On the night of December 27, 1972, a US bomber B-52 was knocked out of the sky during a bombing raid on Hanoi, Vietnam. A part of the wreckage came crashing down into a small lake in a crowded residential neighborhood, where it still lies today as a sort of war trophy of Vietnam’s victory over the dreaded B-52s. The twisted metal of the destroyed bomber rests half submerged on the algae-green waters. Next to the lake is an inscription applauding the “outstanding feat of arm” that brought down the bomber of the “US imperialist.”

Originally built to carry nuclear bombs during the Cold War period, the B-52 Stratofortress has been the backbone of the US strategic bomber force since the 1950s. A veteran of the US Air Force, the B-52s have taken part in countless wars and have dropped millions of tons of ordnance all across the world.

Photo credit: Simon Morris/Flickr