TX3RN0BILL 3 Posted March 31, 2008 I recently re-read a novel called "The Blond Knight of Germany", about the top-scoring ace of the world Erich Hartmann, and was intrigued by him recalling the fact that, whilst flying in the eastern front in 1945, on more than one occasion, american planes got into dogfights with soviet planes (once because of him because he struck fast and they didn't know what hit them so they blamed their "allies" for it), so I was kinda wonderin', is there any statistic data on how many planes each allied downed of the other during these scraps, which air units were involved etc? It would be curious to know... Also, I know that some US Army ground units pushed farther east than the supposed borderline that would split what after the war would belong to the Soviet Union from what would belong to the western allies, did they fight the soviet ground forces as well? Any data on that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DWCAce 19 Posted March 31, 2008 I read an article some years back that a US squadron (P-38's I think) strafed and bombed an enemy column really well. It turns out that they were Russian. The pilots had the right idea, just about one or two years early.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Bounder Posted March 31, 2008 (edited) Here are some more noted FF incidents. * American Civil War o Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died as a result of friendly fire, most likely due to an error of identification. * World War II: 21,000 (16%)[citation needed] Figures have run anywhere from 2% to 12% depending upon the source. o Highest-ranking U.S. loss of the war, Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair o Sinking of the submarine FS Surcouf. This was initially attributed to a collision with the U.S. freighter Thompson Lykes, but a later report stated that the Surcouf was mistaken for a U-boat and destroyed by U.S. planes. Historians differ on which account is true. o Sinking of the submarine USS Dorado by U.S. planes. o Damage to the light cruiser USS Atlanta by the cruiser USS San Francisco. o Near damage of the battleship USS Iowa (with President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard) by the destroyer USS William D. Porter. This incident led to the “Willie D.” being greeted with the hail, “Don’t shoot, we’re Republicans!” o The death in Belgium on Christmas Day 1944 of Major George E. Preddy, commander of the 328th Fighter Squadron and the highest-scoring US ace still in combat in the European Theater at the time. Preddy chased a German fighter over an American anti-aircraft battery and was hit by their fire aimed at his intended target. * Vietnam War: 8,000 (14%) * Operation Desert Storm (1991): 35 (23%) * Invasion of Afghanistan (2002 -): 6 Canadian (8.5 % of Canadian fatalities); 2 American o In the Tarnak Farm incident, (2002) 4 fatalities were Canadian soldiers.[4] o Pat Tillman, (2004) famous American football player killed by friendly fire. o Operation Medusa (2006): 1 - Two U.S. A-10 Thunderbolts accidentally strafed NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, killing Canadian Private Mark Anthony Graham. o Canadian Pte Robert Costall and Vermont National Guard Sgt. John Thomas (2006) accidentally shot (from behind) and killed by a U.S. machine gunner near Kandahar, in Afghanistan. Some listing from the BRIT side of the fence: "When the Germans fire, the British duck. When the British fire, the Germans duck. When the Americans fire EVERYONE ducks! '' ""shot at on a daily basis, although obviously it'll get much safer when the Americans leave and it's only the Iraqis firing at them." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Briti...e_U.S._military Speaking as a "Grunt" that has been on the reciving end if this a few times (no one got hit) ain't nothing ""Friendly" about it! Edited March 31, 2008 by Bounder Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TX3RN0BILL 3 Posted March 31, 2008 Speaking as a "Grunt" that has been on the reciving end if this a few times (no one got hit) ain't nothing ""Friendly" about it! Well, you know what they say, also friendly fire has right of way... Though, I was kind of seeking knowledge of incidents regarding the eastern front near the end of WW2, between the US and soviet forces... dwcace, would you know anything more specific about them? Being P-38s I could guess they belonged to the US 15th Air Force, stationed in southern Europe, could that be correct? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
herman01 0 Posted March 31, 2008 Friend of mine had his Iraqi interpeter killed right in front of him by another unit in the area. Fear and confusion makes people do crazy stuff. On any side of a war. The way the Pat Tillman thing was handled made me sick though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DWCAce 19 Posted March 31, 2008 I think it was Yugo - Checho - you name it Slavia area. So most likely it was the 15th. I think a major general was one of the victims in the incident as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
