Friendly fire WWII

[mhuxt]

Definitely not a Mosquito Brian; metal fuselage!

[Brian]

Thanks Mark

Just in the process of wiping egg off face!

Cheers
Brian

[Observer1940]

Hello Brian

We have been led to believe that this accident 13.6.1940 Hampden P4345 was caused by a balloon collision.

However, Statements uncovered indicate that a shot was fired and the Hampden had begun to disintegrate before impact.

Cpl J. Dowell NCO of the "Apron Guard" said that he heard the plane in the balloon barrage area and at the same time "heard the percussion of what sounded like a shot".

The Hampden crashed into Marriage & Sons Flour Mill, in Felixstowe Docks.

F/O Myles confirmed that the Hampden had struck a balloon barrage cable over the estuary of the river Orwell off Felixstowe and further stated that "the aircraft appeared to have disintegrated somewhat, both immediately before, and upon impact, as small parts of wreckage, maps, etc. were recovered from the vicinity." In another attached report he states that the balloon was the sole agent in bringing the aircraft down.

F/O Stanley W. Tinham states in his Statement that an "Action Warning" was on and off until 02.35 hrs 13th June 1940 and that the balloons had been raised because of the action warning.

The balloon was "Water borne @ 2,500' " [2,500 feet] per A.M. 1180 Accident Card. The accident time was given as 02.35 hrs and an Air Ministry list gives the aircraft impact height 2,500 feet.

Official Air Ministry records indicate that Balloon Command were forbidden from flying balloons in that estuary above 1,000 feet.

My comment: Not only had the balloons been raised against a friendly aircraft, but the balloon struck was 1,500 feet higher than the height permitted by the Air Ministry.

Mark

[Thierry K]

Hi Brian
You are right, Desmond McMullen (with cap) was F/Lt when flying Defiants of 151 Sqn from December 1940 to July 1941. His turret gunner was Sgt Fairweather (maybe not the guy on the pic ?)
Friendly AA fire confirmed by McMullen's son Roddy.
Regards, Thierry

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Don't think it is on this list so far: on 17 November 1944 Romanian Ju 87 were attacked over Hungary by Soviet fighters (their new allies since 3 months) and two were shot down (2 KIA, 2 WIA).

The site is in Hungarian, but a Google translation works well, the battle story is at the end of the webpage:
http://avionics.hu/Rom%C3%A1n+L%C3%A...44+november+17

[Dénes Bernád]

I assisted the team in identifying the doomed aircraft (to their surprise, it turned out to be a Rumanian Ju 87D-5). In turn, I received a few small pieces of the excavated wreck.

[Chris Goss]

Having spoken to McMullens son, the photo is of his Spitfire damaged in combat in Apr 42 not a Defiant damaged by AA fire in 1941

[ClinA-78]

concerning the recovery: a very strange crane isn't it?

[ahafan]

try this weird one'-about 10 Civilian planes were shot down over the Irish sea.north of the Isles of Mann;;from october 1941- early 42-a P40 american flown missing was listed as ferrying too prestwick..
reasons no idea? info lost circa 2005, that I read on the net..
think the site was history of Raf ?.. i tried to find more since but no luck at All
sharon

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Two webpages in Russian, Google translation is your friend

On 6 August 1945, two Soviet patrol boats were attacked by US aircraft off the Pacific coast of USSR, and 8 (or 11) Soviet sailors were killed, while they claimed an aircraft shot down.

Source:
http://www.piragis.ru/publikatscii-p...-moryakov.html
http://forum.patriotcenter.ru/index.php?topic=5296.0

Still needing some research on this case.

Best regards

Laurent