Friendly fire WWII

[Brian]

Excellent material once again, Laurent.

Many thanks. A completely 'new' friendly fire incident for me!

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

An article (in French) about an US B-24 shot down by a P-61 on 10 November 1944:
http://francecrashes39-45.net/recits...b8ec51876c429e

[Brian]

Super stuff, Laurent

Keep it coming!

Cheers
Brian

[NUPPOL]

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=29278

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=29336

[Laurent Rizzotti]

A P-51 of 309th FS shot down by B-24 gunners on 16 April 1944 (not 15 as written there):
http://forum.armyairforces.com/m161860-print.aspx

[Laurent Rizzotti]

This one is in Russian:
http://allaces.ru/p/people.php?id=00000000420

On 17 January 1944 Ml.Lt Fedor Grigorevich Trutnev of 129 GIAP was shot down in error and killed by AA gunners. This took place probably in Kirovograd area.

[Brian]

Thanks again, Laurent

You should consider writing a book!!

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

You're welcome Brian. Maybe one day but right now I have only time to do it as an hobby.

You should have this one, but maybe not with so much details : a Lufthansa Ju 52 shot down near Belgrade on 17 April 1944:

On 17 April 1944 the 82nd FG flew as escort for a B-17 5th Wing mission to Belgrade. Their 97th FS were the only squadron to engage enemy aircraft in the air. They encountered 2 Ju 52s and 2 He 111s some 20 miles NE of Belgrade. 1/Lt. William W. Patterson shot down one Ju 52. The remaining Ju 52 and one of the He 111s were both hit by more than one of the P-38 pilots and shot down. After gun camera review Patterson was given credit for the He 111 while Captain James A. Force,Jr. was credited with the second Ju 52. The second He 111 escaped. The American pilots thought the enemy aircraft might have been returning to base after being scrambled on warning of the incoming raid.

Patterson was later awarded the Silver Star for this action. Apparently the gunner in the He 111 that was shot down damaged three P-38s, two of which were later crash-landed in Italy and were written off. The third damaged P-38 was Patterson’s, but he managed to land safely at an airfield in Italy with one engine shot out.

Ju 52/3m g8e W.Nr. 130859 1Z+FH of 1./TG 1 came down in flames at Pancevo. All 4 crew members were injured, however, the pilot, Ofw. Willi Lichy, died at the military hospital 521 at Belgrade on the same day.

Second victim was unarmed Ju 52/3m g14e W.Nr. 640996 D-AOCA “Harry Rother”, which was enroute on Lufthansa’s scheduled service E.17 from Vienna to Belgrade, continuing to Sofia, Thessaloniki and Athens with a crew of 3. Aboard were 4 passengers and a large load of mail. The radio operator had noticed the downing of the other Ju 52 and the crew tried to escape in vain by changing direction and flying close to the ground. Hits were received from the rear and from starboard and the plane caught fire immediately. It crashed at Stara Pazova (Alt-Pasua in German reports) about 26 km north of Semlin (Zemun) airfield. Three of the four passengers, among them a Red Cross nurse, were killed in the crash while the fourth died at hospital after two days. The pilot, 47 year old Flugkapitän Kurt Vogel, died of his serious injuries on 23 April 1944, while the two other crew members survived with only minor injuries.

Source:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=23304
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stara_Pazova
http://www.maplandia.com/serbia-and-.../stara-pazova/

[Thierry K]

Hi Laurent,
One more found by chance, nice picture of a friendly flak fire hole in a Defiant. F/O Desmond McMullen and Sgt Fairweather unhurt.
www.acesofww2.com/UK/aces/mcmullen.html
Cordialement, Thierry

[Brian]

Hi Thierry

Thanks for the lead.

However, something definitely wrong with the caption.

Not A/G 'Sgt Fairweather' for a start! The person pictured is a Flight Lieutenant pilot!

Mac is wearing Squadron Leader stripes, so not Flying Officer!

And I would guess that is not a Defiant, but possibly a Mosquito!

So if that picture depicts friendly AA fire it happened later in the war.

I will bear this 'incident' in mind when researching later volumes of the Blue on Blue series.

Thanks
Brian