Friendly ack-ack and flak units would not engage an enemy in real life over the field if a friendly plane is in pursuit. They would stand down and lay off due to the risk of hitting the friendly.

During the New Year's battle over Y-29, friendly ack-ack was firing indiscriminately at anything in the air, friend and foe alike. A few days earlier they killed George Preddy, who just happened to be in hot pursuit of enemy fighters.

Well that's shows you how stupid it is to do that. And I bet after that it was stopped or toned down. Plus, you obviously didn't read where I said it was 'unlikely'. I never said it was impossible, never claimed it never happened one single time. The officers in charge of the anti-aircraft at that place should have been court martialed!! The gunners apparently were not well trained in silouette ID and for sure were not disciplined.

I'll continue to refly in the case of friendly ground fire downing me, it's just stupid. It just didn't happen very often. Just because you know of one single instance, suddenly it was commonplace? It just wasn't, hit refly and be more on the realistic side. Or not, it's your campaign loss, not mine. We are all free to play as we want.

One night in July 1943, US guns at Gela, Sicily, hurled fire at unseen planes overhead. The result was the war’s worst friendly fire incident.

By Robert F. Dorr

Troop transport planes carrying American paratroopers careened all over the sky, bursting into flames, disintegrating, spraying men in all directions. “It was horrible,” recalls Charles E. Pitzer, who was a captain and pilot of one of the planes.

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At the time, the shoot-down over Gela was the worst friendly-fire incident in US history. Three hundred eighteen American soldiers were killed or wounded. Twenty-three transport planes failed to return; others limped back to Tunisia badly damaged, one riddled with 1,000 holes; many landed with blood all over their floorboards. Brigadier General Charles L. Keerans, Jr., the 82nd Airborne’s assistant commander, was aboard a plane that was lost at sea.

Fighters had to be careful about engaging enemy aircraft close to their own forces, whose antiaircraft gunners often fired on both aircraft with fine impartiality. Early in the war, many Allied aircraft had identifying insignia containing red circles; these were quickly changed so that they could not be mistaken for the distinctive Japanese hinomaru or Rising Sun disk.

The other day a few of my friends on New Wings asked me if I would post up things of my Grandfather's Diary upon the fourms. I'll get around to that, but I will list some things he used as tactics ( personal ones ) he made and figured out throughout the first World War.

Brief history : He had a brother. They both joined the Kriegsmarine at ages 17 and 19 before going over to the Luftstreitkräfte at ages 19 and 21. My Grandfether, Wolfgang Klouse, was killed in action June 3, 1918. His brother, Wolfram Klouse was killed June 16, 1918. Months before the end of the war.

1.)

" As ordered by the ( die ) Oberst, we are obligated not to fly lower than (6,000ft) above the No-Man's-Land, fearing the worst from the anti-areal fire and the guns of the shattered French below in the trenches. It is added to my knowledge of this when seeing a friend, Gefreiter Hauns van Schaldun take a bullet to his chest, presumed before diving the some 800 meter down as we crossed over back from routine patrol. "

2.) " Engaging is exciting and frightful expirence. I have been learned from the French to fire in bursts, some three to five segments before holding a few ( 1-2 seconds ) before continueing burst. Aim up and to the right some forty-five degrees to lead the bullets into the engine of the ( aircraft ). "

3.) " When in persuit, it is mandatory you cover your rear with a glance every three to eight seconds, for he may have a friend despirate to save him. Due to this, you keep a 25-45 meter distance from you if single-engine/seat, so if the pilot is struck dead, or pulls in any motion, you have approiate time to adjust or roll. If the aircraft is holding two men, you are to dive from above or under the aircraft. We were tought to aim for the gunner then the engine, but I believe this isn't right. I learn to dive and attack the engine as you go down, pull up harshly to their underbelly and fire into the engine from below to force them down. Staying alive is entirely up to the wellfare of the pilot and his expirence. "

4.) " Identification is vital when you are in clusters. A friendly Albatros ( D.Va presumed ) placed six ( 6 ) holes in the carcus of one ( a ) Pfalz D.IIIa this evening, one gazeing the pilot's shoulder. It is dangerous to fight these Newport( Neu ) aircraft, due to the similarity with the Pfalz's lower wing. Both standard color of silver and white. "


5.) " A grave fear both Wolfram and I possess is burning from high. When you begin to leak fuel, wave off the victor and decrease speed. If your engine begins to smoke, open the radiator fully before going down at a decent angle, depending on wing and tail damages and responses. If it begins to heavily somke, cut the eingine off and dive down, fifty to a hundred meters full radiator. When you get to 500 meter, you should throw you ( goggles ) over and embrace impact, flattening your back to your chair as you clear for open fields to land in. If none, dive down before pulling up harshly so your tail would catch whatever is in the way to lessen the chance of injury from a direct crash. Hold in tight to your aircraft and stay within, tuck your head to your lap to avoid wood flying through. A pistol in your pocket provides a quick way out if you lose a wing up high, or do not wish to take the land. "

These were written years between, but that is all I am giving for a while. You've gotta learn your own tactics to survive this bloody war too.

~ Oberst Wolfgang Klouse, Jagdstaffeln 16.