Friendly fire WWII

[AndreasB]

Originally Posted by Laurent Rizzotti

On 25 April 1941 the German Kampfgruppe Herff was supposed to take Halfaya Pass, on the Lybian-Egyption border, with air support.

The German aircraft (probably Bf 110s of ZG 26) attacked the concentration area of the German forces rather than Allied positions, and the Kampfgruppe lost 7 dead and 10 wounded only in this "friendly" air attack.

See https://rommelsriposte.com/2016/08/2...25-april-1941/

Seems to have happened with disturbing regularity, on both sides.

All the best

Andreas

[Laurent Rizzotti]

“Doolittle´s after-effects”
On 18 April 1942, in the First Bombing of Japan, LtCol (later Gen/Medal of Honor) James H. Doolittle's force of 16 North American B-25 "Mitchell" twin-engine Army bombers of the 17th Bomb Group took off from Captain (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher's carrier USS HORNET (CV-8) and struck targets in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya and Kobe. Four days later, at 1525, on 21 April, the brand-new flying boat tender AKITSUSHIMA was running official builder trials off Wada-misaki, Kobe when a large airplane approached the vessel. The aircraft was identified as an enemy B-25 bomber! Immediately, AKITSUSHIMA opened fire with her brand-new AA-machine guns. Nearby, at the same time, Settsu Shosen´s passenger ship TENNYO MARU (495grt) was running her regular passenger service between Kobe and Awaji Island ports. At 1528, TENNYO MARU sent an emergency call that she was under machine gun fire thought to come from a large aircraft seen flying in the vicinity. Finally, it became clear that AKITSUSHIMA had mistaken a Japanese transport plane for a B-25 bomber and that shell splinters from her AA-fire had rained down on nearby TENNYO MARU! The Doolittle Raid had, in deed, left a deep impact on Japanese psychology!

Source:
http://www.combinedfleet.com/Strange.htm

[Brian]

Thanks for the latest.

Most interesting!

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

14 April 1944: a Soviet Lend-Lease C-47 shot down by Soviet AA fire
USAAF s/n 42-92339; diverted 05jan44; rgd 10apr44; opb 1 atd GVF; w/o 14apr44 while flying at a height of 180 metres south-east of Rechitsa (Gomel district of Belarus) when came close to the bridge over the river Dnepr which was protected by a Soviet anti-aircraft artillery battery, was hit and damaged by the anti-aircraft fire, made a forced landing near Uza railway station, caught fire and burnt out, 2 of the crew injured while the others escaped unhurt
Source: http://www.oldwings.nl/st/foreigners.pdf

[Laurent Rizzotti]

On 10 August 1944, at the place named "Le Sablon", commune of Mezieres-sous-Ballon, a column of the 2nd French Armored Division that was advancing to cut the axis Falaise-Argentan-Alencon was fired on by German 88 PAK guns and/or Jadgpanthers. The 12eme RCA lost to German fire three Sherman destroyed, 7 killed, several wounded and 2 POWs. Air support was asked and US Thunderbolts provided it.

But one of the US fighters dropped his two bombs on a French tank, the Shermann "Labourd" who was stopped on the road and had not displayed the orange identification panel. The tank was hit and took fire: three crew (Marechal des Logis Alexis Labord, Chasseur 1ere classe Roland Courty, Chasseur 1ere classe André Bournbonville) were killed with two other men: Chasseur René Viraize who was standing near the bombed tank and chasseur Casimir Bordes who was driving an half-track behind the tank.

Source:
http://12rcahistorique.canalblog.com/

[Laurent Rizzotti]

On 10 October 1944 Allied airplanes bombed Uzice, in Yugoslavia, killing and wounding 10 civilians and partisan of the Uzice Detachment, and destroying several houses.
Source: http://www.znaci.net/00001/53_46.pdf

It seems to me that then Uzice was in partisan hands, but should be confirmed.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

A list of air to ground friendly fire cases:
http://www.dupuyinstitute.org/ubb/Fo...ML/000026.html

[Laurent Rizzotti]

12 August 1942:
19 LG1 Ju88s escorted by 16 1/JG77 Bf109s attacked in the morning the Pedestral convoy. German records list six as being shot down and a further two lost over Sardinia from ‘friendly fire’. The latter were shot down by Italian fighters mistaking them for marauding Beaufighters out of Malta.
http://www.armouredcarriers.com/oper...st-10-12-1942/

20 July 1943, B-25 vs US PT boats in Solomon (and a possible USN fighter)
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircra.../41-13153.html

[Brian]

Wow! Laurent what great information!

I must get stuck in to using all this such important material you keep unearthing, unless you beat me to it! Perhaps we should collaborate!

Cheers
Brian

[Bruce Dennis]

"1942 March 19:
A British Court of Enquiry found that Liberator Aircraft number AM 918 in the service of British Overseas Airways, carrying Lieutenant Colonel Townsend Griffiss and British military and civilian passengers, was shot down about 5 miles southwest of the Eddystone Lighthouse, near Plymouth, England, on Feb. 15, 1942 at about 8:50 A.M. British Standard Time. Plane was on non-stop flight from Cairo to England. Plane crashed into channel. Crew and all passengers were lost. No bodies have been recovered. Plane was shot down by 2 Polish pilots of the Polish Air Force who failed to identify it as friendly aircraft. Court also found that contributory cause was lack of exercise of proper and effective control of pilots by ground organization. Evidence is being taken with the view of bringing the 2 pilots before court martial. It is requested that no publicity be given to findings of Court of Enquiry. Formal certificate of death will be forwarded as soon as issued by British Casualty Section. Request this information be furnished also Chief of Army Air Forces."

Source: Document psfa0043, letter Cheney to Marshall in George C. Marshall papers in the FDR Library.