CARGO DELIVERY OVER LANDING ZONE "A" -
Due
to the high level of injuries during the drops on the first
day, Col. Jones decided to scrub the jump of the second day,
and to bring the men of the 1st Bn in across the beach at
San Jose. He'd actually wanted to scrub the second
lift, but the message was not received in time to effect the
alternative plan for bringing the 2d Bn across the beach.
This had a number of implications - the road to Topside had
not been cleared at this point, and thus the movement of a
large formation of men towards Topside would not be without
its hazards. Secondly, the cargo accompanying the men
in each aircraft would not be available to them until they
could reach Topside - this would be more of an issue for the
men of the 462d PFABn who would thus arrive without their
75mm pack howitzers and HMG's, as well as the men of the of
the mortar platoons.
