The my lai massacre - how did it happen and why

In March 1968 a unit of soilders called Charlie's Company started a search and destroy mission. They were told that there was a VC headquarters in my lai and 200 VC guerillas. They were ordered to destroy everything, as villagers were all supposed to be at the market. March 16 they arrived and within the next 4 hours 300–400 civilians were killed. Most were women, children and old men, some were killed in the fields, some at home. Many were mowed down by machine gunfire as they were herded into an irrigation ditch. No VC were found.