A British soldier today told the Saville Inquiry in London that he shot two gunmen on Bloody Sunday after coming under what he described as the heaviest fire he had encountered in Northern Ireland.
"Soldier O", a former sergeant in the Parachute Regiment, said he fired a total of eight shots at three different people he says were gunmen on January 30th, 1972.
The soldier alleged he came under heavy fire after emerging from an armoured personnel carrier on wasteground near Rossville Flats in the nationalist Bogside area of Derry city.
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"I heard about 20-30 rounds fired in bursts almost simultaneously from what appeared to be four or five weapons dotted around the flats," he said.
"I had come under fire on many occasions before this and had had thousands of rounds fired at me in Aden in a very short period of time.
"This opening burst of fire was the heaviest I had heard in Northern Ireland up until that time," he added.
The former sergeant, who received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct and the Military Medal during his service, was in the second armoured car which entered the Bogside on the day 13 civil rights marchers were shot dead by soldiers. A 14th man died later.
He said he still had "clear recollections" of the shooting incidents in which he was involved and his reasons for opening fire.
"The images are dug deep into my mind and are still visible to me when I look back," he said.Describing hitting one man, Soldier O said: "I think I probably hit him in the head. The gunman was flung back against the concrete surrounding the balcony with his head up."
The testimony of the former soldier, which began today, is expected to run into tomorrow.
Soldier O is the 737th witness to appear before the Saville Inquiry, which is examining the events of January 30th, 1972.
The inquiry, which usually sits at the Guildhall in Derry, is currently hearing the evidence from military witnesses and others in London because of concerns for their safety.