The British officer in command of paratroopers in Derry on Bloody Sunday has told the Saville Inquiry in London that he stands by the conduct of his men.
Lt Colonel Derek Wilford, who is now 69, said his men acted in a professional manner on 30 January 1972, when soldiers opened fire on demonstrators, killing 13; a fourteenth civilian died later.
In a 25-page statement, Colonel Wilford said his troops came under fire and that he heard sounds which he took to be bombs thrown by rioters.
One key issue the tribunal is likely to return to in more detail is the deployment of the paratroopers, who had been tasked to conduct an arrest operation.
The inquiry was told last November by the Brigadier in overall charge that the paratroopers had disobeyed orders by driving in armoured vehicles into the heart of the Bogside.
But Colonel Wilford maintained they needed to do so in order to get behind the rioters and arrest as many of them as possible. He said he must have told Brigadier Pat MacLellan how he intended to deal with the situation but could not now recall doing so.
The Colonel also insisted his soldiers had been disciplined and professional in their conduct and had only opened fire in accordance with the British Army's regulations, when they had first been shot at.
He is expected to continue giving evidence to the inquiry at Methodist Central Hall in London on two more mornings this week and into next week.
