|
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Some more cases in October 1944:
2 October 1944 As a result of a "gross error--due to poor navigation, poor headwork and misidentification of target" one group of medium bombers of the 9th Bombardment Division hit the Belgian town of Genck, twenty-eight miles west of the assigned target, on the morning of 2 October 1944, killing thirty-four civilians and wounding forty-five. 4 October 1944 04 OCT 44 A/C: PV-1 Location: AGADIR Strike: NO BUNO: 34796 Cause: AGADIR BOMB & GUNNERY; SHOT OWN TAIL Contributed by Terry pb4y-2@sbcglobal.net [18FEB99] 24 October 1944 Yugoslav Partisan armed ship NB 13 Partizan 40mm, two 20mm, machine-guns Sunk in error 24 Oct 1944 in Olib (Olib I.) by Allied aircrafts. 80t |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Hi Nifty
I have been experiencing problems with me e-mail so am not sure if I responded to you or not. Anyway, I would very much appreciate details of the USAAF Mosquito losses to friendly fire that you mention. Many thanks, Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Hi Laurent
I trust you have received my PM (as suggested). Thanks immensely for all the friendly fire incidents you have posted - please keep them coming! Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Yes, Brian, I will mail you details. Until now I have only scanned my existing files (first for the word "friendly", then for "error" the next time), but sending more details will require writing and translating from French sources. Maybe this week-end, or the next one.
Regards Laurent |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Hi guys - I hope I am not pushing my luck or monopolising the forum, but I have some more friendly fire queries:
10 May 1941: Sqn Ldr Meagher of 41 Squadron claimed a twin-engined aircraft he believed was a Ju88 shot down off Whitby at 0015, but then thought it may have been a Blenheim. I can't find any Blenheim or Ju88 losses that fit the bill. Any ideas? 6-7 August 1941: Apparently Beaufighter R2157 shot down by another Beaufighter. Any info on either? 23 April 1942: Two Polish Spitfire pilots attacked a RAF clandestine He115 in error. Who were they? 15 September 1942: During Operation PQ18 convoy to Russia, three Sea Hurricanes from HMS Avenger were shot down by their own ships' gunfire. All three pilots baled out and were rescued but who were they? One was a Lieutenant as I have a photo of him being pulled aboard the rescue vessel. Any ideas? 9 August 1943: B-26 41-31634 of 386thBG shot down by a Spitfire. What was the fate of the crew? Who were they? And who was the Spitfire pilot? I have many more queries but will save these for next time!! Many thanks in advance to anyone who cares to help. Cheers Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Brian
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Here's another that has been bugging me. On 22/11/44, US P-51s shot down an RAF Lysander from 148 Squadron near Venice, presumably having mistaken it for a Hs126. The RAF pilot was killed, as were his passengers, variously described as two British decorated SOE officers/or/ four Italian agents (according to AHB). Has anyone the facts? Who was the errant US pilot?
Cheers Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Has anyone the story behind the USN PB4Y crash at Eniwetok on 9 August 1944 which destroyed dozens of parked aircraft? Not quite friendly fire but the crash certainly wrote off a substantial part of the USN air force in that area!
Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
Source: http://www.vpnavy.org/vp116_mishap_1940.html (By the way, http://www.vpnavy.org/mishap_vp.html is THE page to bookmark for any VP and VPB loss in WWII or later) Well, 106 aircraft hit is amazing :shock: |
A new one
Date is 23 September 1944
"Another accident at Millville is much different from the others. On September 23rd, 2LT Andrew J. Easterwood was killed in a crash in the Atlantic Ocean. Easterwood was the number three man of a flight of five aircraft on an aerial gunnery mission. On his fifth or sixth pass at the target, his aircraft apparently hit the target cable and began a slow roll to the right. The ship continued forward, rolled on its back and started a spiral to the right. The aircraft crashed into the ocean and was never recovered. Easterwood's aircraft crashed as the result of hitting the ¼ inch cable and not the stabilizing bar. 2LT Asa W. Shuler, one of Easterwood's closest friends, thought otherwise. Shuler had been in pilot training with Easterwood and reported to Millville at the same time. When attending his memorial service in Alabama, Shuler mentioned to a family member that he thought that Easterwood had been shot down. This would have been impossible based on the information in the accident report. All of the airplanes in the flight had fired all of their ammunition, but that same report fails to address possible defects in the airplane and health issues. We can only speculate about the cause of this unusual accident, as Shuler was killed in action in France." http://p47millville.org/history_accidents.html |
Re: A new one
Hi guys
Here's something for the weekend!! 15-16/8/43 Mosquito shot down Wellington. Who was the errant pilot? 22/10/43 Mosquito shot down FIU Mosquito. Ditto 21/12/43 Two Typhoons 609 Sqn and Spitfire 501 Sqn shot down by P-47s. Who were the US pilots? 28/3/44 Mosquito 107 Sqn shot down by P-51. Was this Lt CF Anderson 335 thFG? 23/4/44 Albemarle V1610 shot down by RAF nightfighter? 11/6/44 Mosquto 333 Sqn shot down by Allied fighters Orkneys? 28/6/44 Mosquito 192 Sqn damaged by Mosquito. Hope someone can help with the latest. Sincere thanks. I owe you a drink!! Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
333 Sqn loss was discussed on the RAF forums last week IIRC. Names of crew and faulty pilots were given (IIRC again).
|
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Hi Laurent
Being a rather ignorant person I do not understand what you mean! Where can I find the discussion on the 333 Sqn loss? What RAF forums? And was does IIRC mean? Apologies for being dumb! Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
IIRC = If I Recall Correctly
|
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
Regards Stéphane |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
Here is the link. http://www.rafcommands.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/7514.html Ross McNeill's site has some great data, many very knowledgable individuals post there. Regards Andy Fletcher |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Once again my sincere thanks, guys.
Laurent - I have now found the RAF Forum and have extracted details of the 333 Squadron Mosquito - thanks, and also to you John and Andy. I'm new to websites and am only just finding my way around - as is pretty obvious!! Thanks also Stephane for the 303/He115 connection - I will dig further during my next visit to Kew. What a great site and with so many generous and knowledgeable contributors. Keep 'em coming! Cheers Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
A new one: on 13 May 1944 a P-40 bombed a Spitfire on the ground in Italy. Some more details at http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=368
Also on this forum, a post on friendly fire in the Pacific by "Six Nifty .50s": http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=252 |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Hi guys
Just a reminder to Six Nifty .50s - were implied that you would let me have details of the USAAF Mosquitos (25thBG) that fell to friendly fire. Cheers. Chris - I thought that you might be able to help with the NF friendly fire incidents mentioned above. I do hope so. Sorry I couldn't meet up with you this week. Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
A new one on 28 October 1944: a good story of a 626 Sqn RAF hit by RAF bombs over Cologne and surviving
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A5090311 |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Hi guys,
Not much success with my previous list of friendly fire incidents, but I will persevere and here is my penultimate list of queries: 9/7/44 Lt Jack B. Miller 78thFG shot down by Spitfire 9/7/44 Spitfire PL137 shot down by P-47 353rdFG 14/7/44 Mitchell 226 Sqn shot down Mosquito 15/8/44 Two Spits 602 Sqn (MJ398 and MK244) shot down by P-51s 26/8/44 Spit 602 Sqn (PL264) shot down by P-47 18/9/44 Lt Robert O. Peters 335thFG shot down by P-51 19/9/44 P-51 357thFG shot down by Spitfire 26/9/44 Mustang 168 Sqn (AM101) shot down by P-47 7/10/44 Lt Raoul Rebiere 328 Sqn shot down P-51 I hope someone out there might have some of the answers. Many thanks. Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
18/9/44 Lt Robert O. Peters 335thFG shot down by P-51
This event was quite well researched and I may get you in touch with MIA Project guys. Unfortunatelly, name of the pilot is not known but he visited family of Peters and told the story, expressing his most deep and sincere sorrow and sympathies. Cheers |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Two 325 birds from othervise useless Osprey "P 47 aces of the 9th and 15th AF":
11.3.44. Lt Jimmy Jones attacked Lt Hudson who turned and shot him down 12.4.44. Lt Harry Parker (in 42-75959) shot down by P 38 Cheers, Boris |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Great stuff, Boris - it is said that one good turn deserves another! It works!!
Thanks again Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
There were so many incidents, I am sure you are going to have fun compiling them all. Here are a few more for you:
10 Sept 43 Lt. Pryblo 307th FS 31st FG-- Own Flak 22 May 44 Nick "Cowboy" Megura 334th FS-- 4th FG Shot down by P-38 6 June 44 Uffz. Winter 6./JG 26-- Own Flak 25 December Lt. Bouchier-- Own Flak 25 December Capt. Don Emmerson 336 FS 4th FG-- Own Flak 1 Jan 45 An RAF Typhoon or Tempest was shot down and the pilot KIA while in the landing pattern by a pilot from the 328th FS 352nd FG at Y-29 in Belgium. 1 Jan 45 out of about 300 aircraft lost by the Luftwaffe during Operation Bodenplatte about 100 were shot down by their own flak. I also recall an incident where USAAF P-38s shot down a few Soviet fighters I believe in the Balkans near the end of the war. And of course there was St. Lo... That is just what I found in my notes and the very few books in my library. I look forward to seeing how you present all of this stuff. I am sure some people will think this is a touchy subject but there are so many ways to get killed during a war. I used to live in Florida and during WWII there was an average of 1.25 military planes a day that crashed between Pearl Harbour and V-J Day and nobody was was shooting at them. Cheers-- Troy |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
In the August 1944 issue of "Recognition Journal" the following was mentioned. Perhaps someone knows about the a/c and boats involved: "Some months ago in the Pacific, a B-25 bomber on patrol spotted two torpedo boats below him. Not recognizing them as U.S. Navy PT's he came down on them, strafing with his eight .50-caliber machine guns. They, in turn, opened up on him. While the first PT was still sinking, a patrolling Navy fighter happened along, swung in on the bomber and shot it down. The bomber pilot never lived to make explanations, nor did all the PT men."
No. 1 Sqdn (RCAF) tallied its first victories on 24 Aug 40 by shooting down one Ju 88 and claiming another Ju 88 as a probable. Unfortunately, these a/c were Blenheim IFs of No. 235 (Fighter) Sqdn of the RAF. |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Last night while I was looking for something completely different I stumbled upon the following “friendly” fire information. Funny how that works.
On 18 March 1945 the 352nd FG, 353rd FG, 357th FG & 359th FG all had contact with Soviet fighters in the Berlin area. A P-51 from the 353rd and one from the 352nd crash landed behind Soviet lines as a result of engagements with the Soviets. Several flights of 352nd FG mixed it up with Yak-9s but combat was broken off when proper recognition was established. However, Lt. Albert Peterson of the 487th FS got into a turning contest with four Yaks and got himself shot down. Peterson eventually made his way back to his base on 1 May 1945. I couldn’t find anything more on the 353rd FG or the 357th FG. But the big story was what happened with the 359th FG over the airfields at Zackerick and Joachimsthal. Mustangs of the 368th FS and 369th FS shot down a total of nine and damaged one of the Russians in a good sized fracas with no losses. They also destroyed two more on the ground as they were taxiing to take off. The 359th initially mistook the La-5s for Fw 190s and the Yak-9s for Bf 109s. The Americans broke off combat when they figured out their mistake but in some cases the Soviets wanted to keep fighting so the Americans obliged and shot them down. The stats show that it was not much of a contest. High scorers that day were Capt. Ralph Cox who shot down three La-5s and Maj. Niven Cranfill who flamed two Yak-9s. Both became aces with those victories. Here are confirmed victories for the 359th FG on 18 March 1945: Cranfill, 368th FS: 2 Yak-9s Cox 368th FS: 3 La-5s Burtner, 368th FS: 1 Yak-9 Burtner, 368th FS: 2 Yak-9s (ground) McCormack, 368th FS: 1 Yak-9 Gaines, 368th FS: 1 Yak-9 McIntosh, 368th FS: 1 Yak-9 Berndt, 368th FS: 1 Yak-9 (damaged) After the incident Lt. McIntosh was court marshaled and sent back to the USA because his was the only gun camera film evidence of the incident that survived. On the Russian side Joseph Stalin had the surviving Russian pilots executed and expected the USA to do the same with the 359th pilots which of course never happened. Cheers-- Troy |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Correction to my previous posting:
All of the 359th FG pilots were from the 369th FS except for Capt. Cranfill who was from the 368th FS. Troy |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Many thanks Troy and George - I have to admit that I have most of this information but you have added a little more, Troy. Keep searching!
I haven't established a date for the incident you recount, George, but have made a note. Great stuff Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
USAAF Mosquito NS533. Misidentified and shot down by a USAAF P-51 of the 357th Fighter Group at about 1145 hours. The Mustang pilot and his wingman climbed to engage from 23,000 feet and the Mosquito spun in from 29,000 feet. In the after action reports, both P-51 pilots implied that the twin-engined aircraft was silhouetted against the sun -- the attacking pilot wrote that he did not see any roundels or invasion stripes on the aircraft and after the bogie turned onto his six o'clock and tried to dive away, he considered it to be hostile. The Mosquito pilot, Lt. Ronald M. Nichols, was killed. The navigator, Lt. Elbert F. Harris, bailed out and evaded capture. Crash site west of Toulouse, France. March 24th, 1945 USAAF Mosquito NS711. Misidentified and shot down by a USAAF P-47 of the 36th Fighter Group (9th Air Force) at about 1700 hours. The Thunderbolt pilot and his wingman climbed to engage from 17,000 feet. The Mosquito was at 18,500 feet when the pilot, Lt. Carroll B. Stubblefield, banked to present the national markings which were not recognized, probably again due to the lighting conditions. Stubblefield's plane also had a red tail to discourage attack by friendlies, but it's not clear if the ground attack pilots were briefed. The Mosquito had a top cover of eight P-51s of the 479th Fighter Group (8th Air Force) but they were unable to make radio contact with the P-47s until after the Mosquito was destroyed. The pilot was killed but the navigator, Lt. James B. Richmond, bailed out safely and was captured. Crash site near Brilon, Germany. April 4th, 1945 USAAF Mosquito NS635. Misidentified and shot down by a USAAF B-24 of the 446th Bomb Group at about 1030 hours. The group commander, Lt. Col. Troy W. Crawford, was aboard the Mosquito and took full responsibility for the mistake. The Liberators had been under attack by German jets and the bomber crews were previously ordered to open fire on any aircraft that came within a specified range of their guns. The escort fighter units were informed of this but the Mosquito pilot, Lt. Theodore B. Smith, was not properly briefed. He flew too close while Crawford was taking pictures of the B-24s and one of the gunners blasted the Mosquito out of the sky. The pilot and passenger bailed out safely and became POWs for the duration. Crash site between Parchim and Wesendorf, Germany. April 9th, 1945 USAAF Mosquito NS792. Misidentified and shot down by a FFAF P-51 at about 1745 hours. The Mosquito was at 20,000 feet when attacked; following an explosion the pilot, Lt. John A. Pruis, slumped forward in his seat. The navigator, Lt. Claude C. Moore, was badly burned and unable to extricate the pilot, but he managed to bail out. As the Mustangs circled during his parachute descent, Lt. Moore noticed they carried the roundels of the Free French air forces. After landing Moore was evacuated by the U.S Army. Crash site near Eberbach, Germany. (Note there is a discrepancy with the serial number. One source says the downed Mosquito was NS783, but another source says a different crew was flying that plane on the same mission). |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Troy
I am awared of no Soviet pilot being executed. It seems it was a propaganda piece aimed at Americans. Brian I have some stuff for US-Soviet combats but not sure if they should be called a friendly fire. I have got German and Soviet incidents ready (without Polish Campaign), I will try to send you an email today. I have found a note that on 26 September 1940 Kellet (303) was bounced by Spitfires - further digging necessary. |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Many thanks Six Nifty .50s - great stuff. Another name for the Acknowledgements List!! I am sincerely grateful
Best Brian Hi Six Nifty .50s - and other experts A couple of queries re USAAF Mosquitos that you mention. In Merle Olmsted's excellent 'The Yoxford Boys' (357thFG) history, he confirms (on page 359) that the 357thFG shot down two Mosquitos, one on 12 August 1944 as indicated, but the other is not dated, and neither is mentioned in the narrative. Any ideas? Perhaps the second one was a RAF machine? Secondly, regarding the shooting down of NS792 on 9 April 1945. I could be wrong, but I don't think any Free French unit was flying the P-51 at that date, and I haven't a FF Spitfire claim for a twin on that date. Maybe the culprit was a RAF Mustang or a US P-51. Again, any ideas? While on the subject of FF pilots, Lt Raoul Rebiere of 328 Squadron (formerly GCI/7) flying a Spitfire shot down a US P-51 on 7 October 1944. Any ideas? |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I have a few queries too (CBI theatre) perhaps you could fill in some of the blanks? In February 1945, an RAF trainer from No. 152 Squadron was misidentified as a Ki-43 Oscar and shot down by an RAF Spitfire, evidently piloted by Flying Officer D. W. Rathwell of No. 17 Squadron. The Harvard was carrying a war correspondent named Harry Ashley, who intended to take pictures of a battle developing near the Irrawaddy River. The Harvard pilot made a wheels up forced landing and although injured he posed for a photo by Ashley in front of the crashed aircraft. Would you know the serial numbers and the full name/rank of the Harvard pilot? According to reminisces in Chaz Bowyer's Beaufighter At War there were several friendly fire incidents in the CBI. One account states that two Beaufighters were shot down into the Akyab swamps by USAAF planes, and another states that an RAF Beaufighter shot down a USAAF B-17 returning to Chittagong from a bombing mission. I don't know the dates, crew names or serials. Do you have other information? |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
|
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
|
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Hi guys
Thanks for the latest - grateful to both Josh and Mhuxt for your input - Mhuxt, I believe Mosquito NS856 fell to a 4thFG P-51, possibly flown by Lt Charles Anderson. Six Nifty - I haven't fully completed my research for Volume 2, which covers the Far East, so I haven't the detail yet that you require apart from: 1) The Harvard was flown by a Flg Off Jackson. 2) On 20/12/44 a B-29 (not B-17) was shot down in error (at night) by a Beaufighter flown by Sqn Ldr R.B. Morrison of 176 Squadron (one killed, 11 baled out). 3) On 28/5/44 a Beaufighter of 211 Squadron flown by W/Os J.W. Goddard RAAF and E.M. Boom was shot down by P-51 from 530thFS/311rdFG. Both crew killed. Identity of US pilot unknown to me. 4) 16/11/44 two Beaufighters of 211 Squadron were shot down by P-38s from 459thFS flown by 1/Lts Vern L. Flanders and Walter H. Patton. Two crew were killed in one machine, the pilot survived from the second machine but his navigator died of wounds. I expect you are aware of other notable friendly fire incidents in CBI such as Boyington shooting down a USN Hellcat flown by Lt Richard Moore on 18/9/43; Capt Robert Owens USMC ace shot down by his wingman (identity unknown to me) on 24/1/44; Ace Capt James Swett shot down a RNZAF P-40 on 31/10/43. RAAF Catalina shot up by USMC Wildcat on 26/6/43 (identities of both unknown to me). Keep 'em coming! Cheeers Brian |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quite interesting stories from PTO were in old Kookaboora book about RAAF markings. There was an account of a RAAF Kitty pilot, who, with the Squadron, were briefed by 49 FG before entering operations. They were shown with a series of guncam movies and a disscussion started. After some comments, US officer said more less: gentlemen, please note that all the aircraft on the movie had white tails. This caused a stunning silence.
Cheers |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
For attention of Bob Collis
I did respond to your message - see Post 31. I was waiting for a call from you. Perhaps you would care to buzz me. I look forward to that. Cheers Brian PS: I am unable to post messages apart from using Quick Reply! What am I doing wrong, or not doing? |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Quote:
Thanks for the 411. Brian, my database is too large to post here, but here are a few random cases you may not know about... December 21st, 1939 RAF Hampden L4089. 44 Sqdn. Shot down by RAF Spitfires of 602 Sqdn. off New Berwick. Crew rescued by a fishing boat. December 21st, 1939 RAF Hampden L4090. 44 Sqdn. Shot down by RAF Spitfires of 602 Sqdn. off New Berwick. One fatality, other crewmen rescued by a fishing boat. July 4th, 1940 RAF Gladiator N5751. 33 Sqdn. Destroyed over Bug Bug, believed to be shot down by British AA fire. F/O W.B. Price-Owen parachuted safely. September 29th, 1940 RN Swordfish (serial in question). 813 Sqdn. Crashed into sea after being hit by friendly fire near Mersa Matruh. Crew unharmed. Other details unknown to me. November 11th, 1940 SAAF Gladiator N5813. 2 Sqdn. Shot down by friendly AA fire and flipped over on landing on island in the Nile. Lt. B. R. Dimmock injured. June 22nd, 1941 RAF Manchester L7314. 207 Sqdn. Shot down by RAF Beaufighter of 25 Sqdn. over Wollaston. Entire crew KIA. Other details unknown to me. July 2nd, 1941 RAF Wellington R1516. 311 Sqdn. Shot down by RAF night-fighter over Wiltshire. Entire crew KIA. Other details unknown to me. February 15th, 1942 RAF Liberator AM918. Shot down in error over the English Channel near Plymouth. Entire crew KIA. Other details unknown to me. April 4th, 1942 USAAF P-40 41-5551. 49th PG. Shot down by Australian AA fire over Darwin. Lt. Grover Gardner bailed out safely. April 4th, 1942 USAAF P-40 (serial in question). 49th PG. Seriously damaged by Australian AA fire over Darwin. With the controls shot up the plane skidded off the runway upon landing and crashed into a treeline, killing Lt. Livingstone. May 2nd, 1942 RAF Spitfire BL666. Damaged in attack by an RAF Beaufighter. Other details unknown to me. May 5th, 1942 RAF Stirling R9313. 218 Sqdn. Shot down by an RAF aircraft near Petworth, Sussex. Other details unknown to me. September 15th, 1942 RAF Kittyhawk AK694. 112 Sqdn. Shot down by British AA fire, crashed near Homuth. Sgt. C.O. Young, RNZAF, injured. October 21st, 1942 RAF Stirling BF390. 7 Sqdn. Shot down by British AA fire off Yarmouth. Other details unknown to me. December 2nd, 1942 RAF Beaufighter (serial in question). 89 Sqdn. Shot down by British AA fire from Malta. Crew bailed out safely. Other details unknown to me. December 16th, 1942 RAF Marauder FK367. 14 Sqdn. Shot down by Spitfire off Benghazi. Other details unknown to me. December 22nd, 1942 RAF Spitfire ER602. Shot down by Allied AA fire. Other details unknown to me. December 27th, 1942 RAF Hudson FK389. 117 Sqdn. Shot down by USAAF fighters at Thelepte. Other details unknown to me. March 24th, 1943 RAF Spitfire BR302 was attacked by RAF Typhoons and then collided with Spitfire BS448. The pilot of BR302 made a forced landing at Ibsley. The pilot of BS448 bailed out over Devon. Apparently this occurred during a training exercise and it was not made clear if the Typhoons were supposed to be there. Other details unknown to me. April 13th, 1943 RAF Hudson FK401. Shot down by RAF Beaufighter off Algiers. Other details unknown to me. April 23rd, 1943 USAAF P-51, A-36, or F-6 (serial in question). 154th OS. Shot down by Allied AA fire in North Africa. Other details unknown to me. May 25th, 1943 RAF Typhoon (serial in question). 486 Sqdn. Misidentifed as an Fw 190, damaged by cannon-fire from other Typhoons in the same squadron. F/Lt. A.E. Umbers unmolested. July 10th, 1943 USAAF A-36A 42-84075. 86th FBG. Shot down by U.S. Navy AA fire over the Mediterranean. Lt. A. R. Fleischmann, KIA. July 12th, 1943 RAAF Beaufort A9-225. 100 Sqdn. Crew of this aircraft mistakenly opened fire on a USN PB4Y-1 of VD-1, which returned fire and shot down the Beaufort. Other details unknown to me. 14th July 1943 RAF Spitfire X4818. Shot down by student pilot. Instructor killed. Other details unknown to me. July 28th, 1943 RAF Mosquito DZ600. Shot down by an RAF Mosquito night-fighter near Ipsden. Other details unknown to me. August 27th, 1943 USAAF P-47 (serial in question). 56th FG. Damaged in attack by RAF Spitfires while returning from a sweep to Lille, France. Other details unknown to me. September 11th, 1943 RAF Spitfire EF674. Shot down by Allied gunfire. Other details unknown to me. November 11th, 1943 USN F4U-1 Corsair 17629. VF-17. Slightly damaged by another Corsair off Rabaul. Lt. Commander John T. Blackburn not injured and landed his plane safely. His XO, Lt. Commander Roger R. Hedrick, misidentified Blackburn's plane while chasing a Japanese fighter through clouds and broke off after firing a short burst. November 29th, 1943 USAAF P-47D 42-8601. 356th FG. Shot down by USAAF B-17 near Aschendorf. Lt. Warren A. Beach bailed out and was taken prisoner. 21st December 1943 RAF Lancaster DS704. 408 Sqdn. Shot down by the tail gunner of another Lancaster near Limburg. Crew bailed out, two men killed. Other details unknown to me. December 30th, 1943 USAAF P-40s (several from 79th FG) were returning from a ground attack mission in Italy when attacked by RAF Spitfires. Fortunately all of the shots missed. December 30th, 1943 USAAF P-40 (serial in question). 79th FG. Shot down by British AA fire near Ortona, Italy. Lt. Edwin Joh bailed out safely. December 30th, 1943 RAF Baltimore FA230. Seriously damaged by friendly fire off Rosetta, Egypt. Other details unknown to me. April 1st, 1944 RAF Ventura FP633. Believed to be shot down by RAF Beaufighter. Other details unknown to me. April 20th, 1944 RAF Spitfire EN291. Destroyed following attack by USAAF P-38 in Italy. Other details unknown to me. April 26th, 1944 RAF Mitchell FR142. Shot down by RAF Mosquito and crashed near Headcorn, U.K. Other details unknown to me. May 1944 USAAF P-47 (serial in question). 406th FG. Damaged by gunfire from RAF B-25; crew apparently RCAF. Date is a guesstimate. Other details unknown to me. May 12th, 1944 USAAF P-51 (serial in question). 359th FG. Slightly damaged by gunfire from another Mustang after Lt. Robert L. Thacker flew across the path of Capt. Charles C. Ettlesen, who was strafing parked aircraft near Thamsbruck. June 6th, 1944 On D-Day, RAF Dakotas from 233 Sqdn. came under AA fire from British ships as they flew over the Normandy invasion beaches, near the mouth of the River Orne. Two damaged Dakotas were forced to turn back before they dropped supplies. Another Dakota ditched in the Channel, and five other planes were reported missing, believed shot down by friendly fire. (I have read conflicting information about this incident, perhaps someone can sort it out). June 10th, 1944 USAAF P-47 (serial in question). 56th FG. Damaged by USAAF P-38 during a ground attack mission in France. Other details unknown to me. June 10th, 1944 RAF Spitfire EE685. Shot down by Allied warships off Normandy. Other details unknown to me. July 6th, 1944 USAAF P-38J 42-68109. 370th FG. Shot down by Allied AA fire near Cherbourg. Lt. Wesley E. Holtdorf , KIA. July 30th, 1944 USAAF P-51B (serial in question). 31st FG. Shot down by USAAF P-38 near Budapest, Hungary. Maj. Ernest Shipman was taken prisoner. 31st July 1944 USAAF P-51 (serial in question). 31st FG. Pilot was shot down by his wingman during a dogfight with Me 109s over Ploesti. The two were separated in a cloud formation when Lt. Edmund Gubler opened fire on Lt. Dennis Riddle, who bailed out safely. Gubler then landed nearby to pick him up. This had been done successfully by other Mustang pilots, but this plane was unable to take off from soft ground. Both men were taken prisoner. August 12th, 1944 RAF Liberator EV878. Shot down over English Channel by HMS Onslow. Other details unknown to me. August 13th, 1944 USAAF P-47D 42-75230. 356th FG. Shot down by British AA fire near Martlesham Heath. Lt. Henry L. Lewis, KIA. August 14th, 1944 USAAF P-47D 42-8491. 356th FG. Shot down by American AA fire near Laval. Lt. Louis G. Alphonse, KIA. August 17th, 1944 RAF Spitfire MJ398. 602 Sqdn. Force-landed after attack by Mustangs. Other details unknown to me. November 11th, 1944 RAF Spitfire (serial in question). Shot down by a USAAF P-51 near Padua, Italy. F/Lt. A. M. Cummings, KIA. Another Spitfire (serial in question) flown by F/Lt. Creed was damaged by gunfire from the same flight of Mustangs. December 18th, 1944 RAF Spitfire NH720. 130 Sqdn. Damaged by Allied AA fire. Other details unknown to me. December 23rd, 1944 RAF Spitfire RB169. 350 Sqdn. Damaged by Allied AA fire. Other details unknown to me. February 3rd, 1945 USAAF P-47s (several from 56th FG). Attacked by RAF Spitfires near Berlin. Fortunately all of the shots missed. February 4th, 1945 RAAF Beaufighter A8-85. 93 Sqdn. One of several aircaft that attacked a civilian yacht owned by the Rajah of Sarawak (misidentified as a Japanese oil tanker). The Beaufighter was damaged by flying debris from exploding rockets and crash-landed in jungle near Kucing. F/Lt. Sims and F/O Arrant eventually returned to base. March 4th, 1945 USAAF B-17G 43-37516. Shot down by British AA fire over Essex. Crew bailed out but there were some fatalities. Wreckage came down in mudflats of River Stout. Other details unknown to me. April 10th, 1945 USAAF A-26 (serial in question). Shot down by USAAF P-51s from the 356th FG. Other details unknown to me. April 20th, 1945 U.S. Army L-5 liaison aircraft (serial in question) was enroute to Reidfeld when attacked by an RAF fighter which appeared to be a Spitfire. One of the passengers was General George S. Patton, and fortunately the L-5 pilot successfully evaded the threat with low level maneuvering. The RAF pilot, his name unknown to me, made several firing passes and then crashed after failing to pull out of a dive. April 24th, 1945 RAF Mosquito (serial in question). 409 Sqdn. Shot down by another RAF Mosquito near Rheine. P/O L. E. Fitchett and P/O A. C. Hardy crash-landed near B108 airfield. |
Re: Friendly fire WWII
Wow! Thanks indeed Six Nifty. You'll have to let me have your real identity sometime so that I am able to fully acknowledge your asssiatnce in the forthcoming book. I do have the majority of those incidents you have so generously listed, but there are a few new to me. I do really appreciate your time and effort.
Cheers Brian |
| All times are GMT +2. The time now is 02:02. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2018, 12oclockhigh.net