Friendly fire WWII

[Brian]

Hi Mike

All that I have noted so far is:

Beaufighter V8229 of 29 Squadron shot down at 1510 on 21 October by AA fire, the very day that an officer from AA Command came to lecture 29 Squadron on co-operation with the guns. Hit just 35 minutes into the flight, caught fire and crashed one mile west of Winchelsea, with the loss of Sgt Harold Wright and his navigator Sgt Alfred Akester. An investigation into the accident put the loss down to an “unfortunate error in recognition by the AA gunners. Fresh attention drawn to pilots and crews where rules for opening fire are unrestricted.”

Hope this helps. Are you able to add to this?
Cheers
Brian

[north_weald]

I have two involving Norwegian pilots, apologies if these are already written here. 40 plus pages is a lot!

During the Dieppe-raid, 332 sqd mistook a RAF Hawker Typhoon squadron for Focke Wulf 190's. One of the Norwegian pilots opene fire and the squadron leader was shot down. Totally sorry for not remembering the squadron involved. The squadron leader was killed in this incident. The incident is described in several books, Svein Heglunds "Høk over Høk", my own book "Gladiator" and Cato Guhnfeldts "Spitfire Saga".

A few days after the D-Day landings, 331 sqd leader Leif Lundsten was shot down by friendly Naval fire just outside the beaches of Normandie. His last doings in this world was to give the others the correct course home before he said goodbye and told them to give his regards to the people "at home" in Norway when the war was over. He crashed into the sea.

[Brian]

Thanks North Weald (I was there a few weeks ago!)

Yes, I do have those recorded but thanks all the same.

Cheers
Brian

[GuerraCivil]

Some friendly fire cases by Red Army Air Force (Soviets) during Winter War against Finland 1939-1940:

49 IAP (49th Fighter Aviation Regiment):

On 6.12.1939 the unit opened its air victory record when four of its I-16 fighters attacked an enemy flying boat. The enemy plane went down in flames, only one parachute. One of I-16 pilots, I.P. Murazonav was hit by returnfire of enemy.
In reality the downed plane was Soviet MBR-2 of Ladoga flotilla and only lieutnant Petrov of its crew managed to bail out although he was wounded, all three other crewmen were killed. The tragic incident was investigated and it showed that the flight of MBR-2 was not informed to 8th Air Army (in which 49 IAP belonged) and also that many Red Army Air Force pilots were unable to identify Soviet naval planes.

On 1.1.1940 was again a bad day for 49 IAP. Lieutnant Gluhin attacked twin engined enemy bomber which he probably thought to be a Finnish Blenheim. However, it was a SB bomber of 18 SBAP and all of its crew was killed.

7 IAP (7th Fighter Aviation Regiment):

On 25.12.1939 one I-16 fighter of 7 IAP spotted an enemy Bulldog biplane and shot it down. However the plane was in reality a I-15 bis plane of the same 7 IAP. The I-15 bis pilot Pavel Khutakov managed to bail out successfully. This saved him for brilliant military career. Pavel Khutakov was the Commander-in-Chief and Chief Air Marshall of Soviet Air Force in 1969-1984.

[Brian]

Many thanks GC

Excellent gen.

Cheers
Brian

[Nokose]

From Vitaliy Gorbach's book Над Огненной Дугой.
03Aug43
"Unpleasant incident occurred involving the 202 BAD. According to operations of the 235 IAD, at 18:25 a Pe-2 bomber, which went under escort of two Yak-1, has dropped its bombs on the Krasnyy airfield, where is based the 181 IAP. Fortunately the bombs did not cause any harm to the fighters, after falling nevertheless only within 20 meters of the flight line."

The ground crews must not have felt like there wasn't any harm.

[Brian]

Many thanks once again, Nokose.

Very much appreciated.

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Don't know it is too late, but I found a friendly fire event in Libya on 1 December 1941.

An Italian artillery unit equiped with captured British trucks was bombed by German Stuka while attacking British poistions at Bir Berraneb (west of Bir el Gobi) and lost half of his guns, an armoured vehicle and 40 dead, including eight officers, one of them Lt-Col Dissegna, its commander.

Source: http://www.afrikakorps.org/batterievolanti.htm (in French)

40 dead is high for a "tactical" friendly fire bombing (not counting the carpet bombing used by the Allied, that were sometimes more bloody, especially in Normandy).

[Brian]

Many thanks Laurent

Excellent, a new one! Plenty of time - Middle Wast and Far East 'friendly-fires' will appear in Volume III or IV!

Cheers
Brian

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Another one, probably you know about it.

http://www.station131.co.uk/55th/Pil...20F%20Capt.htm