56th FG - friendly fire case on 4 May 1943 - info needed

[Six Nifty .50s]

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

If I can correctly decipher a poor scan of Fay's combat report, his victim was taken POW. Thus it must have been Tomasz Łęgowski of 316 Sqn. Fay is not mentioned on Tony Wood's list though.

Maybe you misidentified the German pilot. Tony Wood never claimed to have complete data.

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

Even worsest RAF pilot could not mistook P-47 for B-17. Certainly there was a court of inquiry which provided more details"

I doubt if that would mean anything. In Wing Leader, 'Johnnie' Johnson said the RAF had a prearranged agreement with USAAF Bomber Command that RAF fighters were not supposed to fly within range of defensive fire from heavy bombers. Johnson thought the request was reasonable and logical, and had no objections.

Unlike certain Brits and the Poles, American pilots did not whine and complain just because RAF pilots constantly misidentified and attacked USAAF planes. The Americans usually felt pity for RAF pilots, because their gunnery skills were so incredibly bad. Everyone knew it, and the 56th FG was no exception. A couple cases from my database:

August 27th, 1943. After sweeping Lille, RV with the bombers was made at St. Poi, and the Forts were escorted to just off the French Coast on the way home. Enroute home the 63rd FS was bounced by a flight of Spitfires and scattered, along with having one of their P-47s damaged by gunfire by an overzealous Spitfire pilot.

February 3rd, 1945. The twelve P-47s of the 61st FS that had remained as top cover were bounced at this time, too, by a dozen Spitfires, but no damage was inflicted. The mission returned at 1402 after a five and a half hour most eventful sweep. The longest mission to date.

Poor marksmanship was not confined to Spitfire and Seafire pilots. RAF Typhoons from Lympne and Manston constantly attacked Spitfires and other Typhoons. For some units it started as an annoyance but eventually took on the appearance of a roadrunner cartoon -- with the Typhoon pilots playing the role of Wile E. Coyote. They attacked No. 41 Squadron planes all the time, but couldn't quite get a bead on their Spitfire XIIs.

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

Yes indeed, Americans got the reputation of attacking first and only then asking.

Yes, hypocrisy often figures heavily in RAF unit histories.

It's no secret (except to you) that early in the war, RAF squadrons in the UK started painting their propeller spinners white to discourage their own pilots from shooting at each other.