Friendly fire WWII

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks Col, Bartley's book pinpoints the place where US AA fire hit the Spitfire as Khemis, where 601st TD Bn was.

I wonder if the 111 Sqn ORB will give more details about the aircraft serials, and total losses this day.

Hello Brian,
I have recently joined as my Daughter was researching a naval uncle of mine who was killed before I was born and somehow came across this forum.
You have been seeking information about an incident that happened on 15th Feb 1944 involving Sgt R.V. Cook. I am his son and am in possession of his log book. The entry in it states that the type and number of aircraft is 800, that the pilot was W/O Dills, the duty was Ex3 and under remarks the following is noted. 'did not complete shot at by A.A. fire landed at Scunthorpe. At the top of the pages is written Beaufighters and Little Snoring.
The story that he told us was that they flew into a no fly zone, were shot at with the shell exploding very close resulting in the door being blown off (or opening, I cant remember) and that the pilot grabbed him to stop him falling out.
He received lacerations to his forehead which left him with a noticeable scar but he did not have to bale out.
The next date that he flew was April 5th but on 10th April he was again flying in aircraft number 8000, so I guess that it was not too badly damaged.
I hope that this information is helpful to you. Please let me know if you want any other information
Regards
Malcolm

[HGabor]

On March 14, 1945 IL-2 ground attack planes of 17 VA, 136 ShAD (mainly from 210 ShAP) attacked T-34/85 tanks of the 18 Tank Corps, 170 Tank Brigade at Seregélyes-NE in Hungary in 27 missions. (They dropped 85 FAB-100, 14 FAB-50, 40 AO-25, 6080 small AT PTAB bombs, fired 9090 23mm cannon shells and 14 RS-82 unguided rockets. Claimed 17 tanks for the loss of 5 IL-2: 18886107 18842110, 18881124, 12293, 18874124.)

Despite of the instant radio warnings and flare signals, the soviet IL-2s destroyed 4 soviet tanks with many crewmembers, includind some old and experienced war veterans:

T-34/85, turret No. red '536', chassis No.: 4121531, engine No.: 105712, - л-т Талызин Александр Васильевич platoon-commander (KIA)
T-34/85, turret No. red '544', chassis No.: 4121616, engine No.: 105589
T-34/85, turret No. red '545', chassis No.: 4121591, engine No.: 105126
T-34/85, turret No. red '575', chassis No.: 0412228, engine No.: 4090656

Some remains of these destroyed tanks have been recovered recently along with some SU-76M self-propelled guns. At least one T-34/85 burned so heavily, that their 85 mm shells sank into the melted aluminum of their "liquid" transmission... Fuel tank exploded of course, see its rusty cap and some tags from their tracks.

Gabor

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Two incidents of friendly barges being strafed by US fighters in Solomons.

On 5 December 1943 a former Japanese barge now used by New Zealanders after capture was being used to transport a padre to Tambama to visit his parishioners and conduct the SUnday service, but became grounded at Suanatalia, off Vella Lavella. A large American flag had been draped across the deck and a large white star painted on the roof of the wheelhouse. Five New Zealanders had gone over the side to push the barge off the coral reef when two American Corsair fighters appeared and commenced a strafing run. Two soldiers, Sapper F. L. Knipe and Corporal J. J. Todd, were killed, and another, Sapper A. T. Quirke, was wounded. The dead men were from 20th Field Company, and the death were flet very keenly.
An inquiry was later held, and the explanation given was that the flight leader had simply been test-firing his guns and his wingman had followed suit. Major Generam Harmon acknowledged that there had been a flagrant breach of safety regulations and gross neglicence. He informed the New Zealanders that one of the pilots had been killed in combat, while the other had received forfeiture of hald a month's pay and a formal reprimand.
Source: book "The Battle for Vella Lavella: The Allied Recapture of Solomon Islands Territory, August 15-September 9, 1943" by Reg Newell

On 16 October 1943, a US barge left Matu Suroto for Wataro with the intention of delivering supplies and gear to New Zealand troops. At 0915 hrs, when the barge was in open water just south of Mundi Mundi, four Corsairs were sighted. One peeled off, dove straight at the barge, and opened fire. It killed the coxswain, N. Blackmore, USNR, and wounded C.W. Sorrels, USNR, and two New Zealandes, Pte Lincoln and Pte N D Kingon, both of 16 MT Cpy ASC. Lincoln's arm had to be amputated, and he later died. "Lt L.T? McMillan and the coxswain had a marvelous escape, the steerting wheel being splintered and the barge well peppered." They were the only ones left uninjured, so he immediately headed back to Matu Suroto at full speed. The New Zealanders were perplexed by the attack, since no enemy barges had been seen in daylight for at leats three weeks prior to the attack.
In order to prevent further casualties, orders were issued that "in view of the Air Force practice of testing guns on wrecked barges round the coast, wrecks will be given a wide berth and it is forbidden to visit them."
Source: book "The Battle for Vella Lavella: The Allied Recapture of Solomon Islands Territory, August 15-September 9, 1943" by Reg Newell

The above text is a near-complete summary of the book and the contradiction between the US coxswain being killed in one sentence, and the coxswain and a NZ Lt surviving unhurt in another is in the book!

Regarding the second incident, the two dead were probably:
1) F2C Merlin Dale BLACKMORE, a crew of USS Fuller (APA-7). Source: https://www.naval-history.net/WW2USc...USNbyNAMEB.htm
2) Pte William Franck Lincoln. Source: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/c...william-frank/

An American report describes this attack from the air, available here: https://www.fold3.com/image/27102586...october%201943
(no more time to retype it there, Brian ask if you don't have access)