, dust-offs, or gunships. Slick was the name for the transport version of the Huey, dust-off was the official call sign for medical choppers, and gunships are pretty self-explanatory. Modern versions of the Huey are still being used today!

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Citation Information

Article title
First B-52 shot down over North Vietnam
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 25, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 31, 2025
Original Published Date
November 16, 2009

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