E.J.Cole of the 457th PFA provides a detailed narrative of the door loads and specific requirements for paradropping airborne equipment such as the 75mm howitzer.   

Door Loads

-Wheels.
-Front Trail and Recoil Mech.
-Gun tarps and cleaning tools.
-Rear Trail.
-Radio SCR 609 (two pieces,Transmitter & Battery ).
-Pioneer Kit (Axes, Shovels & Picks).
-Sight Box & Sight. 
-One Fifty Cal. with tripod.
-Fifty Cal. Ammo Boxes.
-Telephones, Sound Power phones and wire reels.
-Two wheel Commo Cart with removable "T" handle.
-(Above all, anything else that could be smuggled aboard by the gun crew).

The door loads, usually 2 to 4 separate pieces with separate chutes, were always "daisy chained", the heaviest one hooked up so the chute on the heavy load would be at the center of the "string" on the ground and become the "anchor load" upon which the other loads would be assembled once the door load hit the ground. The door loads were always hard to handle as well as being extremely cumbersome especially once the end was "pre-pushed" out far enough to catch the prop blast which tended to skew the entire load toward the tail surface of the plane. The number 1,2 and 3 men in the stick would usually handle the door load with the number 2 man having his back against the starboard side of the aircraft opposite the door and his feet on the doorload to help push it out the door. It was not uncommom to have the 1 & 3 man hold on to the doorload and go out the door with it. There was no way that their chutes would open close to the chute on the doorload. Henry Ford once said, "If you want a job done quickly and easily give it to a lazy man." At this juncture typical Paratrooper ingenuity came into play. The Air Corps suffered a shortage of brooms after our jumps as we always requisitioned them and used the handles as rollers under the load.

The Para Racks under the plane, six in number but all not always used, carried either a soft or hard load, the soft being a cushioned "roll" with end caps and the hard being a wooden, hinged unit, hexagonal in shape with a sectioned interior made to accept certain needed components. Like the door loads these were always "daisy chained" and weight positioned putting the heaviest para crate in the center on the ground. Unlike the door loads these always carried "shock cushions" on the down end to protect them upon hitting the ground.

Loads in Para Crates

-Tube.
- Aiming stakes.
-Top sleigh Rear trail hand spike.
-Gun tools.
-Bazooka ammo.
-Bazooka, rocket launcher.
-Two or three 50 Cal. M.G.
-75 MM Ammo, in three cloverleaf sectioned cases, 18 rounds.
-Aiming circle.
-Bottom sleigh.
-Axle, if not in door load.

 As an added comment I might add that normal procedure called for the door load to go first followed by the # 1-2 and 3 man while the Para Rack loads were punched off via six solenoid switches to the right of the door followed by a pull on the salvo release, a horse shoe shaped item a little below the solenoid panel.

It might be mentioned at this point that the parachutes used for all cargo or howitzer loads were Rayon not Nylon or Silk. Their rate of desent was always greater than the jumpers and the only problems of entanglement would be from an aircraft dumping and jumping right over you after your exit from the plane.

Variations in loads and equipment occurred at different times depending on the person in charge and the availability of particular equipment.

Somewhat similar to going to confession, "this is all I can remember". A lot of years have gone by since we were young and adventuresome but like anything else, if you were well trained you remember.

Writen by E.J.Cole formerly of "B" Battery, 457th PFA BN 1943/1945