'Friendly fire' incidents in Afghanistan

[Gromit]

Today, there are reports of the US killing three women and a baby in a tragic accident in Afghanstan. Earlier this week, 11 Pakistan border guards were killed by US forces.

Which got me wondering, at the weekend, the number of British fatalities in Afghanistan reached 100 deaths. Does anyone have any figures as to how many of those were the result of 'friendly-fire'?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/arti cle710650.ece

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/aug/24/af ghanistan.military

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1561150 /Three-British-soldiers-die-in-'friendly-fire' .html

[Gromit]

AOG,

As I have mentioned previously, the term 'Blue on Blue' came into usage because it referred to NATO troops (wearing blue helmets) inflicting casualties on their own during 'war games'. As NATO only came into being after WWII, then the incident at Slapton Sands would not have been called a 'Blue on Blue' at the time.

[4GS]

If you google 'fog of war' then you have a link to that incident Gromit, (along with others)

I read about the pre D Day incident in this book many years ago:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/leslie-tho mas/magic-army.htm

and wondered if the author had made it up, or whether it had happened, most of what he'd written about in the book HAD happened during the war, IE the mass evacuation of civilians in Devon and S E England to prepare for the in vasion of Europe, however, I never got the opportunity to research it properly

[Gromit]

Thanks 4GS

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

I was quite aware that the term Blue on Blue wasn't in usage until after the end of WW2.

I was just referring to the fact that the Slapton Sands incident was not caused by "Friendly Fire", "Blue on Blue", "Firing on our own Troops", or whatever other term one wishes to label the killing of friendly forces by one's own forces.

But thanks anyway, for the History lesson on the correct usage of the term.

[Gromit]

AOG
"When the remaining LSTs landed on Slapton Beach, the blunders continued. The British heavy cruiser HMS Hawkins shelled the beach with live ammunition, following an order made by General Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, who felt that the men must be hardened by exposure to real battle conditions. British marines on the boat recorded in its log book (the only log which has since been recovered from any of the boats) that men were being killed by friendly fire. "On the beaches they had a white tape line beyond which the Americans should not cross until the live firing had finished. But the Marines said they were going straight through the white tape line and getting blown up".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Tiger

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq20-1.htm

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq20-2.htm

Out of the darkness, nine swift German torpedo boats suddenly appeared. On routine patrol out of the French port of Cherbourg, the commanders had learned of heavy radio traffic in Lyme Bay. Ordered to investigate, they were amazed to see what they took to be a flotilla of eight destroyers. They hastened to attack.

Allied commanders were not only concerned about the loss of life and two LSTs -- which left not a single LST as a reserve for D-Day -- but also about the possibility that the Germans had taken prisoners who might be forced to reveal secrets about the upcoming invasion.

[Gromit]

AOG.

I am aware of the German E Boat attacks. The 'friendly fire' incident was apparently covered up. Official records ignored it, and military personnel were sworn to secrecy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?h tml=/archive/1997/07/20/ndday20.html

[anotheoldgit]

Another conspiracy theory maybe?

Why did it take a 72 year old now Cornish farmer, 53 years to come forward?

What happened to Lt Blackburn?

A local publication of the tape recordered testimony of a now deceased wartime fireman, of what his then landlord had told him, and what he might have seen.

Nothing very concrete in your 1997 dated link Gromit.

What would you have said if this had been taken from a Daily Mail report?

[Gromit]

AOG

I had never heard about the Slapton Beach incident or the claims of 'friendly fire'. I am merely confirming the information from other posters.

You may be right, and it may be a conspiracy theory. Whatever, the fact is that 1000 young US soldiers were killed. What I regard as reputable sources, the Telegraph, Guardian and Observer seem to confirm that some sort of cover up took place.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/may/16/milit ary.usa