Most Oustanding cases of "Friendly Fire" - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum

kaki3152 · #1 19th February 2011, 19:23

I was just thinking about this in another thread and thought I could kick it off with the stafing of a RAF fighter strip by the 325th FG in 1944 with casualties.
The downing of three RAF Typhoons by P-47Ds of the 78th FG in December 1943.
The downing of a C-54 with P-38 dive mods which was shot down by Polish Spitfires.
Any others that leap to mind?

shooshoobaby · #2 20th February 2011, 01:18

Kaki ,
I think the worst was all the Transports shot down carrying Paratroopers
by Navy and Army AA - " Operation Husky ".
Mike

kaki3152 · #3 20th February 2011, 02:24

That's right, I'd forgotten about that. One factor is that happened at night so the naval forces could not see the C-47s.

Laurent Rizzotti · #4 20th February 2011, 23:22

The bombs falling on US troops on July 24 and 25 during operation Cobra

The sinking of several Royal Navy minesweepers in the Channel in August 1944

A German bomber attacking German destroyers at night in February 1940, following which three of these ships were lost in a minefield (up to two being hit by bombs)

drgondog · #5 21st February 2011, 15:10

The loss of the J dive flaps was a disaster for the 8th AF Lightning commitment.

Cobra was bad ... the difference was a known risk of just a slight early salvo by trailing B-17s heading perpendicular to the line.. what could have happened did happen.

The one that was most painful for me was the loss of so many C-47s and troopers heading into Sicily. The USN was briefed extensively on the situation and one trigger happy gunner screwed up a lot of C-47s and 82nd AB troopers. I have to look it up but IIRC about 20 C-47s went in along with 13+ per Gooney bird so the KIA was nearly the same as Cobra (or more) plus a lot of expensive airplanes.

gilles collaveri · #6 23rd February 2011, 22:11

the American crew Ronald NICHOLS with his navigator Elbert Harris were shot down by P51 mustangs on 12 August 1944 near Toulouse south of France.
They were flying a Mosquito PR XVI code NS 533 belonging to25th BG 653rd BS of the 8th AF based in WATTON (St 376) in Norfolk and were coming back from a Frantic mission.

GC

kaki3152 · #7 23rd February 2011, 22:47

the P-51s were from the 357th FG...