Friendly fire WWII

[Six Nifty .50s]

Originally Posted by David Pausey

Brian
I have looked at the 11 group ORB and the 78th F.G. claims are there but they give no pilot names. So would think you are right and they were not allowed. I have the report of the days missions 21-12-43 and 501 and 609 Sqns ORB, but I suppose you have these ? any way if you whant scans just let me know.
Cheers
David
PS I have no other details of the 78th FG BTW.

After studying this problem, I got the impression that claims were made for eight aircraft destroyed, of which four were rejected after the investigation. To my knowledge, the following was credited to the 78th Fighter Group on December 21st, 1943:

Lieutenant Charles W. Silsby, 84th FS. One FW-190.
Lieutenant William F. Hunt, 84th FS. One FW-190.
Lieutenant Gray H. Doyle, 84th FS. One FW-190.
Captain John D. Irvin, 84th FS. One ME-109.

Silsby was later promoted to Captain, and was KIA on April 15th, 1944, with the 84th FS. Hunt was later promoted to Captain, and was KIA on June 10th, 1944, with the 84th FS. Doyle was later promoted to Captain, and was KIA on September 5th, 1944, with HQ, 78th FG. Irvin was later promoted to Major, and moved to VIII Fighter Command on March 17th, 1944. I was not able to determine the names of the four pilots who were drummed out of the group as a result of the disaster on December 21st, 1943.

Perhaps Frank Olynyk has other information.

[Six Nifty .50s]

Speaking of bad days, I am seeking to fill in the blanks on incomplete data regarding September 14th, 1940. Can anyone sort this out and tell us who did all the shooting:

RAF Hurricane P3209. 73 Squadron. Shot down by a Spitfire and made forced-landing at Gravesend. Sergeant Leng was not injured. See Francis Mason / Battle Over Britain, p.385. Serial number from Francis Mason / The Hawker Hurricane, p.221, and Winston Ramsey / The Battle of Britain: Then and Now, p.448.

RAF Hurricane L2039. 73 Squadron. Shot down by a Spitfire near Tonbridge. Squadron Leader M. W. S. Robinson was injured bailing out. See Francis Mason / Battle Over Britain, p.385. Serial number from Winston Ramsey / The Battle of Britain: Then and Now, p.448, and Norman L. R. Franks / RAF Fighter Command Losses, vol. I, p.82.

RAF Hurricane; serial unknown. 73 Squadron. Shot down by a Spitfire near Maidstone. Sergeant J. J. Griffin bailed out without injuries. See Francis Mason / Battle Over Britain, p.385.

RAF Hurricane V7209. 73 Squadron. Damaged in attack by a Spitfire over Tilbury. Aircraft hit in the radiator and Flight Lieutenant M. L. ff Beytaugh made a forced landing at West Malling without injury. See Francis Mason / Battle Over Britain, p.385, and Winston Ramsey / The Battle of Britain: Then and Now, p.448.

RAF Hurricane L1981. 73 Squadron. Damaged in attack by a Spitfire. Pilot landed without injury, his name withheld. See Winston Ramsey / The Battle of Britain: Then and Now, p.448.

RAF Hurricane; serial unknown. 73 Squadron. Damaged in attack by a Spitfire. Pilot Officer R. A. Marchand landed without injury. See Francis Mason / Battle Over Britain, p.385.

[Brian]

Thanks David, Franek and Six Nifty for your responses - excellent, and surely we now have the identities of the four pilots involved.

Regarding your query re 73 Squadron on 14 September 1940, I have a note that the squadron responsible was probably 603. I have to invesigate further. This is what I have:

14 September was an unlucky day for 73 Squadron operating from Castle Camps, its Hurricanes having been attacked by Spitfires in error – possibly aircraft from 603 Squadron - over Tilbury just after 1600. Flt Lt Mike Beytagh force-landed V7209 at West Malling after his aircraft had been hit in the radiator, while Sgt Maurice Leng managed to force-land his damaged machine (P3209) at Gravesend. This was Leng’s second incident, having been shot down by ‘friendly fire’ the previous month. The Hurricanes flown by Flg Off Don Scott (L1981/TP-B) and Plt Off Roy Marchard (P2869) both returned to base with damage inflicted by the Spitfires, but Sgt John Brimble failed to return. It was believed that he had also been shot down by one of the Spitfires and his aircraft (P2543/TP-D) crashed at Parkhouse Farm, Chart Sutton near Maidstone. Bristol-born Brimble was killed. One of the few to escape the onslaught was Flg Off Smudger Smith, who reported that he had seen a Spitfire breaking away following an attack on a Hurricane, which fell away obviously damaged. Smith pursued the Spitfire down to 3,000 feet but could no catch up with it. On the same date, Flt Lt John Freeborn and his section from 74 Squadron scrambled and intercepted a Bf110, which was chased through cloud as the Spitfires manoeuvred to carry out individual attacks. In the confusion Plt Off Bob Spurdle (P7355) accidentally fired at Freeborn’s aircraft (P7366), inflicting slight damage only and Freeborn was not hurt.

You will note that the identities of those involved differ to your list, Six Nifty.

Cheers
Brian

[Brian]

Gentlemen!
Your combined expertise promptly provided answers to the 20/12/43 tragedy, so how about these:

9 August 1943: B-26 41-31634 555BS/386BG was shot down by an RAF Spitfire. Has anyone identities and fate of crew? Identity/squadron of Spitfire pilot? I have just 'discovered' that 1/Lt Dick A Tucker and his crew were killed.

3 December 1943: B-17 554BS damaged by friendly fire and 2/Lt John B. Kennedy was wounded. What type of friendly fire (apart from being unfriendly) and location of incident?

23 March 1944: Two P-47s attacked RAF launch HSL2706 in mistake for German E-boat off Dutch coast. Who were the pilots? What squadron/group?

Over to you, guys.

Cheers
Brian

[Six Nifty .50s]

Thanks Brian. Were you able to figure out why Francis Mason, Norman Franks, and Winston Ramsay all reported different results for the same day?

Originally Posted by Brian

23 March 1944: Two P-47s attacked RAF launch HSL2706 in mistake for German E-boat off Dutch coast. Who were the pilots? What squadron/group?

On that date, Lieutenant James R. Cook and Flight Officer Shirley J. Green (360th FS) were said to have damaged an E-boat in the North Sea. See p.31, Miller, Kent. The 356th Fighter Group in World War II: In Action over Europe with the P-47 and P-51 (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Books, 2003).

[Brian]

Sorry Six Nifty - I am not privy to the workings of minds of great men!!

Thanks for the note re 360FS, Please note that I now have details of the crew and their fates regarding the B-26 downed on 9/8/43 - but not the identity of the RAF pilot responsibe.

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by Brian

9 August 1943: B-26 41-31634 555BS/386BG was shot down by an RAF Spitfire. Has anyone identities and fate of crew? Identity/squadron of Spitfire pilot? I have just 'discovered' that 1/Lt Dick A Tucker and his crew were killed.

Hi, Brian,

for this day I have the following six airmen of 555th BS who died this day:
Staff Sergeant Allen J. Crosswell, buried Netherlands
Second Lieutenant Patrick J. Kelly, MIA
Technical Sergeant John P. Ryan, MIA
First Lieutenant Paul E. Scharding, MIA
First Lieutenant Dick A. Tucker, MIA
Staff Sergeant Bernard T. Zukosky, MIA.
I don't know any more loss for 555th BS this day so these 6 men were probably the crew of this bomber. But I have no definitive proof.

[Brian]

Many thanks Laurent. I wonder who the Spitfire pilot was?

On 27/6/44 an L-4 of 87th Field Artillery was shot down - does anyone know identity and fate of crew. Also, two more L-4s were shot down in July 1944. Any details? I have found some more details: The L-4 shot down on 27/6/44 was flown by 2/Lts Robert R. McAnninch and Chales R. Wood Jr, both US Army, who were killed; on 31/7/44 L-4 was shot down although both Lt Robert C. Campbell and 2/Lt John T. Maguire, both US Army, survived unhurt; on 27/3/45 L-4 shot down although Lt Campbell and Lt John R. Berry survived. On all three occasions it is believed that the L-4s were hit by shells fired by 87th Field Artillery. Can anyone confirm these details, and also provide serial numbers of the L-4s? Did other US Army Artillery units that had L-4s attached lose aircraft in this manner?

On 6/10/44 the 335thFS/4thFG shot down a Me410 near Heligoland at 1100. Who was the claimant? PS: I now have this information!

Cheers
Brian

[Six Nifty .50s]

Originally Posted by Brian

16/11/44 two Beaufighters of 211 Squadron were shot down by P-38s from 459thFS flown by 1/Lts Vern L. Flanders and Walter H. Patton. Two crew were killed in one machine, the pilot survived from the second machine but his navigator died of wounds.

I found some more details:

" ... One of the first operations [from Chiringa], flown by Pilot Officer Trigwell and his navigator, Pilot Officer Chippendale, leading Flight Sergeant McDowall and Sergeant Cooper, ended in most unusual circumstances. They had been briefed to attack road transport on the Taungup Pass, between Taungup and Prome. Without warning they were attacked over the target area by two USAAF Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. Neither Beaufighter survived the attack, although Trigwell, after hitting a mangrove tree, was able to crash land his aircraft in about four feet of water. Triggy was uninjured, but Chips was badly wounded in the back by cannon shells and was unable to move. With much difficulty, Triggy was able to get Chips out. He recovered what he could of the medical supplies, including a few tubes of morphine and, by cutting up a parachute he was able to bandage the eight perforations in his navigator's back. That night, he bought a boat, but either he was betrayed by the Burmese or the Japanese had been able to locate the crashed aircraft, for they were taken prisoner just after dark. Chips died four days later whilst they were being transferred from the mangrove swamps to Taungup, and Triggy finally arrived in Rangoon as a prisoner of war on Christmas Eve 1944 ...
Triggy's camp had 1300 prisoners, 600 of whom were British, American and Dutch, and the rest Chinese and Indian. On 25th April, five months after becoming a prisoner of war, he was one of 400 whom the Japanese selected to be dressed in Japanese clothing and then marched north from Rangoon. On the fifth day when they were north of Pegu, the senior Allied prisoner of war, Brigadier Hobbs, informed the group that the Japanese commandant had left a letter with him saying that they were being freed and that 'they would meet us on the battlefield later'. The prisoners were now on their own and had the job of making contact with the advancing 14th Army, and their main problem being that they were dressed in Japanese clothing.
Over the five previous days they had been subject to considerable harassment by way of bombings and cannon strafing by RAF Mosquitos but suffered no casualties. Eventually, when they reached suitable terrain, they made from their clothing a large Union Jack and a message: '400 BRITISH POWS HERE PLEASE DROP RADIO'. In due course, they decided that RAF aircraft had spotted the signs but, much to their surprise, they suddenly found themselves being attacked by three Hurricanes with bombs and machine-guns with one unfortunate killing, that of Brigadier Hobbs ... "

See p.106-107, Innes, David. Beaufighters Over Burma: No. 27 Squadron, RAF, 1942-45. Blandford Press, 1985.