The reserve held the weapon in place by the paracord, with a further piece of paracord rigged as a quick release to tie the weapon muzzle down along their side. The idea was that once under canopy they could pull the quick release and raise the muzzle of the weapon up, thus getting it out of the way of their leg for landing, and once they unclipped the reserve the weapon would be immediately available to fight with.
They would jump wearing their tactical vests, and on landing they would simply pull the quick releases on their shoulders to let the risers go, freeing them from the parachute canopy. This meant that there was no need to get out of the parachute harness itself, which they would leave on at least until a lull in the assault allowed them to remove it. It was all about being fast into action on the drop zone.
For their equipment, which would consist solely of a daypack containing ammunition, water, communications equipment, spare batteries, night vision and an MRE, they would dispense with the usual equipment straps and lowering line. Usually the equipment container would be lowered on a fifteen foot line once under canopy. In this case, there was no time.
What Jack did was modify the way the daypack was rigged. It normally sat below the reserve on the jumpers thighs, let down on the fifteen foot line once under canopy by pulling on a release. They removed the release and simply had the daypacks attached to the lower D-rings on the harness, sitting on the jumpers thighs. Once on the ground, the jettison device alone would be used, releasing the daypack from the D-rings and allowing the jumper to extend the daypack straps and throw it on his back.
Keeping the daypack on the thighs would be uncomfortable for landing, but there would be no time under canopy from a four hundred feet jump height to mess about with lowering the container. The daypacks were not over heavy, not in the realm of one hundred and ten pounds which was the permissible weight for a full sized container. The jumper’s would just have to suck it up and drive on; the priority was with the desire to jump low and be fast on the ground.
As soon as the risers, reserve and the daypack jettison device were pulled on landing, the paratrooper’s weapons and daypack would be immediately available to go into the fight with.
With this system, it was possible to jump weapons up to the size of the 240, laid alongside the jumper’s body. Spare ammo belts for the guns would be loaded into the daypacks. This meant that the Company would land in light overhead assault order with limited scales of ammunition, with resupply in their daypacks. They would have no mortars or anti-tank weapons.
Jack spoke to his Company before the practice jump, explaining that he could not go into the detailed plan due to OPSEC, but that there was a reason for the specific overhead assault modifications to what the veteran jumpers were used to. He was aware that he was addressing both veteran jumpers and novices.
“I realize that some of you are getting a very fast introduction to parachuting. Just remember that parachuting itself is simply a means of delivery to the battlefield. I have no doubt of your courage, and once you make the first jump you will be ready for the operational one.
“Parachuting itself is not complicated. Simply get out the door, keep your feet and knees together, and accept the landing. The important thing is to walk away. In this case, get rapidly into action once you hit the ground.
“It is what you do on the ground that is the important thing, and which distinguishes paratroopers from simple parachutists. You have all proved yourselves in combat, and I have absolute faith that you will shine in the chaos of a hot drop zone.”
The practice jump was made successfully and the Company was moved into isolation for battle procedure.
The broad plan was for Jack’s Company to jump in on the Mall and rapidly assault the White House in an attempt to kill or capture the Regime leadership. Kill the king, cutting off the head of the snake.
The Company would jump from three C-130s. They would be tactically loaded with the elements of the four platoons loaded in the same order inside each of the aircraft, the theory being that by doing so, once they hit the ground they would be roughly in the same place on the drop zone. The Company would rally by platoons to the north side of the Mall and assault onto the White House.
The drop zone itself was the Mall, running in from the east, the impact point was just to the north east of the Washington Memorial, allowing a drop zone length of fifteen hundred meters to just past the Lincoln Memorial. Apparently the shallow reflecting pool was empty now, and the jump height of four hundred feet would allow minimal drift, thus helping to keep the jumpers on the narrow drop zone.
There would only be one pass, the jumpers exiting in simultaneous sticks from the two rear side jump doors of each of the three C-130s. The Company would comprise one hundred and twenty parachute trained originals: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Platoons, the fire support platoon armed with 240s and a command element comprising tactical HQ, Jim’s logistics team and Megan’s team of medics.
With forty paratroopers per aircraft, twenty jumping from port side and twenty from starboard, it would allow enough room on the DZ to get them all out in one pass.
The plan was to hit the DZ loaded so that tactical HQ landed first to the east, then as the jumpers exited from the westward flying planes the order would be the fire support platoon, 1st Platoon, medics and logistics and then 2nd and 3rd Platoons.
Simultaneous sticks meant that the paratroopers would exit from both the port and starboard jump doors at the same time. Each jumper would exit with one second separation, the theory being that there was a half second stagger between the port and starboard doors.
To the north of the east side of the drop zone, in the area where tactical HQ and the fire support platoon should be landing, was a five to six hundred meter distance across the open ground of the ellipse and the south lawn, to the White House itself.
In conjunction with the overhead assault, a TALO operation (tactical air landing operation) would land a number of C-130s at Reagan National, close to the Mall just across the river. These C-130s would contain a light infantry battle group along with resupply loaded on gators, which would drive off the rear of the aircraft ramps on landing. This landing would also contain heavier support assets, such as 81mm mortars, that could set up at Reagan and provide fire support to Jack’s fighters across the river.
The TALO assault was also a surprise shock action with the objective of securing Reagan National, the Pentagon and the dual bridges across the Potomac to the Mall and White House areas, thus allowing a link-up with Jack’s Company.
Once the two elements of the airborne assault went in, simultaneously the ground assault would start up the I-95 from South Carolina, attempting to thrust north the five hundred miles to link up with the paratroopers in DC.
It was a bold, all or nothing move. If the plan failed, the paratroopers would have no option but to attempt to fade away into the countryside and back into an insurgency role.
Jack spoke to his assembled Company in the hangar before they donned their parachutes and gear. He had them gathered around in a group.
“There is no doubt that this is a risky, bold move. It is not only a parachute jump into the heart of darkness, it is a leap of faith. I have absolute faith in you, the men and women of this Company. You are lions, every one of you a hero. I have never been more impressed by courage and dedication as that which I have seen from you, even in our darkest days in the forests of Virginia.