[FlyNavy]

Brian,

here's an odd friendly fire incident, reported by Peter C. Smith in his book "Eagle's War", p. 55:

"On 4 September, passing to the South of Crete, an enemy dive-bombing attack was made on Eagle, at sunset (1900). The bombs fell very close, close enough in fact to put the dynamo out of action for lighting and supplying power to the pom-pom mounting. Consequently this weapon could not open fire for several vital minutes. An emergency call was sent to Illustrious for fighter protection and three Fulmars still in the air duly arrived and were greeted by being fired on by Eagle's AA guns! These proved so effective that the Fulmars had to land on owing to damage."

The bomber attack was, probably, not a true dive-bombing one, as the newly-operational Italian Ju.87s of 96° Gr., based in Sicily, wouldn't have the range. Bombers might have come instead from one of the Italian airfields in the Aegean.

Best regards

Claudio