RAF bombers lost to RAF bombers

[Mifletz]

From Henric Edwards:

"I haven't seen any such figures, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I think it is safe to say that accidental firing on friendly bombers was fairly common, but how many of these incidents led to fatal crashes is more than I know.

As to how many .303 bullets it would take; it all depends on where they strike. A few shells between the engines would set the wing tanks on fire and the bomber would be doomed. This was a favourite tactic of many Nachtjagd pilots flying aircraft equipped with the upward firing 'Schrהge Musik' weapon system. Paradoxically, many of them believed that this method was more humane than firing directly at the fuselage since the bomber crew would have more time to escape. In fact, the opposite was true since the pilot often lost control of the bomber without any warning and the crew would have very little time to bail out.

If the bullets hit non-vital parts of the fuselage, more hits would be needed before the structural integrity was weakened to such an extent that it gave way and caused a failure serious enough to make further flight impossible. So it all depends on the situation."