One of the more interesting capabilities you get when you bring ground troops together with transport aircraft and parachutes is the ability to deliver troops rapidly to the battlefield… if all goes well.
I once saw a mass drop of paratroopers out of about 10 or so C-130’s at Little Rock Air Force Base as part of an air show demonstration. The sky filled with parachutes as several hundred soldiers came down out of the sky. Middle of the day, near ideal conditions — and there was still at least one serious casualty who had to be retrieved with an ambulance.
So imagine trying that at night — and having a problem. I found out what can happen from one of those articles that pops up on Facebook, from wearethemighty.com (It’s apparently part of a series — No Sh*t There I was.) Army Ranger Spc. Brian Hanson describes what happened when his planned night drop didn’t quite happen the way it was supposed to. (About 5 minutes long — and it has a happy ending, in case you were worried.)
Check it out.