at Da Nang and was assigned to the group. On 13 June HMM-161 came ashore at Phu Bai Combat Base and was assigned to the group. On 14 July the group's fixed wing squadrons were transferred to Marine Aircraft Group 11. In August group squadrons supported Operation Starlite. On the evening of 12–13 August helicopters from MAG-16 participated in the first night helicopter assault of the war, debarking 245 Marines and returning to Da Nang without incident. With Da Nang Air Base becoming increasingly crowded it was decided to relocate MAG-16's helicopter squadrons to a new base and on 26 August they moved into Marble Mountain Air Facility (MMAF) on the Tien Sha Peninsula, southeast of Da Nang. By the end of August the group comprised HMM-261 and HMM-361 at MMAF and HMM-161 at Phu Bai with a 10-plane detachment at Qui Nhon, VMO-2 and two support squadrons, MABS-16 and H&MS-16. In September a six-plane detachment of CH-37C Mojave heavy-lift helicopters from HMH-462 was attached to H&MS-16. On the night of 27/8 October Viet Cong (VC) sappers attacked MMAF destroying 19 helicopters and damaging a further 35. Seventeen VC were killed in the attack and four captured; three Americans were killed and 91 wounded. In November group squadrons supported Operation Harvest Moon. In January 1966, the 9th Marines and MAG-16 devised a tactical arrangement termed Sparrow Hawk for which each battalion of the regiment maintained a squad-sized force at a special landing zone as a reaction force. When the decision to commit this force was made, UH-34Ds and UH-1E gunships on strip alert at MMAF flew to the LZ, picked up the squad, and transported it to the area of contact. In early March group squadrons flew in support of the Battle of A Sau, eventually evacuating the Special Forces Camp there on 10 March. In early April during the Buddhist Uprising group helicopters evacuated U.S. civilians from Da Nang. In mid-April the group supported Operation Georgia and established a base at An Hoa Combat Base. In early June the group supported Operation Florida. From late June to early July the group supported Operation Jay. From 4 July the group supported Operation Macon. From mid-July the group supported Operation Hastings flying nearly 10,000 sorties. From early August group detachments at Dong Ha Combat Base supported Operation Prairie. At the same time the group supported Operation Colorado. On 8 January 1967