1966 Photo Contest, World Press Photo of the Year
Photographer

Kyoichi Sawada

United Press International

24 February, 1966

The body of a Viet Cong soldier is dragged behind an American armored vehicle en route to a burial site after the Battle of Suoi Bong Trang during the Vietnam War.

American and Australian troops fought the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army on the night of 23 and 24 February 1966. The battle occurred during Operation Rolling Stone, a major American security operation to protect engineers building a strategic road in the vicinity of Tan Binh, 30 kilometers northwest of Bien Hoa Air Base. On the morning of 24 February, it became clear that the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army had suffered heavy losses, with nearly 500 men killed, while American and Australian casualties were relatively small with 11 killed and 74 wounded.

About the photographer

Kyoichi Sawada

After graduating from Aomori Prefectural High School, Kyoichi Sawada (Aomori City, Japan 1936 - Cambodia 1970) worked in a photography store on the US military base at Misawa, wh...

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