It took roughly 85 plane-loads to carry
our men in, and 250 passes over the field the field to drop them. Remember that
all this was done under harassing fire from the enemy, and on a field of
extraordinary proportions which our pilots and jumpmasters had never tested
before. Worst of all, remember that the wind had risen to a velocity of 25 miles
per hour, as registered on the Navy's gauges, whereas in practice all jumping is
forbidden at a wind-velocity of over 15 miles per hour. Under these conditions,
it seems remarkable, not that a few missed, but that such a large proportion of
our jumpers hit the target.