Friendly fire WWII

[Brian]

Many thanks once again, Laurent.

Excellent - another 'new' one for me!

Cheers
Brian

[Terry Maker]

One for your book, from the archives:

"On 22/10/44, (22/11/44 according to some sources), F/O John Francis Anthony Raynes, of 148 Squadron RAF, (Special Duties – S.O.E.) "C" Flight, was flying Lysander T1456, near Udine, Italy, en route to Southern Austria, during a daylight operation from Northern Italy, when he was attacked, and shot down.

His attacker was a USAAF P-51 of 325th Fighter Group.

F/O J.F.A. Rayns, was killed, as were his passengers, described variously as three Italian agents, or two SOE decorated captains, who were agents involved in the TEMPLAR Mission."

reported in Carpetbaggers Roll of Honour. and CWGC

Terry Maker, Operation: Dark of the Moon
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/operationdarkofthemoon/

[Jan.Safarik]

Dear Brian

I don't know whether I wrote it to you but I managed to find new information to my article Nevydařená „Čajka“ which was published in REVI magazine. So far unknown Soviet pilot who shot down Vaclav Ohem over Eastern Germany was Umyarov (Умяров). I hope it will help you.

Source: Režňák, Libor: Ocelový hřebec MiG-19 a československé letectvo 1958-1972, Svět křídel, Cheb 2008.

Best regards
JAN

[Jan.Safarik]

Soviet pilots shot down by mistake French plane Potez 540, F-A000 in Spain on 3rd December 1936. After the emergency landing the plane broke down and burned down. One of the passengers, French journalist Louis Delapree, died. The plane should have been shot down by a group of Evgenii Yefimovich Yerlikin (Евгений Ефимович Ерлыкин), some sources present pilots Nikolai Ivanovich Shmelkov (Николай Иванович Шмельков) and Georgii Nefedovich Zakharov (Георгий Нефедович Захаров)
(page 74)


The pilots of Legion Condor shot down by mistake one plane Ro.37bis on 10th December 1936, the crew Jose Company F. Bernal and Rafael Jimenes Benamu were injured.
(page 75)

Source:
# Абросов, Сергей Владимирович: Воздушная война в Испании. Хроника воздушных сражений 1936-1939 гг., Издатель: Яуза, Эксмо, 2008, ISBN: 978-5-699-25288-6. / Abrosov, S.V.: Vozdusnaja vojna v Ispanii. Chronika vozdusnych srazenij 1936-1939 gg. M., Jauza, 2008.

[ # Абросов, Сергей Владимирович: В небе Испании 1936-1939 годы, Издательство: г.Москва, без издательства, 2003, ISBN: 5-08-0040-89-0.]

Best regards
JAN

[Terry Maker]

Further information to my earlier post regarding F/O J.F.A.Rayns, (sometimes spelt 'Raynes') the following additional information has just come into my hands,

"The Lysander appears to have been identified by the Mustang pilot as a Henshel 123."

Terry Maker

OPERATION: Dark of the Moon

[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

[Gunther]

I've been off this site for a long time and haven't tried to read all the posts on this thread--that would be a book which we can all hope Brian will publish! There was an incident over the Indochina coast Jan 12 '45 when Marine Corsairs off the Essex shot down a 14th AF B-24. I've seen the file in USMC archives, containing a still photo from the F4U gun camera. It's somewhat blurry but clearly shows no star/bar on the wings and apparently none on the fuselage. The CAP was vectored to investigate the bogey, which opened fire. The marines ID'd it as a Liberator but because it shot at them, they figured it was Japanese-flown. Presumably it was from the 308th BG, the only Lib unit I know of in 14th AF.

[Leendert]

This B-24 was 42-73249 of 308th BG/374th BS. MACR 11163.
There's a story about it from a relative of one of the crew on this website:
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/308th_web/mail_308.htm

Scroll down to the post by Tom Osbore, dated 30-Oct-98.

Regards,

Leendert

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hi Brian, I know you have already this case, a B-29 shot down by a Beaufighter on 20 December 1944, but maybe this will give you some new details:
http://www.40thbombgroup.org/memories/Memories57.pdf

[Leendert]

British side of this B-29 shoot down by a Beaufighter is described on p.101 of this link: http://www.rquirk.com/cdnradar/seacradarfile2b.pdf

Beaufighter 'M' of 89 Squadron on Practice Intercept flown by S/L Morrison, WO Powell and F/L Donner.

Regards,


Leendert