The officer in charge of the parachute regiment on Bloody Sunday in Derry 31 years ago has denied that he ordered a frontal assault when they entered the Bogside.
But the chairman of the Saville inquiry told Colonel Derek Wilford a number of times this morning that he was puzzled by some of his answers about how the paratroopers had conducted the operation.
The inquiry is investigating incidents in Derry in 1972, when 14 people died after British paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights march.
Today, sitting at Central Hall, the inquiry has been examining a crucial aspect of Bloody Sunday.
Once again Lieutenant Colonel Derek Wilford was back in the witness box. He was questioned further about how the paratroopers were sent into the Bogside.
The Chairman of the inquiry, Lord Saville, intervened several times to say he was puzzled at Colonel Wilford's explanation of why the original plan to send in two companies on foot had changed.
Instead, one support company in armoured vehicles went deep into the area, while another company went in on foot to pursue rioters, most of whom at that stage had run away from the crowd control barriers.
Colonel Wilford told Lord Saville the plan had changed significantly on the day and the paratroopers had gone further south than planned, towards waste ground near Rossville flats.
He said this was because that was where the rioters had headed.
But he could not pinpoint the time the original plan was altered.
He rejected a suggestion by Lord Saville that it was a frontal assault, but maintained his troops were carrying out a pincer movement, similar to tactics they had adopted in Belfast.
He also said timing and speed were of the essence in launching the operation and that the company commanders had appreciated that.
Colonel Wilford will continue giving evidence next week.
