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by the emotional and psychological motives of this proud unit which was anxious to prove the value of the parachute badge; nevertheless, the jumpers contributed strongly to the overall attack.
The 173d was placed under the operational control of the 1st Infantry Division for this operation and developed an elaborate deception plan to avoid possible compromise of the drop zone. In the planning phase only the commanding general, his deputy, and two key staff officers were aware of the actual drop zone. The cover plan designated a larger alternate drop zone outside the planned area of operation. This permitted all the necessary staging preparations which must precede an air drop and all necessary coordination with the Air Force. The actual drop plan for the airborne assault phase of the operation was not distributed to the units until 1900 hours on 21 February, the evening before D-Day. After Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Sigholtz, the Airborne Task Force Commander, briefed his troops on the operation, he sealed off his battalion area as a security measure. Thirteen C-130's were used for the personnel drop and eight C-130's for heavy drop of equipment. Jump altitude was 1,000 feet.
The battalion dropped on schedule and by 0920 hours on D-day all companies were in their locations around the drop zone. Out of the 780 combat troops who made the assault, only eleven sustained minor injuries. The heavy equipment drop commenced at 0925 hours and continued throughout the day. The 1st Battalion, 503d Infantry began landing by helicopter assault at 1035 hours and the entire battalion was in place shortly thereafter. No direct contact with an enemy force occurred during these early hours of D-day. Another infantry battalion, the 4th Battalion, 503d Infantry, conducted a heliborne assault into two other close landing zones at 1420 hours and phase one of JUNCTION CITY ALTERNATE was essentially complete.
During this operation, the 173d Brigade was supported by the 11th, the 145th, and the 1st Aviation Battalions. Over 9,700 sorties were flown in support of the operation and Army aviation lifted 9,518 troops and a daily average of fifty tons of cargo. While the initial parachute assault phase received most of the publicity, the subsequent tactical moves were made by helicopter and the momentum of the operation depended on this support.
As might be expected, some operational problems resulted from this first mix of parachute and heliborne operations. One accident and several near accidents were experienced as a result of helicopters trying to land in an area littered with parachutes. There just