Friendly fire WWII

[Chris Goss]

Re 9 Sep 40, I was in touch with him some years ago-Jim Humphreys was shot down by a He 111 of Stab III/KG 53. On descending by parachute, he was shot at by Canadian soldiers (who missed) but he did not mention being robbed.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hi Brian,

for some other project I did a list of the actions fought by US PT boats during the war and here are the cases where they were attacked by friendly AC:

20 July 1943
USAAF B-25s, unaware of friendly naval vessels in their patrol area, mistakenly sink motor torpedo boat PT-166 (08°15'S, 156°53'E) and damage PT-164 and PT-168 in Ferguson Passage, Solomons.

27 March 1944
Motor torpedo boats PT-121 and PT-353 are mistakenly sunk by friendly bomber, Bismarck Archipelago, 05°17'S, 151°01'E.

29 April 1944
Motor torpedo boats PT-346 and PT-347 are accidentally sunk by F4Us (VMF 215) and F6Fs (VF 34), and SBDs and TBFs off Cape Lambert, Bismarck Archipelago, 04°13'S, 151°27'E. PBY (VP 91) rescues survivors from the two PT-boats.

29 September 1944
Motor torpedo boat PT-310 is mistakenly strafed by RAF Beaufighter off southern France.

26 December 1944
Japanese "Intrusion Force" (Rear Admiral Kimura Masanori), consisting of heavy cruiser Ashigara, light cruiser Oyodo, three destroyers and three escort destroyers, approaches Mindoro to bombard the beachhead. USAAF B-25s, P-38s, P-40s, and P-47s and Navy PB4Ys and PBMs successively attack the force. These damage Ashigara (near-misses), Oyodo, destroyers Asashimo, Kiyoshimo, and Kasumi, and escort destroyers Kaya and Kashi. Kimura's force carries out its bombardment mission, then encounters U.S. motor torpedo boats; PT-77 is damaged, probably accidentally bombed by friendly aircraft. Subsequently, PT-223 sinks the already damaged Kiyoshimo off San Jose, 145 miles south of Manila, 12°20'N, 121°00'E.

7 March 1945
Motor torpedo boats PT-305 and PT-307 are accidentally bombed (but not damaged) by friendly aircraft while patrolling southwest of Genoa, Italy.

By the way, I will continue one day to send you data about the 1940 cases I listed. Just when I will have time again...

Best Regards

Laurent

[Brian]

Hi Laurent

Thanks once again for your input. Don't worry about the 1940 losses - I do require them in due course, but no panic.

Cheers
Brian

[chrisalan368]

Hello There.
Regarding friendly fire. I have noted at least five instances of friendly fire over Scoglitti, Sicily in Jun/Jul 1944. All of them C-47s. This info is available on Joe Baughers website. However there is an awful lot of info to trawl through to find what you are interested in.
Regards
Alan

[Brian]

Many thanks Alan, I have this well documented.

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I found today the 440th TCG USAAF webiste.

Two case that may interest you:

5-6 June 1944: don't know if you wiull consider it.
"On the first Normandy parachute mission one aircraft of another Group was destroyed and several were killed and wounded when a trooper's rifle discharged as he was boarding. The round hit a Gammon grenade of a trooper already aboard setting off a tremendous explosion in the aircraft."
Sounds more of an accident than friendly fire to me, but it will be your choice.
http://www.440thtroopcarriergroup.or...fullbeck.shtml

8 April 1945: two C-47 of 97th TCS destroyed on the ground in Germany by two "German" P-51. More details at
http://www.440thtroopcarriergroup.or...yseventh.shtml

[Brian]

Super stuff Laurent, two more for the collection!

Thanks
Brian

[Alex Smart]

Hello Brian,

It hasn't stopped yet.

How about a B52 downed by an F100 ?
Yes a Buff .
On the 7th April 1961, a 95BW B52B serial 53-0380 was downed by a Sidewinder from a 188FBW F100A serial 53-1660.
Details from a Scramble book "US Military A/c Mishaps 1950-2004"

The story will never end I expect

Alex

[Brian]

Thanks Alex

I agree!

Cheers
Brian

[Steve49]

Operation Jubilee 'friendly fire'

The following Allied losses suffered during the Dieppe raid 19th August.

Blenhiem IV's from 13 and 613 Squadron carrying out early morning low level smoke laying mission were engaged by German flak and Allied naval vessels (the Polish destroyer SLAZAK claimed to have shotdown one 'twin engined bomber' long before any Luftwaffe bombers had arrived). The combination of 'Friendly' and 'unfriendly' fire shotdown one Blenhiem IV (13 Sqn-V5380 OO-D PO C.L. Woodland, Sgt H.G Neville and Sgt A.S. Boyd all killed) and damaged five more aircraft, one of which forcelanded and was burnt out (613 Sqn-V5626 SY-J F/Lt J.E. Scott-injured, Sgt W. Johnson DOI 22/8/42 and F/Sgt G.R. Gifkins-killed). Have details of the other damaged aircraft if you're interested.

64 Sqn Spitfire IX BR977 (PO J.K. Stewart-killed) appears to have been a victim during the squadrons third mission. Whilst engaging Do217's he was heard to call 'be careful you're firing at me' and wasn't seen again. The identity of his attacker is not known (at the time the squadron was in company with 131 Sqn but he may have been hit by a 64 Sqn aircraft).

266 Sqn Typhoon 1b R7815 (F/Lt R.H.L. Dawson-killed) shotdown by 332 Sqn Spitfire whilst returning from the Typhoon Wing's second mission.

Also other pre-raid Typhoon losses;

1st June 1942: 56 Sqn R7678 (PO R.H.Deugo-safe) and R8199 (Sgt K.M. Stewart-Turner-killed) shotdown by 401 Sqn Spitfires.

30th July 1942: 56 Sqn R7853 (Lt E. Haabojoern-safe) shotdown by Spitfire.

Regards

Steve Pegge