[Observer1940]

Thanks Henk and Brian.

I have been researching recently, a handful of our aircraft in collision with balloon cables in 1940 and I am fast getting the impression that some of our aircraft which ended up crashing into a balloon barrage cable, did so because of some other failure, such as engine or airframe failure, fire on board, or requesting a landing due to a crew member being wounded, or attempting to avoid our AA fire from the ground, which was forcing our aircraft to make an emergency landing, but unfortunately they struck the balloon barrage whilst attempting an emergency landing.

I have just come across another late 1940 incident involving a Whitley where the Whitley was intercepted, fired at and forced to crash land by our own fighters, fortunately the crew survived. But it was shot down, simply because the Germans were believed to have a Whitley in flight and after a June 1940 incident with a Whitley thought to be in GAF hands. However, despite an Air Ministry warning in late July 1940 not to engage a friendly type and a Court of Inquiry in August 1940 for one of the August 1940 Whitley shoot downs, our fighters were still engaging Whitley aircraft in late 1940 and using the June incident as a precedent it was claimed.

According to an official early WW2 Poll our Operational Bomber crews feared our own AA the most! Even though the Op was almost over and they should have been safe, they had to be on absolute full alert in the English Channel and crossing our coast and when being challenged for the 'Colour of Day' or the 'Letter of the period' and be fully conversant with messages being received and given in Syko!

Some balloon barrages were being raised, due to our aircraft being unidentified and the issuing of a local "action warning". I have just found a letter signed by C-in-C Dowding himself, where he is saying he will be issuing an instruction to the A-O-C Balloon Command that his Balloon Units must not raise the Balloons on a Local, or Private Warning, but must wait for the formal Red Warning.

I have been looking at the odd date in several ORBs recently looking for other events on particular dates and what should jump out of the page at me was two more friendly incidents where the aircraft limped back after colliding with a cable, or simply flew through a balloon barrage and got away with it.

Mark