Friendly fire WWII

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by Brian

Hi Laurent
A sad tale, but do we know how many other paratroopers were killed in this incident?

The wikipedia webpage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...s#World_War_II gave numbers for D-day casualties to friendly fire, but I do not believe them. Still, you can see the sources cites and try to find more.

Another example of certainly too high casualty number given by this page is for 27 June 1942, where "Wellingtons bombed for two hours British troops, killing 359 men" (sic). Given that between 26 and 28 June 1942, 600 Commonwealth men died in North Africa, I strongly doubt that more than half of them were killed in only one friendly fire case.

By the way the war diary of one of the units supposed to have been bombed on 27 June 1942 is online (http://www.warlinks.com/armour/4_cly/4cly_42.php) and there is nothing about a bombing attack on this date.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

From the US Army official book on Okinawa (see https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/...chapter4.htm):

"Enemy air opposition had been relatively light during the first few days after the landings. On 6 April [1945] the expected air reaction materialized with a fierce attack of 400 planes which had flown down from Kyushu to drive the invaders from Okinawa. The raids' began at dawn, and by noon Task Force 58 had shot down seven possible suicide planes. Throughout the afternoon the battle increased in intensity. Patrol and picket ships, which throughout the operation proved an irresistible attraction to enemy planes, were a favorite target. Japanese planes also appeared from time to time over the Hagushi beaches and transport area and were taken under fire by the ship and shore batteries. On such occasions the raider, ringed with bright streams of tracer bullets from automatic weapons, would streak across a sky filled with black puffs of smoke from hundreds of bursting shells, and in the course of seconds would plunge into the sea in a geyser of water and smoke, or crash into a ship with an even greater explosion of smoke and flame. Directed against such raiders, friendly fire killed four Americans and wounded thirty-four others in the XXIV Corps zone, ignited an ammunition dump near Kadena, destroyed an oil barge, and in the late afternoon shot down two American planes over the beaches. Some ships also suffered damage and casualties from friendly fire. Twenty-two of twenty-four suicide crashes were successful, sinking two destroyers, a mine sweeper, two ammunition ships, and an LST. A ship rescuing survivors from the lost LST was itself struck by a suicide plane soon after but was not seriously damaged. The attack cost the Japanese about 300 planes; 65 were splashed by fliers from the Essex alone. Unloading continued on the Hagushi beaches almost without pause, and the American fleet, although it had taken severe blows, was still intact."

According to http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/USN/LLApr45.htm, the US Navy lost 19 aircraft in Okinawa area on this date so identifying the two victims of friendly fire would need a check of USN war diaries, and my fold3 account is down for the moment.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

24 December 1944: the CC A of 2nd US Armored Division took Buissonville and then:
"After this action a squadron of P-38's strafed the village, probably on a mission which had been called for before the assault, killing one American officer and wounding another before the airplanes could be diverted."

Source: https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/7-8/7-8_18.HTM (official US Army History, THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE)

21 November 1943: a Navy bomber attacked US tanks at Makin:
"Before the four tanks had dispersed, a navy bomber suddenly swung over them at a very low altitude, and from its opening bomb-bay hatch, a 2,000-lb. "daisy-cutter" fell, striking ground about 25 feet from Captain Tobin's tank on the highway. Lieutenant Gallagher, Pfc. John E. Costello, who was covering him from the base of a nearby tree, and Cpl. Elmer F. Conway, who was in a foxhole, were all killed, and two sergeants were wounded, while other tank men were injured by the concussion. By the time the crews had recovered the snipers were forgotten. They gave no further trouble. "
https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/makin/mak-drive.htm
Note: according to the website findagrave.com, full name of the officer was Lt Edward J Gallagher, and he and Costello both belonged to 165th Infantry Regiment. Conway was not found on findagrave.com or the ABMC database.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

18 October 1942: a B-25 bombed in error two trawlers of the Small Ships Section that just arrived at Pongani for the first landing on the coast behind the Buna front. 1st Lt. Adam Bruce Fahnestock, head of the Small Ships Section, and a New York Times correspondent, Byron Darnton, were killed and several other men were wounded.
https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/.../ChapterV.html

[Laurent Rizzotti]

3 July 1941: a Soviet aircraft carrying a special courrier was shot down in error by Soviet AA fire near Orsha, killing the crew and the courrier. No more details.

Source: https://gfs.gov.ru/istoriya-sluzhby/...vov-1941-1945/

[JaganP]

Two other incidents of Friendly Fire

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The infamous PEGU March of Allied POWs from Rangoon. As allied troops closed in on Rangoon

About 4o'clock in the afternoon of 25 April 1945, 76 Americans and 365 British prisoners of war were evacuated from Rangoon Central Prison by Japanese guards under direction of the Japanese commandant. 38 American prisoners remained in Rangoon. The prisoners who marched from Rangoon traveled for 3 days & nights and arrived about four miles from Pegu on the morning of the fourth day

They arrived at this place at daylight 29 April and were told they were at liberty by the Japanese commandant. The same day they were subjected to bombing and strafing attacks by allied aircrews. During these attacks the senior Allied officer. Brigadier Hobson was killed.

The strafing, initially attributed to Indian Air Force Hurricanes was actually done by Hurricane IIDs of No.20 Squadron.

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B29s vs Spitfire

On 1944-09-04 Spitfire VIII MD271 being flown by Maj W H Hoffe , CO of 152 Sqdn was shot down by B29s near Tamu. Hoffe crashlanded the badly damaged spitfire at Tamu and wrecked it. The B29 gunners claimed a "Probably Tony that looked like a Spitfire". Hoffe got to visit the B29 unit that shot at him and their CO apologised.

-----------------------------------

[Laurent Rizzotti]

On 31 March 1942 a German barrage balloon worked "as designed", bringing down an Allied aircraft.... except it was a captured one flown by a German pilot.

The aircraft was a former Russian captured I-16 ("Werknumber" 2335 in German loss report, from what I have seen from captured French aircraft could be a part of the Soviet serial number, or the entire one) flown by Ofw Gustav Küll of Ld.Kdo. 2/6, who was killed when he crashed south of Dünnwald, near Köln, after hitting a ballon cable. The aircraft was a total loss (100% damage).
Source: Matti Salonen, on this forum ( http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...234#post240234)


(By the way I know examples of German bombers destroyed by balloons over UK, even if British balloons destroyed far more Allied aircraft than enemy ones, but I don't remember any case of Allied aircraft destroyed by German balloons).

[Brian]

And still the information comes pouring in! Many thanks.

Was Gustav Kull (a distant relation?) the same guy who flew with 8./JG51 in the Battle of Britain?

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by Brian

And still the information comes pouring in! Many thanks.

Was Gustav Kull (a distant relation?) the same guy who flew wit 8./JG51 in the Battle of Britain?

Cheers
Brian

No idea, may be worth a thread on the Luftwaffe side of the forum.

Next case I am not sure of the date, either 21 or 22 November 1942, possibly both:

From the history of the American 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion (https://www.tankdestroyer.net/images...y_Part_1.pdf):
"On the 21st [December 1942], the convoy reached its temporary destination, Souk El Khemis, Tunisia, in the heart of "Stuka Valley". Several hours later [possibly on the 22nd according to my search, see below], the Kraut planes came in fast and low and when the thunder of the fifties, the thrities, the 20 millimeters and the rifles, tommy guns ans spistols had quieted down, Michael Syrko, a harmless little guy who asked nothing more out of life than a chance to go back to his farm in Pennsylvania, lay dead in the Tunisian sand. Ten minutes later, the enraged Tank Destroyers shot down their first Spitfire."

Note: the Tunisian town of Souk El Khemis has since been renamed Bou Salem, and is situated about 20 km WSW of Beja.

According to the ABMC database, Pvt Micheal [sic] Syrko of 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was killed on 22 December 1942.

According to the book "Fw 190 in Africa", on the 21st two Fw 190s of III./SKG 10 glown by Lt Graf von Westerholy and Fw Esau took off from Sidi Ahmed at 0900 hrs to attack targets of ooportunity in or around the town of Beja. Loaded with SD 250s, they found and bombed a cncentration of vehicles. AA fire was encountered but they were not hit. There was no other raid launched by this unit that day or the 22nd. The fighters of II./JG 2 flew unventful sorties on the 21st and escorted on the 22nd Stukas of II./StG 3 to attack tanks and vehicles south of Medjez-el-Bab.

According to the book MAW3, on the 21st six Spitfires of 152 Sqn and six of 93 Sqn took off at 1100 hrs to escort two Hurricanes over Beja and Oued Zarga. Sgt W A Dobson of 152 Sqn failed to return and it was reported that his Spitfire Vb ER721 appeared to have been hit by Flak south of Makin, when over Allied lines. Dobson was killed.
-> I have been unable to find a place called Makin, but "Flak" "over Allied lines" might be Allied AA fire ?

From the same book, on the 22nd, ten Spitfires of 111 Sqn escorted Hurricanes TacR sorties over the Allied advance to the height that will be named Longstop Hill at 0825 hrs. Over Pont de Trajan (some km south of Beja) they were fired on by the US troops' AA defences and three Spitfires were hit. The pilot of one, Plt Off H D Christian, having been wounded, undertook a forced landing "on a/d" ("on airfield" in my understanding), but died of his wounds next day. He was flying the Spitfire Vb ER605 (History of this aircraft in the Spitfire production list has two possible end: ER605 Vb CBAF M46 38MU 27-9-42 222MU 6-10-42 SS625 20-10-42 Gibraltar 6-11-42 CE ops 28-12-42 Engine cut bellylanded 5m E of Setif 16-11-43. So possibly the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair (CE) in December 1942, probably due to damage suffered on the 22nd, but if the next entry is correct was repaired and then wrecjed in another accident in November 1943)
Also on the 22nd, Hs 129 of 5.(Pz)/SchG 2 made 13 sorties over the Pont ud Fahs area, claiming a dozen vehicles destroyed.

[Rainer]

On 9 November 1942 the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-4) launched three L-4 Grasshopper of the US Army in order to transfer them to an improvised landing ground at the racetrack of Fedala, Morocco. However, they soon came under friendly anti-aircraft fire, first by several ships of the landing fleet participating in Operation Torch, including the light cruiser USS BROOKLYN (CL-40) and then by the troops ashore. Two L-4 made forced landings on the beach, the third reached the racetrack but was forced to land after being taken under friendly fire again during his next flight.

Source: http://www.afhistory.org/wp-content/.../2002_fall.pdf