[Observer1940]

Alan

I expect some ships were unmarked as your quote suggests and therefore I am left questioning the term "friendly fire".

Friendly fire to me, is really a case, that when fire is opened, the person engaging the other party ought to have known.

However, I have a 1940 Court of Inquiry of an RAF bomber friendly fire incident and in the many pages of witness evidence attached to the form, basically the ground Controller was unaware that a new Bomber Station had opened in his Sector and the Pilot of the Blenheim said he thought the aircraft looked like a German aircraft.

In September 1940, the Air Ministry instruction in the file reminds RAF forces that fire will not be opened unless the other aircraft commits a hostile act and that it is better for a German aircraft to escape than to shoot down one of our own aircraft.

Therefore, it seems that many friendly fire incidents (although blame cannot always be attached) were incidents of fire against your own forces, despite not knowing in many of the cases.

Although, I have found a 1940 reference to an Admiralty complaint to the Air Ministry at TNA, Kew, asking why the Portland Anti Aircraft defences failed to take any action against British aircraft which were over the Portland prohibited area at night.

Mark