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Re: Soviet Sub B-1 "Sunfish" sunk by British Coastal Command
Once an aircraft on an anti-submarine patrol sighted a target, they had to (A) satisfy themselves that it was an enemy vessel and (B) attack as soon as possible without waiting for instructions from ‘the boss’. That is what happened and the mistake was caused by the aircraft being in the wrong place and assuming any submarine they saw was an enemy.
The intelligence that a U-boat may be in a certain area was nothing to do with the wireless operator on the Liberator or even the base it flew from: it came from SIGINT and under no circumstances would the details be passed on to an operational aircrew. It was a mistake, not the only time an Allied aircraft attacked a friendly sub for the same reasons.
Rainer suggested two files at The National Archives. I have seen those files and he is right, everything you need is there. Again, do you have some information from another source that leads you to believe there was something else responsible for the sinking?
Bruce
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