The Siege of Sangshak had just begun the previous day. The 50th Parachute Brigade knew it could not hold their position without constant resupply of water, ammunition and rations. Once the aerial resupply missions, the Japanese very quickly realized the meaning of the different colored parachutes. Blue, Red and White each meaning water, ammunition, and rations respectively. In the following days, the garrison repeatedly contacted the incoming air transports with correct directions to discharge their desperately needed cargos. Repeatedly the planes did not follow the Paratroopers instructions with the results being the airdrops ended up in the Japanese positions outside the perimeter. One of the first times this happened, elements of the 153rd Parachute Battalion (Gurkha) attacked down the Sangshak plateau into the Japanese positions.
